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AI, science and the risks in China’s reliance on imported precision equipment

China's reliance on imported precision scientific instruments is hindering its use of artificial intelligence in research, according to Peking University professor Weinan E. Speaking at an AI for Science conference, E said the lack of domestically developed equipment limits access to high-quality experimental data, which is essential for training AI models.

read1 min views1 publishedJul 10, 2026
AI, science and the risks in China’s reliance on imported precision equipment
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The country is dependent on overseas high-end scientific instruments, crimping use of artificial intelligence, researcher says

science,according to a leading Chinese researcher.

Advanced equipment such as mass spectrometers was essential for generating the high-quality experimental data needed to develop, validate and improve advanced scientific models, Weinan E, a professor at Peking University’s mathematical sciences school, said at the “AI for Science” conference in Shanghai last week.

“Without domestically developed precision instruments, it becomes difficult to obtain first-hand, high-quality experimental data, leaving AI ‘like cooking without rice’,” E said, according to Shanghai-based news outlet The Paper last week.

E, who is also a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, proposed the concept of “AI for Science” in 2018 as a new approach to research.

artificial intelligencetools to improve scientific research, in areas ranging from improving computational modelling to experimental design.

And to get the best data, researchers need the best equipment.

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