Global Courant
China’s fastest quantum computer is about to launch, but the machine will be nowhere near the world’s fastest, underlining China’s quantum lag compared to the US.
Known as Wukong, the Monkey King of Chinese mythology, the locally made 72-qubit computer is now in its final test phase and is scheduled to come online next month, said Zhang Hui, general manager of Hefei-based Origin Quantum Computing Technology.
Last November, the American IBM launched the 433-qubit Osprey, the world’s fastest quantum computer to date. Intel unveiled its 49-qubit quantum chip, known as Tangle Lake, in January 2018, while Google debuted its 72-qubit Bristlecone in March of that same year.
Chinese scientists openly acknowledge the quantum gap with the West.
“China is indeed in the first echelon of quantum science research in the world,” Zhang said in a Guancha.cn article in December. “In the field of quantum communication, China is among the world leaders in terms of the number of papers and patents.” However, he said, “in terms of quantum computing, we are relatively behind.”
Zhang said that’s because China’s overall industrial base is less advanced than the West’s. He noted that the development of quantum computers involves many advanced technical problems, including the production of superconducting chips and traditional semiconductors – crucial high-tech areas where China lags behind the US and the West.
Currently, China still needs foreign equipment, such as electron beam lithography, to make its superconducting chips. Japan, which is following America’s lead in restricting China’s access to high-end chip manufacturing equipment, is dominant in the e-beam lithography market.
Citing public data, Zhang estimated that China is about three to four years behind leading countries in quantum hardware. He also added that there is a huge gap between China and the US in the industrial applications of quantum computing.
IBM’s Osprey is now the fastest quantum computer in the world. Photo: IBM
“Leading players such as IBM and Google started exploring industrial applications as early as the 1990s. But it wasn’t until Origin Quantum was founded in 2017 that we started exploring industrial applications,” he said.
He also said that Intel has an advantage in quantum chip manufacturing because of its experience and know-how in making semiconductors.
Banned by the US from obtaining the most advanced chips and chip-making equipment, China is now investing heavily in quantum, artificial intelligence and aerospace technologies in hopes of passing, as some Chinese media put it, the West as “catching up with others.” on a corner” in auto racing.
“At this stage, Zhang said, “these strongest teams in the world are indeed far ahead of us in terms of funds, talents and equipment. I think the goal of ‘overtaking others in a corner’ is still a long way off for us. What we try to do is follow them as closely as possible and contribute.”
Stimulating supercomputers
So far, the 66-qubit Zuchongzhi 2, launched by Chinese scientist Pan Jianwei and his team at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei in May 2021, is currently the fastest quantum computer in China.
While Pan’s team focuses on academic achievement, Origin Quantum focuses on commercialization.
The company launched its 6-qubit superconducting chip, known as KF-C6-130, in 2020 and used it in its proprietary quantum computer called Benyuan Wuyuan. It unveiled Benyuan Wuyuan 2 with a 24-qubit quantum chip, KF-C24-100, in 2021.
In February this year, it shipped its first 24-qubit quantum computer, making China the third country in the world to build and ship quantum computers after the US and Canada.
Origin Quantum and the state-owned Shanghai Supercomputer Center said this month they will set up an innovation technology center to link their supercomputers and quantum computers.
“Quantum computers are much faster than traditional computers at solving specific problems,” said Li Genguo, director of the Shanghai Supercomputing Center. “They can be used as supercomputer accelerators.”
Li said a program will soon be launched to try to optimize the computing power of supercomputers and quantum computers.
Origin Quantum and Nexchip invest money in the production of superconducting chips. Photo: WeChat account: hefeigaoxinfabu)
Dou Meng, Vice President of Origin Quantum, told media that he first met Li only two weeks ago, and both sides decided to seek synergies.
Dou said Origin Quantum plans to set up its second quantum center in Shanghai because there is huge growth potential in the Yangtze River Delta region, which is home to 70% of China’s quantum experts and half of its quantum companies.
Nexchip support
In April 2021, Origin Quantum and Nexchip Semiconductor Corpwhich raised 9.96 billion yuan (US$1.44 billion) in an IPO in Shanghai last month, has laboratory make superconducting chips.
According to the listing prospectus, Nexchip is 52.99% property by the government of Hefei and 27.44% owned by Powerchip Technology, the parent company of Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (PSMC), Taiwan’s third largest chip foundry. All five of Nexchip’s top managers are from Taiwan.
Nexchip mainly makes automotive chips between 55 and 150 nanometers, low-end products compared to the 7nm to 22nm chips used in mobile electronic products. That means the company is unaffected by US sanctions, which target semiconductors less than 28nm in size, but not yet superconducting chips.
Origin Quantum’s Zhang said the company outsources its chip manufacturing to Nexchip’s lab and follows IBM’s and Google’s superconducting chip standards and Intel’s semiconductor standards.
He said it is not a problem to produce several thousand superconducting chips per year, but only those with the highest quality are shipped to customers. Company said earlier this year that it is using its proprietary MLLAS-100 laser annealer improve quality of his quantum chips.
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Follow Jeff Pao on Twitter at @jeffpao3
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