According to recent reports by the South China Morning Post, Chinese scientists from Harbin Engineering University in Heilongjiang province are refining a system that might enable submarines to move faster than the speed of sound using laser-induced propulsion. 

Researchers first introduced the new laser propulsion system at the "Applied Optics and Photonics" conference in Beijing in late 2023. During the proceedings, scientists explained that the system utilizes high-energy lasers to direct the force from cavitation implosions to propel a submarine.