China Quantum Computer 10 Billion Times Faster than Sycamore!

“China rocks in my opinion” Elon Musk

China Quantum Computer Now 10 Billion Times Faster than Google’s Sycamore Prototype!

4 December 2020 By CJ Robles Tech Times

Chinese researchers claim to have developed a quantum computer that could easily outperform Google’s quantum prototype by 10 billion times and the most advanced supercomputers by about 100 trillion times. (It is also said to be 100 trillion times faster than Japan’s Fugaku supercomputer. But in October 2019, Google claimed it had developed a processor – named Sycamore – that performs in three minutes and 20 seconds work that would take classical computers 10,000 years, or 3,000,000 times faster. Now China’s quantum computer is faster than Google’s Sycamore by 10 billion times!)

According to Bloomberg, the Chinese quantum research group led by University of Science and Technology of China Department of Modern Physics Dr. Han-Sen Zhong claimed to produce results within minutes, which could take the world’s third most powerful supercomputer about 2 billion years to compute.

Chinese researchers estimated that their China quantum computer is about 100 trillion times faster than most advanced supercomputers. They published their study in the journal Science, which also challenged Google’s quantum technology that was unveiled in (October) 2019.

Quantum computing is believed to be crucial in improving the power and speed of computer processing. Aside from simulating large systems, it pushes for the advances in chemistry, physics, and other fields. Aside from Google, China is also competing against other major American companies like Microsoft and Amazon in developing the most advanced quantum technology.

Quantum computers are seen to be a huge help in transforming fields of artificial intelligence, health and medication, solar technology, and investment portfolios. This could also aid in the compounds and materials development for pharmaceutical companies, car manufacturers, and agriculture enterprises.

The Chinese government is investing $10 billion to build its National Laboratory for Quantum Information Sciences to further boost its progress in quantum technology. Meanwhile, the US has allotted $1 billion funding on quantum information and artificial intelligence research, which is believed to be triggered by Google’s breakthrough in 2019.

Global Times reports:

Chinese scientists said they expect to build universal quantum computers within 15 to 20 years after establishing Jiuzhang, a new light-based quantum computer prototype via which a maximum of 76 photons were detected.

Although Jiuzhang has prodigious computing power, it is only a milestone in the first stage of quantum computing’s development, said Jiuzhang’s research team led by renowned Chinese quantum physicists Pan Jianwei and Lu Chaoyang.

“[We] expect to build a universal quantum computer through 15-20 years of effort to solve such widely used problems as cryptography analysis, weather forecasting and drug design,” the People’s Daily quoted Pan as saying.

Quantum computer Jiuzhang manipulates light via a complex arrangement of optical devices

Question: Could this protonic (or light-based) technology one day be utilized in place of silicon for microchip development?

Excerpts from ScienceNews:

Google’s computer, however, is based on superconducting materials, not photons. Google’s device, called Sycamore, is based on tiny quantum bits made of superconducting materials, which conduct energy without resistance. In contrast, Jiuzhang consists of a complex array of optical devices that shuttle photons around. Those devices include light sources, hundreds of beam splitters, dozens of mirrors and 100 photon detectors.

Employing a process called boson sampling, Jiuzhang generates a distribution of numbers that is exceedingly difficult for a classical computer to replicate. Here’s how it works: Photons are first sent into a network of channels. There, each photon encounters a series of beam splitters, each of which sends the photon down two paths simultaneously, in what’s called a quantum superposition. Paths also merge together, and the repeated splitting and merging causes the photons to interfere with one another according to quantum rules.

illustration of quantum computer light channels

Finally, the number of photons in each of the network’s output channels is measured at the end. When repeated many times, this process produces a distribution of numbers based on how many photons were found in each output.

If operated with large numbers of photons and many channels, the quantum computer will produce a distribution of numbers that is too complex for a classical computer to calculate. In the new experiment, up to 76 photons traversed a network of 100 channels. For one of the world’s most powerful classical computers, the Chinese supercomputer Sunway TaihuLight, predicting the results that the quantum computer would get for anything beyond about 40 photons was intractable.

Tech Times

“Quantum computers promise to power exciting advances in various fields, from materials science to pharmaceuticals research. Companies are already experimenting with them to develop things like lighter and more powerful batteries for electric cars, and to help create novel drugs.”

“Auto manufacturers like Volkswagen and Daimler are using quantum computers to simulate the chemical composition of electrical-vehicle batteries to help find new ways to improve their performance. And pharmaceutical companies are leveraging them to analyze and compare compounds that could lead to the creation of new drugs.”

“We are witnessing a quantum battle that will be fought in research labs by brains instead of guns, and by scientists instead of soldiers.”

“A global race has ensued to exploit and operationalize quantum technologies for the use of military effects. The race to conquer the quantum domain is among the most fiercely competitive in today’s world of technology.”

“If China gains a substantial military quantum advantage over the United States, I believe it could neutralize many of our defensive and offensive technologies.”

Google’s Sycamore is based on tiny quantum bits made of superconducting materials. In contrast, Jiuzhang computer utilizes an array of photons. Could this protonic technology one day be utilized in place of silicon for microchip development?

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