1. Beijing

Proprietary sat-nav chip

China's proprietary satellite navigation system called Beidou - or Compass - has had "major breakthroughs" in its chip module, said Wu Hailing, a senior engineer for the project. Wu said the nation has "made great effort and invested much" in the design and manufacturing of the chip, which is now ready for commercial use. She added the system's R&D team will now focus on adapting it for use on mobile Internet devices.