Technological self-reliance and self-improvement are the cornerstones of national strength and essential for security. Chips, being the foundation of information technology, play a vital role in national strategic development. Amidst intensifying global technological competition, some Western countries are restricting technology exports to maintain their dominance in the global chip industry. In response, the Chinese government and enterprises have been actively fostering the independent development of the domestic chip industry. Over recent years, this effort has significantly accelerated innovation and drawn global attention.

As a key part of China's national innovation system and strategic scientific and technological strength, Macao plays a pivotal role in promoting the Chinese path to modernization. It has adopted the "1+4" moderately diversified development strategy, which focuses on developing comprehensive tourism and leisure industries while promoting four major industrial sectors: the "Big Health" industry, modern financial services, high and new technology, and convention and exhibition, sports, and the commercial and trade industries. Through these efforts, Macao is advancing new quality productive forces, creating platforms for technological innovation, and contributing to the high-quality development of the national economy.

In 2022, Macao achieved a significant breakthrough with the launch of the world's first brain-inspired smart chip based on Chinese algorithm, Feilongxin, which literally means "Flying Dragon Chip." This innovation not only overcame intellectual property barriers imposed by Western countries but also filled a critical gap in brain-inspired foundational technology. It now holds a prominent position in global artificial intelligence (AI) development.

What is Feilongxin?

Chu Bong-Foo, the "father of Chinese computers." [Photo courtesy of Huang Guangyu]

Feilongxin is built on the principles of the Chinese character system as applied in the Cangjie Input Method, invented by AI scientist Chu Bong-Foo. Jointly developed by the Imitation Brain Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., Culturecom Holdings Limited, and iFLYTEK Co., Ltd., it is the world's only human-machine Chinese language understanding chip capable of offline input and output. With high security and strong compatibility, it has applications in various fields, including consumer electronics like the internet of things (IoT), smart homes, smart watches and smart toys, as well as in Industry 4.0 technologies.

One of its standout features is its independence from internet connectivity. Equipped with AI intelligence, it ensures privacy and mitigates risks of data leakage, providing robust network information security. This makes it invaluable for national cybersecurity and allows for applications in military and aerospace fields, such as remote voice control systems, information robots, and satellite communication voice control systems.

The development of Feilongxin represents a milestone for brain-inspired technology in China. It is the first instance of Chinese character gene imitation of the human brain being applied as foundational AI technology. Chinese enterprises have thus overcome the long-standing bottleneck of "having applications but no foundational technologies" and established a strong presence in the global AI wave.