Professor Li Hui, Member of the U.S. National Academy of Artificial Intelligence, Delivers a Keynote at the Greater Bay Area Science Forum 2025
From December 6 to 8, the Greater Bay Area Science Forum 2025 was held simultaneously across Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. Jointly organized by the People’s Government of Guangdong Province, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, the forum adopted the theme “Smart Innovation in the Bay Area, Integrated Industry–Research Development.” The event brought together leading scientists, academicians, and industry leaders worldwide to discuss frontier technologies and industrial transformation.
Professor Li Hui, a Member of the U.S. National Academy of Artificial Intelligence and a recognized authority in information and communications, was invited to attend this high-level international forum.
On the morning of December 7, Professor Li participated in the opening ceremony and the main forum, joining top scientists from around the world to witness the vibrant momentum of scientific and technological innovation in the Greater Bay Area. In the afternoon, the Information and Communications Empowering Industrial Upgrading Sub-Forum, hosted by China Unicom, was held at the Guangzhou Nansha International Convention and Exhibition Center.
Senior officials attending the sub-forum included Cai Lizhi, Director of the Guangdong Communications Administration; Wu Shiwen, Deputy Director of the Guangdong Provincial Department of Science and Technology; and Hao Liqian, Vice President of China Unicom. In their remarks, they emphasized the foundational role of information and communications technologies in developing new-quality productive forces.
Keynote Address: A Preliminary Exploration of Newton’s Three Laws of Cyberspace Security
In the keynote session, Professor Li Hui delivered the opening address titled “A Preliminary Exploration of Newton’s Three Laws of Cyberspace Security.” Other keynote speakers included Wang Zhiqin, Vice President of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology; Xu Yong, Vice President of South China University of Technology; Fan Ji’an, Chief Scientist of China Unicom Big Data; Pan Guixin, Chief Innovation Officer of Guangdong Unicom; and Lü Zhaobiao, Chief Scientist of the China Unicom (Guangdong) New Industrialization Research Institute.
Professor Li directly addressed the fundamental challenges of the current TCP/IP-based network architecture, identifying three intrinsic “genetic defects”: unilateral monopoly over cyberspace sovereignty, the lack of endogenous security mechanisms, and rigid, ossified network architecture. By creatively introducing concepts from classical physics, he constructed a novel theoretical framework for cyberspace security.
He first proposed “Newton’s First Law of Cybersecurity,” arguing that within the existing IP-based network system, insecurity is an inherent inertia. He vividly compared pursuing security on an IP foundation to “building a skyscraper on a swamp”—regardless of investment, fundamental vulnerability to cyberattacks cannot be eliminated, making it a mathematically “unsolvable” problem.
To overcome this limitation, Professor Li presented his team’s disruptive innovation developed over more than a decade: the Co-Governed Multiple-Identifier Network (CoG-MIN) architecture. Through foundational redesign using a Multiple-Identifier Management System (MIS) and Multiple-Identifier Routers (MIR), CoG-MIN breaks through the inherent constraints of traditional IP protocols. On this basis, he introduced “Newton’s Second Law of Cybersecurity,” asserting that in a future MIN-based cyberspace, improvements in security will be proportional to resource input—analogous to constructing on a solid rock foundation, enabling exponential gains in resistance to attacks.
Professor Li cited strong empirical evidence from real-world competitions, including the Strong Network Mimic Defense Elite Challenge and the World Intelligent Driving Challenge, where MIN-based systems maintained a record of zero successful breaches under high-intensity saturation attacks.
He further elaborated “Newton’s Third Law of Cybersecurity (the Law of Acceleration),” proposing that an ideal future cyberspace should function as a multidimensional feedback system integrating technology, governance, and a global judicial framework. With mechanisms such as digital passports, digital visas, and digital customs, any instability in cyberspace would be rapidly corrected by multidimensional forces, accelerating the return to a stable state governed by the rule of law, peace, and security.
Professor Li Hui’s keynote—marked by rigorous theoretical reasoning, vivid metaphors, and solid empirical validation—sparked strong interest and received high praise from attending experts and industry representatives.
The CoG-MIN architecture has already been applied in multiple national-level strategic initiatives, including the China Mobile Sovereign Trusted Internet Joint Laboratory, China Unicom cross-border data security programs, and China Telecom high-security network conferencing systems. These deployments demonstrate its strong practical value and highlight its contribution as a robust “China Solution” for building a secure and trustworthy digital economy infrastructure.