(Yicai Global) Oct. 9 -- China's macroeconomic management bureau has appointed supercomputer manufacturer Dawning Information Industry to take the lead in setting up a national research & development center to resolve key issues in creating advanced computers and smart chips. 

Dawning, also known as Sugon, received a confirmation letter from the General Office of the National Development and Reform Commission to facilitate the establishment of the National Advanced Computing Industry Innovation Center, the Beijing-based server maker that is affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Sciences said in a statement yesterday. 

The center will integrate efforts from middle to downstream firms, universities and research institutes, and aims to come up with solutions to develop intelligent chips, as well as high-performance computer systems and processors in three years. The interdisciplinary institution will specialize in creating key technologies for advanced computers, including software and hardware, hyperconvergence infrastructure, and industrial application scenarios.

The NDRC requires that Sugon will need to complete a legal registration and meet some preliminary conditions for operation by the end of this year. The firm will be answering to the Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission that in turn will take care of the project supervision on behalf of the government, as well as help with preferential taxation policies and talent acquisition. 

The project approval means that the government has recognized Sugon's capabilities in innovative research and integration of resources, the firm said. 

Sugon announced in August that its unit will cooperate with the Institute of Computing Technology of the CAS to jointly develop smart and safe supercomputers with a total funding of CNY1.7 billion (USD240 million).

Editor: Emmi Laine