China is planning to build the biggest multifunctional research platform for nanotechnology in the world, a bid to develop and produce more powerful computers and smart robots, an official media reported on Tuesday.

According to Ding Sunan, deputy director of the 'Vacuum Interconnected Nano-X Research Facility' project, it incorporates cutting-edge capabilities of material growth, device fabrication, and testing in one ultra-high vacuum environment.

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"We are exploring a new technology route of nano-scale devices production on the platform, which simulates the ultra-high vacuum environment of space," Ding said.

The facility in Suzhuo, Jiangsu Province, has received an initial funding of $46.5 million and will be increased to $1.5 billion yuan ($217.8 million). The construction, which began in 2014, is slated to be finished next year.

Initially, the Nano-X facility will have a 100-meter-long ultra-high vacuum pipelines that will connect 30 pieces of equipment. It would eventually expand to up to 500 meters with the ability to connect 100 large pieces at completion.

The Vacuum Interconnected Nano-X Research Facility could prevent surface contamination from air, which could not only keep the integrity of a material's intrinsic properties but also realize quantum manipulation and control.

According to experts, the Nano-X manufacturing hub will discover breakthroughs in common and critical problems in materials science and device technology. It also aims to help create technologies of nano-materials and core devices in the energy and information sectors.

The Nano-X facility is also expected to be incorporated in China's national research infrastructure system, be part of a world-class research and development open platform in nanoscience and nanotechnology, and give technical support for the national plan of high technologies.

Tagsnanotechnology, Nano-X facility, china, Vacuum Interconnected Nano-X Research Facility