Zuchongzhi-3, a superconducting quantum computing prototype with 105 qubits and 182 couplers, has made significant advancements in random quantum circuit sampling. This prototype was successfully developed by a research team from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), including Pan Jianwei, Zhu Xiaobo, and Peng Chengzhi, in collaboration with Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Sciences, Henan Key Laboratory of Quantum Information and Cryptography, China National Institute of Metrology, Jinan Institute of Quantum Technology, School of Microelectronics at Xidian University, and the Institute of Theoretical Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. This prototype operates at a speed that is 10¹⁵ times faster than the fastest supercomputer currently available and one million times faster than the latest results published by Google. This achievement marks a milestone in enhancing the performance of quantum computation, following the success of Zuchongzhi-2. The research finding has been published as the cover article in the international academic journal Physical Review Letters.

Researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) led by Prof. ZHANG Douguo have unveiled a planar optical device that significantly enhances the capabilities of dark-field microscopy, achieving super-resolution imaging beyond the diffraction limit. Their research has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

A research team led by Prof. ZENG Zhutian from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) identified and named a novel population of bladder-resident macrophages, termed suburothelial perivascular macrophages (suPVMs), which can prevent hematogenous dissemination of uropathogens by releasing macrophage extracellular traps (METs). This finding has been published in Immunity.

In a new study published in Engineering, researchers led by Xinxia Cai, Zhaojie Xu, and Yirong Wu explore the latest progress in intracortical neural interface technologies for freely moving animals. These technologies focus on four key areas, including higher spatial density, improved biocompatibility, enhanced multimodal detection, and more effective neural modulation, with potential to benefit neuroscience research and clinical applications.

Breakthrough in N₂ activation! This study unveils an electron catalysis strategy that directly converts N₂ into azo compounds under mild conditions—a game-changer for nitrogen fixation. By harnessing electron flow, it lowers activation energy from 3.44 eV to 0.14 eV, making azo synthesis faster, greener, and highly efficient. This innovative approach revolutionizes nitrogen chemistry, unlocking new possibilities for sustainable chemical synthesis.

A new study in Engineering explores the future of AI after large language models (LLMs). LLMs have their limits, so researchers are looking at knowledge empowerment, model collaboration, and model co-evolution. This article will explain these directions and their potential impacts, as well as future research trends in the AI field.

A new study in Engineering has developed an acoustofluidics-based method for intracellular nanoparticle delivery. This approach overcomes limitations of traditional methods, efficiently transports various nanomaterials into different cells, and offers potential benefits for therapeutic and biophysical research.

Women's health has long been neglected, causing delayed diagnoses and poor care. Now, AI is transforming women's healthcare by improving decision making, accuracy, and treatment outcomes.

A recent study in Engineering presents LearningEMS, a unified framework and open-source benchmark for electric vehicle (EV) energy management. It offers a platform to compare multiple EMS algorithms, evaluate their performance from various aspects, and aims to optimize EV energy efficiency.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is committed to promoting research excellence to address societal challenges and opportunities by providing strategic insights. In response to intensifying competition in the global shipping market, PolyU scholars have conducted a comprehensive study of Hong Kong’s shipping ecosystem and developed policy recommendations aimed at fostering collaborative efforts to enhance the shipping ecosystem within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). This project aligns with the long-term initiatives outlined in the 2024 Chief Executive Policy Address and has been supported under the Strategic Public Policy Research Funding Scheme (SPPRFS) 2024/25 of the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit of the HKSAR Government. This year, only two out of 37 applications received funding.