File photo: Kylin Software Co

Kylin Software Co launched a next-generation proprietary operating system (OS), Kylin V11, in Beijing on Tuesday, which features a better user experience and richer extended ecosystem, in addition to an enhanced security level, the Science and Technology Daily reported.  

As the first commercial OS in China to adopt the Linux Kernel 6.6, the Kylin V11 ensures stable core functions. It represents a new foundation for artificial intelligence (AI) application deployment and industrial digital transformation, and it's a pivotal advancement in China's OS development, according to the report.

The Kylin OS is compatible with more than 7 million types of software and hardware devices, and users of more than 16 million devices have installed it, providing solid support for sectors including transportation, financial transactions, energy and healthcare, according to the report.

To address AI-era computational demands, the system pre-installs an AI subsystem and AI assistant, supporting one-click activation of both local and cloud-based computing resources. With local inference capabilities, the AI assistant enables intelligent question-and-answer functionalities even in offline environments.

Leveraging its AI subsystem, the platform achieves a heterogeneous computation scheduling across central processing units, graphics processing units and neural processing units, balancing energy efficiency while enhancing model concurrency, thereby upgrading users' intelligent productivity, according to the report.

Kylin Software is an affiliate of China Electronics Corp, a leading state-owned comprehensive electronic information enterprise group, and is a merger of Tianjin Kylin Information and China Standard Software, according to the company's website.

Boosted by the release of the OS, shares in related companies surged on Tuesday. Hunan Kylinsec Technology Co, a firm specializing in OS, information security, and cloud computing, climbed 6.42 percent to 60.71 yuan ($8.48) at the close, and China Greatwall Technology Group Co was up 4.51 percent at 18.99 yuan.

"In recent years, the rise of China's domestic operating systems has been gathering speed, with the upgrades of core business systems reaching the deep waters," Xiang Ligang, director-general of the Beijing-based Information Consumption Alliance, told Global Times on Tuesday, noting that Chinese OS companies are making breakthroughs through a new round of information technology innovation.

In May, Chinese technology giant Huawei unveiled two laptops powered by HarmonyOS, marking the debut of its proprietary OS on personal computers. Huawei said that HarmonyOS was the first Chinese OS to unify mobile and desktop ecosystems, allowing developers to use a single toolset for deployment across devices, cutting technical barriers and development costs.

"Today, multiple domestic operating systems have achieved leapfrog advancements in security and stability, accelerating their transition from 'functional usability' to 'better user experience'," Fu Liang, a Beijing-based tech analyst, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

On August 5, seven government agencies, including the People's Bank of China (PBC) and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, released guidelines to strengthen financial support for new industrialization, which emphasized advancing breakthroughs in core technologies and products. According to the document on the PBC website, basic software, as an important part of the information technology industry, has been designated as a priority area for support.

Fu said that the potential of the domestic OS market is huge, given new demand arising from the information development of various industries and the booming development of the AI sector.

According to calculations by SooChow Securities, China's OS market is expected to reach 58.6 billion yuan this year, and domestic companies in the sector are set to capitalize on significant opportunities in new fields and business models within the consumer market.

China's AI research and development capabilities are now at the global forefront, with innovations combining AI technologies and OS expected to be key for the differentiated competition of domestic OS, Xiang said.