AI Infrastructure Push: China plans a 2 trillion yuan ($295B) nationwide AI data-center network over five years, aiming for at least 80% domestic tech and tighter integration with power grids—an explicit bid to reduce reliance on foreign AI hardware. Brain-Tech Breakthrough: China approved the world’s first commercial brain-computer chip (NEO) for clinical sale, while Neuralink still awaits FDA clearance, highlighting a fast-moving race in noninvasive neural interfaces. Domestic Chips for Global Apps: ByteDance is reportedly in talks to buy large volumes of AI inference GPUs from Shanghai’s Iluvatar CoreX and is also considering Baidu chips, underscoring China’s push to diversify away from Nvidia amid export controls. Rare Earths & Security: The U.S. House passed the DOMINANCE Act to counter China’s rare-earth processing dominance by building allied extraction and processing networks. Ocean Monitoring Warning: An op-ed flags the fragility of the global ocean observing system and warns that losing major contributors could cripple climate and weather monitoring. Earth & Space Science: Chinese researchers used a self-developed model to explain the origin of global seamounts and reconstruct subduction history over 270 million years. Education Shift for AI Era: China’s universities are cutting “obsolete” programs and reshaping majors toward AI and emerging tech as students reassess career prospects. Health & Aging Research: A new review examines how cultural norms shape sexual health perceptions among Chinese older adults, pointing to gaps in culturally competent nursing care.