China develops practical quantum computer

China has become the third country – after Canada and the U.S. – capable of delivering a complete computer system using game changing quantum technology. The 24-qubit Wuyuan, based on superconducting chip technology, was delivered to an unnamed user more than a year ago, the Science and Technology Daily said. It was the first official confirmation that this disruptive technology – which uses elemental particles called qubits to replace the 0 and 1 used in traditional computing – has been used in a real-life application in China. No details were given of the user or the computer’s potential applications. The report said Origin Quantum, a company founded in 2017 by Guo Guoping and Guo Guangcan – leading quantum physicists at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) – had developed several computers since delivering the Wuyuan in 2021.

The unparalleled computing power of quantum technology is expected to transform many areas, but its numerous technical challenges have led some scientists to believe that a practical machine is still years, if not decades away. Previous quantum processors – Google’s Sycamore and the photonic quantum computer Jiuzhang, built by Pan Jianwei at the USTC in Hefei, Anhui province – have proven their ability to surpass classical computers in solving specific mathematical questions, but they have not directly been used to solve problems in actual production or life situations. Origin Quantum co-founder Guo Guoping said the technology would produce visible benefits in daily life within the next three to five years. “Quantum computers can act as accelerators. For example, a problem might take 10 traditional supercomputers a month to calculate. If a quantum computer is added to the computing group, the calculation time may be reduced to three to seven days,” he said. Quantum computers also have intrinsic advantages in the development of new materials and medicines, which are built using the atomic-scale calculations described by quantum mechanics. “Using the tools that follow quantum mechanics to study the quantum world is more efficient than traditional computers,” Guo said.

The company’s quantum computers were built using two very different technical routes. The superconducting version can more easily use quantum phenomena, such as superposition and entanglement, but needs to operate in extremely cold temperatures, while semiconductor quantum computers share the same chip technology used in classical computing. The equipment and skills needed are also highly consistent. “But scientifically speaking, nobody knows which path is the right one,” Guo said. Today, Chinese quantum computing has moved beyond purely scientific research to a stage where engineering technology is also emphasized, Guo added. For its Wuyuan computer, Origin Quantum established a quantum ecological chain with an operating system, software and a computing cloud platform. The company also developed a range of superconducting quantum chips. A more powerful quantum computer, named Wukong after the legendary Monkey King, will be available “soon”, according to Guo.

Despite the dawn of quantum computing products and applications, the company has yet to make a profit. In an interview last year with the China Science Daily, Guo said the cost of research – CNY100 million to CNY200 million per year – meant Origin Quantum may not be profitable for the next 10 years, the South China Morning Post reports.