Alibaba Group Holding has launched its first suite of artificial intelligence models for robots, joining a global race to move AI out of chatbot windows and into the physical world. The Hangzhou-based tech giant on Tuesday introduced the Qwen Robot Suite, marking its latest foray into “embodied AI” – machines that can perceive, reason and interact with physical environments. Developed by Alibaba’s AI research unit, Tongyi Lab, the suite has already entered pilot testing with selected Alibaba...

China has achieved a breakthrough in production of an ultra-pure form of silicon, a critical material needed to build silicon-based quantum computers, as Beijing accelerates its drive to cut reliance on foreign technology in strategic areas. State-owned nuclear giant China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said on Monday that one of its research institutes had successfully mass-produced a high-purity silicon-28 isotope with an isotopic abundance above 99.99 per cent. The achievement marked...