Nanjing will host the 8th Future Network Development Conference from August 21 to 23, according to a press conference led by Liu Yunjie, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) and chief scientist at the Purple Mountain Laboratories, on August 12.
The conference will unveil significant research achievements in the fields of networks and communications and will also include several parallel sessions.
Having been held seven times, the conference has become a globally leading event for technical exchanges and exhibition of achievements in the future network sector, attracting industry elites including Nobel laureates and Turing Award winners. On average, each event has drawn over 3,000 participants. The past seven conferences have revealed more than ten globally leading innovations in network communication, with some already been widely applied.
“This year marks the 30th anniversary of China's access to the global Internet. Today, Internet development faces new requirements emerging from scenarios represented by large-scale AI models and remote medical services. Key indicators for future networks will include high performance computing, high bandwidth, low latency, stability, and long-distance lossless transmission. These technologies will also be key to driving a higher level of social development. It’s necessary to strengthen worldwide collaboration and joint efforts for technological innovation and industry progress,” said Liu.
The conference will consist of an opening ceremony, a forum, and thematic sessions. At the opening ceremony, the Purple Mountain Laboratories will announce three major research outcomes in the field of networks and communications, which will aid new technological developments in the global future network.
The conference has invited members from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the CAE, representatives of leading enterprises, and experts from institutions such as Carnegie Mellon University, the University of California, Riverside, and Université Savoie Mont Blanc. They will engage in high-end discussions on artificial intelligence, large language models, computing power networks, and other fields to advance the industry development.
The conference will also feature an exhibition of innovative technologies and achievements, including experimental facilities, 6G, artificial intelligence, and satellite Internet. Leading enterprises such as China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom, Huawei, ZTE, H3C, Alibaba, and Si-tech will participate in the exhibition.
Liu noted that, despite sound development in the consumer sector, there are still challenges for the Internet to meet the needs of the real economy and artificial intelligence.
Furthermore, the conference will hold a Future Network Science and Technology Innovation Competition, aimed at promoting research and innovation among university students and fostering high-quality professionals. The competition will focus on areas such as software, data centers, artificial intelligence, network security, 5G/6G, the Internet of Things, and industrial internet. The competition attracted 168 teams from over 70 universities including Tsinghua University and Nanjing University. 23 teams have advanced to the finals, with the competition results to be announced during the conference.
