WAIC Future Computing Forum: Consensus reached on ‘paradigm shift’ as Moore’s Law hits physical limits

On July 18, the “Future Computing · Future Computing Power” forum convened at the Shanghai World Expo Center as a marquee event of WAIC 2026. Co-organized by the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), City University of Hong Kong’s School of Computing, Fudan University, Pengcheng Laboratory, and the Shanghai Computing Power Network Association, the forum assembled leading academics, entrepreneurs, and investors from the UN, China, the US, Europe, and Japan.

The central consensus, repeated throughout the session, was stark: when computing growth hits physical boundaries, the answer lies not in “more” but in “different.” Alexander De Croo, former Belgian Prime Minister and head of UNDP, warned in his opening address that AI is fundamentally an infrastructure of energy, water, materials, and talent — without fundamental paradigm reconstruction, AI’s value cannot truly reach global scale.

USTC President and CAS Academician Chang Jin observed that the limits of Moore’s Law extend beyond chip fabrication to energy, materials, cooling, and water resources. “The physical limits of computing power are not solved by extending the traditional track, but by entirely new directions — quantum computing, space computing, and novel physical principles.”

CAS Academician Pan Jianwei set the tone via video link, marking the centenary of the Schrödinger equation. He argued that quantum computing can not only break certain classical encryption systems but also drive leaps in chemistry, materials science, and life sciences. Yet he offered three sober assessments: a universal quantum computer capable of solving practical problems still requires long-term R&D; sustained government and private investment is essential, and academia must guide the public to view quantum development rationally while guarding against industry hype; and broad, active international cooperation will bring quantum benefits to humanity faster.

The forum was bookended by concrete milestones. Shanghai’s “Star Pivot” space computing constellation launched its first satellite cluster, marking China’s first solid step in orbital computing infrastructure. High Wen, director of Pengcheng Laboratory and CAS academician, held a public dialogue with Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Vice President Guo Yike on the China Computing Power Network, aiming to “make computing power as accessible as electricity.”

In the industrial segment, the forum agreed that computing power must be planned as national infrastructure — universally available and on-demand, like the power grid. The formation of a Quantum Intelligence Industry Alliance closed the event, signaling quantum computing’s transition from laboratory to industrialization. Multiple speakers criticized overhyping in the field, with one keynote bluntly stating: “Don’t believe any ‘thousand-qubit, ten-thousand-qubit’ hype.”

Professor Lin Jing, the academic curator of the forum, described the four-plus-hour agenda as “a journey of exploration.” From positioning, bottleneck diagnosis, and roadmap projection to industrial evidence, debate, and ecosystem launch, the forum coalesced consensus across five dimensions — national policy, education, industry, capital, and application — on how to navigate the new computing civilization.