- China has begun pilot testing a new state-backed AI computing node, marking a significant step in its national AI infrastructure strategy.
- The node is deployed in Zhengzhou (Henan) and is part of the SuperComputing Network (SCNet).
- The system utilizes three scaleX platforms developed by Sugon, supporting over 30,000 domestic AI accelerator cards.
- SCNet has not officially disclosed its total computing power, but based on scaleX performance, the total capacity could reach 15 EFLOPS.
- 1 EFLOPS equals one quintillion floating-point operations per second, a benchmark for supercomputers and high-performance AI hardware.
- If it reaches 15 EFLOPS, this node would far surpass El Capitan—the world’s current most powerful supercomputer at 1.8 EFLOPS.
- The open architecture allows for a mixed deployment of accelerator cards from various domestic brands while maintaining compatibility with popular software ecosystems like CUDA.
- SCNet emphasizes the goal of overcoming resource wastage caused by hardware and software incompatibility.
- The node is designed for large-scale AI scenarios: training models with trillions of parameters, high-throughput inference, and AI for Science.
- The test occurs as China pushes hyperscale models, such as Ernie 5.0 with 2.4 trillion parameters and Qwen 3-Max with over 1 trillion parameters.
- Chinese Big Tech firms are simultaneously investing in infrastructure, from Huawei’s Atlas 950 Supercluster to Alibaba’s Panjiu AI Infra 2.0.
📌 Conclusion: China has begun testing a new state-backed AI computing node in Zhengzhou (Henan Province) as part of the SuperComputing Network (SCNet). The testing of this domestic AI node with an estimated capacity of 15 EFLOPS shows that China is accelerating its AI infrastructure autonomy at an unprecedented scale. With the ability to support trillion-parameter models and an open architecture compatible with international software, this project not only addresses resource allocation but also lays the foundation for global AI competition, where computing infrastructure becomes a core strategic advantage.
