Alibabu and Baibu Also Fighting for Quantum Supremacy

(SouthChinaMorningPost) Alibaba and Baidu, two of China’s tech giants have also made quantum computing a top priority, hoping to catch up in the field.
Alibaba is probably best known as the company behind the dominant Chinese ecommerce site Taobao, but the company also provides cloud services and has been working on quantum computing for years. It opened its first research center in 2015.
Baidu launched its own quantum computing research center in 2018. The lab is helmed by Professor Duan Runyao, who said he wants to turn Baidu’s Quantum Computing Institute into a world-class institution by 2023.
Duan also plans to gradually integrate quantum computing into other aspects of Baidu’s business, which like Google covers everything from search engines to autonomous vehicles.
The Chinese government has been investing heavily in the area by building a US$10 billion National Laboratory for Quantum Technology in the city of Hefei.
In 2017, China had nearly twice as many patent filings as the United States for quantum technology. The country also launched the first quantum satellite, named Micius, which enabled a quantum-encrypted video call between Beijing and Vienna. It used a combination of satellite transmission and fiber-optic lines designed to transmit quantum-encrypted communication.