Projecting the advances of computing and related technologies 40 years into the future is an ambitious task given the rapidity of change that characterizes this area. The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) undertook this task in 2008, to identify where China stands in its use of such tools for the purpose of improving the standard of living for their population. There are similarities here to the work of futurist Ray Kurzweil, so it is somewhat odd that he was not included in the references (especially given that the reference list is predominantly made up of Western sources). This report is one of 18 produced by the CAS as roadmaps to 2050 in different areas.

The general goal stated in this work is to bring ubiquitous availability of powerful computing resources to 1.2 billion Chinese people by 2050. To accomplish this, the book identifies what must be accomplished:

• Vastly increase computing power and network capacity to handle huge volumes of data. This includes the further development of quantum computing and optical data transmission, and the need to upgrade Internet protocols.
• Achieve advances in machine intelligence to provide more natural interactions between machines and people, thus improving usability and the human-machine interface.
• Reduce power consumption. At the scale of usage envisioned, today’s computers would require far more energy than would be deemed “sustainable” given CAS’s view of future energy sources and environmental concerns.
• Enhance the availability of advanced security capabilities to protect the privacy of computing users. CAS sees quantum encryption as a major element of the security infrastructure.
• Reduce the cost of providing computing resources via inexpensive hardware and open-source tools.

As I noticed during a visit to China in 2011, the Chinese are quite open about discussing deficiencies in their current situation. That is also the case in this book. The book straightforwardly describes China’s current status in computing, noting deficiencies such as being a net importer of information services (IS) technology when the goal is to become a leading developer of it. It discusses technical obstacles on the path forward, such as current difficulties with creating a nontrivial quantum computer, as well as economic issues, such as the increasing cost of building chip fabrication facilities. Physical technologies are discussed in some detail, and software and social issues are covered more generally. The quality of the writing is quite good and readable.

Overall, this work provides an interesting look at what the CAS sees as China’s current situation; what is important for China’s IS and technology future; and fairly specific steps China can use to get to that future. All this is packaged in an aesthetically pleasing format.