AI takes center stage at global college supercomputing competition launched in Beijing

BEIJING, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- The 2026 ASC Student Supercomputer Challenge (ASC26) was launched recently in Beijing, with artificial intelligence (AI) set as one of the competition's core themes.

More than 300 university teams worldwide are expected to take part. In the preliminary round, students will tackle two major tasks, including an AI-focused problem titled "Embodied Intelligence." The task requires teams to optimize an AI agent model for more efficient inference while maintaining high-quality video generation, addressing real-world challenges in AI performance and deployment. The second task focuses on high-precision simulations of gravitational waves generated by colliding black holes.

Teams that advance will compete in the onsite finals at Wuxi University in east China's Jiangsu Province, from May 16 to 20.

Initiated by China and now in its 13th edition, the ASC Student Supercomputer Challenge aims to cultivate talent and foster international exchange in high-performance computing. To date, the competition has engaged more than 10,000 university students worldwide. ■