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China is Planning To Build a Deep Sea Base For Unmanned Submarine Science and Defense Operations in the South China Sea (scmp.com)
Urged by China President Xi Jinping to dare to do something that has never been done before, scientists say challenges could give China huge technology lead. From a report: China is planning to build a deep sea base for unmanned submarine science and defence operations in the South China Sea, a centre that might become the first artificial intelligence colony on Earth, officials and scientists involved in the plan said. The project -- named in part after Hades, the underworld of Greek mythology -- was launched at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing this month after a visit to a deep sea research institute at Sanya, Hainan province, by Chinese President Xi Jinping in April.
Xi urged the scientists and engineers to dare to do something that has never been done before. "There is no road in the deep sea, we do not need to chase [after other countries], we are the road," he said. The idea of an outpost for deep sea exploration has been a favourite of scientists, engineers and fiction writers for hundreds of years, while the Greek allegory of Atlantis has inspired many "city beneath the sea" stories. The Hadal zone that would be home to the base is the deepest part of an ocean -- typically a V-shape abyss -- at a depth of 6,000 to 11,000 metres (19,685 to 36,100 feet). The project will cost Chinese taxpayers 1.1 billion yuan (US$160 million), the scientists said. That is half as much again as the cost of the FAST radio telescope -- the world's largest -- in Guizhou province, southwest China.
Xi urged the scientists and engineers to dare to do something that has never been done before. "There is no road in the deep sea, we do not need to chase [after other countries], we are the road," he said. The idea of an outpost for deep sea exploration has been a favourite of scientists, engineers and fiction writers for hundreds of years, while the Greek allegory of Atlantis has inspired many "city beneath the sea" stories. The Hadal zone that would be home to the base is the deepest part of an ocean -- typically a V-shape abyss -- at a depth of 6,000 to 11,000 metres (19,685 to 36,100 feet). The project will cost Chinese taxpayers 1.1 billion yuan (US$160 million), the scientists said. That is half as much again as the cost of the FAST radio telescope -- the world's largest -- in Guizhou province, southwest China.
That is pretty impressive you can build a sea base for $160 million. In the US that wouldn't even pay for the wetsuits.
Which just happens to be an incredibly effective weapon. It is literally a very large hand grenade, so "close" does count.
Aah, change is good. -- Rafiki
Yeah, but it ain't easy. -- Simba
The base itself won't give them an edge in combat - precisely for that reason.
It is the spin-off tech that is important. If they get this going, they will routinely build subs that go to great depths. Which is useful for a navy. For the civilian economy, deep sea mining is interesting. If they can get mass-produced vessels & robots that work at such depths. Which this sort of project will provide.
The moon landing had no direct military importance - the tech developed to go there certainly had.
It always seemed to me that autonomous submarines would be super useful for military offense. A submarine that doesn't need humans inside can be smaller, faster, quieter, cheaper, and more maneuverable. They could recharge from solar or tidal power, or have nuclear batteries that last decades. But most frighteningly: what if they contained nuclear weapons? You could position them all over the world, nearly undetectable, imminently ready to strike. Port cities are vulnerable yet also valuable.
I don't know that I would trust anything autonomous with nuclear weapons. Even if the tech was foolproof for remote steering and detonation, it takes one person hacking the communication to it and the highest bidder now has nuclear weapons.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
How do we get them to knock this shit off?
Why do you hate science?