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🇨🇳 Chinese engineers activate nationwide AI supercomputer, fusing distant data centers into one machine

China has brought online a massive distributed AI system that links data centers across 1,243 miles, allowing them to operate with about 98% of the efficiency of a single supercomputer. Built as part of the national Future Network Test Facility, the optical backbone dramatically reduces AI training time and cost through deterministic, ultra-low-latency data transmission. The system strengthens China’s large-scale AI ambitions and supports strategic projects like shifting computing workloads to energy-rich western regions.

🇨🇳 Chinese researchers create skin-like patch enabling screen-free texting through touch alone

Researchers in China have developed a soft, wearable patch that converts tapping and pressing patterns on the skin into full digital text and sends text feedback back as vibrations. Reported in Advanced Functional Materials, the device combines iontronic sensors, flexible electronics, vibration actuators, and an AI model to encode and decode all 128 ASCII characters purely through touch. The innovation could enable discreet, screen-free communication and new assistive or human–machine interfaces by turning the skin into a two-way information channel.

🇬🇧 UK researchers test world-first system combining tidal power, batteries, and green hydrogen

Scientists in Scotland have successfully demonstrated the first integrated energy system that combines tidal power generation, long-duration battery storage, and hydrogen production into a single coordinated setup. Led by the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney, the project linked a tidal turbine, vanadium flow batteries, and an electrolyzer to smooth variable tidal output while producing green hydrogen on demand. The trial shows how marine renewables can deliver more reliable, flexible clean energy and support future decarbonization of hard-to-electrify sectors.

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🇺🇸 US startup begins production of electric flying car, advancing real-world personal air mobility

California-based Alef Aeronautics has started manufacturing its all-electric Model A, a road-legal flying car capable of vertical takeoff and forward flight. The vehicle combines a 220-mile driving range with a 110-mile flight range and has received FAA airworthiness certification, marking a rare crossover between automobiles and aircraft. The milestone signals that flying cars may be moving from experimental prototypes toward limited real-world deployment.

🇯🇵 Japanese firm claims AGI model can learn new skills autonomously without human data

Tokyo-based Integral AI says it has built an AI system capable of autonomously learning entirely new skills without pre-existing datasets or human intervention, which it defines as a core requirement for Artificial General Intelligence. The company reports successful robot trials and claims its model learns safely and with energy efficiency comparable to humans, drawing inspiration from the human neocortex. While unverified and likely to be debated, the announcement highlights a potential shift toward more self-directed and embodied AI systems.

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