China certifies AI chips for government use in tech swap

China has, for the first time, included artificial intelligence chips in its official "secure and reliable" technology assessments, marking a significant expansion of Beijing's Xinchuang initiative to replace foreign technology with domestic alternatives. The assessments, released by the China Information Technology Security Evaluation Centre and the National Secrecy Science and Technology Evaluation Centre on Tuesday, created a new certification category for "AI training and inference chips" valid for three years. The approvals are widely viewed as the definitive procurement catalogue for party and government agencies, central state-owned enterprises, and other state-linked customers. The move highlights how China's technology replacement drive is pivoting toward AI infrastructure. Initially focused on phasing out US suppliers like Intel and Advanced Micro Devices for central processing units and Oracle for databases, Beijing is now targeting Nvidia and other foreign suppliers of AI computing power. The push has gained urgency following successive rounds of US export controls that restricted Chinese access to advanced graphics processing units. Separately, a new study published in the Chinese defence engineering journal Acta Armamentarii revealed that Beijing is also pursuing AI integration in industrial manufacturing, describing an AI-powered "bearing design agent" called ChatBearing developed by researchers from Chongqing University's State Key Laboratory of Mechanical Transmission. The system combines large language models with engineering calculation tools and industrial databases to autonomously design rolling bearings for advanced machinery, traditionally a process that relies heavily on experienced engineers and lengthy trial-and-error. The Xinchuang initiative, which translates as information technology application innovation, is Beijing's long-running campaign to purge foreign hardware and software from sensitive and strategically important information systems. The bearing design study was published alongside other weapons-related technologies including aerospace, missile systems, armour, and guidance systems, underscoring the military applications of China's industrial AI development.