ZTE has once again won the WAIC SAIL Star award thanks to its OEX supernode, which features a zero-cable design, the ability to connect 128 Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) in a single rack, and a comprehensive artificial intelligence infrastructure covering cloud supercomputers and Nubia agent phones.
The OEX supernode received the WAIC SAIL Star award for the second consecutive year. It solves the complex engineering challenge of connecting hundreds of GPUs at the scale of data centers while minimizing cable complexity, signal loss, and latency. Thanks to its orthogonal design, where computing racks and switching racks are connected vertically, the OEX supernode provides full interconnectivity for 128 GPUs in a standard rack without internal cables or a rear panel. This significantly reduces signal paths, lowers connection costs, and simplifies maintenance compared to traditional designs.
The architecture allows scaling up to 16,000 GPUs. ZTE developed proprietary chips for in-rack switching that simultaneously support the CLink protocol, overseen by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), and Broadcom's SUE protocol. This ensures GPU compatibility independent of the specific chip supplier, preventing vendor lock-in. The five-chip co-probing technology, which includes a Central Processing Unit (CPU), internal server interconnect, inter-rack communication, network card, and DPU, allows the system to dynamically select optimal configurations for different types of GPUs and workloads, making the OEX supernode a flexible platform adaptable to the rapidly evolving domestic GPU ecosystem.
ZTE's exhibition at WAIC was divided into four zones: AI Infrastructure, AI Applications, AI Smart Home, and AI Agent Smartphone. These zones presented a unified concept of AI—from computational power generation to end-user consumption. The infrastructure zone showcased the OEX supernode alongside the AIDC computing power cooperation architecture and the computing network structure.
The applications zone demonstrated the NewStart AIOS operating system, designed for industrial, home, and personal scenarios, as well as the Co-Claw agent corporate platform. This platform is used internally by ZTE to build an AI-managed organization and is replicated for the industrial, railway, mining, metallurgical, and energy sectors.
In the smart home zone, ZTE's products for home terminals were displayed, maintaining global market leadership for five consecutive years with over 100 million annual shipments, including 3 million AI-enabled devices. The agent smartphone zone featured the Nubia NaviX Ultra—the world's first production-ready agent smartphone, developed in collaboration with Doubao from ByteDance, which debuted at WAIC. Ni Fei, President of Nubia at ZTE, emphasized that the agent phone category represents the lower half of AI, performing tasks rather than just answering questions, which requires thorough engineering verification of all user pain points, native OS integration, stable manufacturing experience, and privacy assurance.
In addition to the exhibition, ZTE announced achievements in medical AI: generating medical reports with a tenfold increase in efficiency, creating HTA reports in 1–5 minutes, and assisting in cardiovascular disease diagnosis with 96% accuracy based on 10,000 clinical cases. Three humanoid robots were also presented: Xingzai, weighing 30 kg for commercial services; the heavy-duty Xinqing for industrial manufacturing; and the wheeled Xinwang. All operate on the Star Core automotive chip with the dexterous Xingqiao hands, achieving precision below 0.2 mm.
At a recent Social Media Summit for Government, discussions focused on how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the interaction between governmental structures and citizens. Discussions about integrating social media into official communication strategies have concluded, and with the rapid development of technologies like AI, digital platforms have become indispensable for governments themselves.
A more pressing question became whether governments are ready to communicate effectively in an era shaped by AI. These topics were central to the Social Media Summit for Government, which was held with the participation of the University of Johannesburg and Decode under the slogan 'Life in the Spectrum of Engagement.' Over two days, politicians, scientists, communications specialists, and technology experts analyzed how AI is changing the relationship between power and the populace.
One of the key takeaways from the summit was the understanding that AI is not a substitute for human intelligence, but rather a powerful tool whose value depends entirely on human judgment, ethics, creativity, and leadership. This distinction is critically important because much of the public debate about AI centers on the theme of replacement: will algorithms replace civil servants, and will chatbots replace human interaction?
The real opportunity lies in augmentation, not substitution. AI can analyze millions of public comments in real time, identify emerging social problems, translate government information into different languages, detect disinformation before it spreads, and help government institutions improve communication efficiency. These capabilities hold enormous potential, especially in countries like South Africa, where governments often face resource constraints.
Nevertheless, AI cannot exercise political judgment, understand context, or build trust between the government and its citizens. Trust remains the main currency of digital governance. Citizens will likely judge governments not by the complexity of their algorithms, but by how digital technologies make governance more responsive, transparent, and accountable. Technologies that merely automate bureaucracy without improving people's daily lives cannot be considered significant innovations.
Therefore, the summit repeatedly emphasized a simple principle: data and technology must ultimately serve people. However, adopting AI also requires understanding the broader political economy within which digital communication operates. New media does not exist outside the material conditions that determine all other aspects of society. Digital platforms are neither politically neutral nor economically independent; they operate within a global capitalist system where data, attention, and information have become valuable commodities.
As a result, governments increasingly interact with citizens through digital infrastructures that they do not own or control. Platform algorithms determine visibility, and commercial incentives shape engagement. Public communication is forced to compete with entertainment, disinformation, and viral content for public attention. This raises serious concerns among decision-makers.
The assumption that social media simply facilitates communication ignores the embedded economic interests within them. Whether people watch traditional television, read online news, or listen to independent podcasts, communication is increasingly subject to a similar commercial logic. Even podcasting, which was a major topic at the summit, is often presented as an alternative to traditional media but remains dependent on subscriptions, sponsorship, advertising, and audience metrics. Thus, the commodification of information encompasses the entire media ecosystem.
The differences between mainstream media and many digital alternatives are often less significant than they seem. This reminds us that communication has always been linked not only to the transmission of information but also to power. Media power is not just the ability to report events, but the ability to shape reality and influence what societies consider true, discuss, and accept.
In this context, AI must never become another tool through which citizens are merely profiled, monitored, or algorithmically persuaded. In a democratic society, public communication exists to inform, empower, and engage citizens, not to manipulate them. Therefore, AI should be used to strengthen democratic participation, improve service delivery, and deepen trust between the government and the people. Whether it is multilingual communication, better access to information, real-time interaction, or responsible measures against disinformation, technology must enhance the state's capacity to serve citizens, not just automate bureaucracy.
This is why the summit became such an important venue. Beyond demonstrating new technologies, it created a space for critical discussions about governance, ethics, and the future of public communication in the age of AI. In addition to stating that human intelligence must remain at the center of AI, another conclusion reached at the summit was that trust must remain the foundation of digital governance. Achieving this vision requires collaboration, as no single organization possesses all the necessary knowledge to navigate the rapidly changing AI landscape. Governments, universities, civil society, tech companies, and communications specialists must work together to develop ethical standards and governance frameworks to ensure that AI advances the public interest, not narrow commercial or political goals. Discussions must now move beyond conference rooms and into government institutions. Governments must invest in digital capabilities, create robust AI governance frameworks, and equip communications professionals with the necessary skills for responsible communication in an increasingly digital environment.
As the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai concluded on Monday, July 20, CGTN journalist Zhang Yinzhe spoke with Yagos Hajiyannis, Director of Chief Experience at the Multimodal Media Lab in Vancouver, Canada.
The conversation covered the importance of the conference itself, as well as the speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
As the industry shifts from large language models to practical implementation, discussions at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai have moved towards foundational elements: computing infrastructure, operating systems, and security issues.
Representatives from three companies operating at different levels of the AI stack demonstrated the formation of China's artificial intelligence ecosystem. Hygon Information Technology laid the computational foundation by presenting its domestic AI supercluster, Sugon 8000. This cluster integrates the company's universal central processor with DCU accelerators.
Zai Qiao, Vice President of Hygon, noted that 'China's intelligent computing industry has reached a turning point—the transition from a 'usable' state to a scalable one.'
STEPX is changing the perception of how agents operate. Their product, STEPX Neo, the first agent phone focused on large models, runs on Step AOS—an operating system developed from scratch specifically for AI agents. Michael, a technical expert at STEPX who wished to remain anonymous, stated that 'the era of agents is a symbiosis of human and machine.' He added that previously humans controlled devices, but now they express intentions, and agents perform complex tasks.
STEPX collaborates with Meituan, Alipay, and Didi, utilizing A2A protocols to provide its agent services.
Fisherman Info focuses on ensuring security levels. Guo Jinrui, CEO of Fisherman Info, emphasized that since AI agents function across various applications and devices, this requires systemic guarantees regarding data sovereignty, privacy, and traceability. The company offers comprehensive solutions for data protection throughout the entire lifecycle, ensuring that every layer, from chips to applications, is auditable and controllable.
