Chinese Researchers Achieve Quantum Advantage in Two Mainstream Routes

(GlobalTimes.China) Chinese research teams have made marked progress in superconducting quantum computing and photonics quantum computing technology, making China the only country to achieve quantum computational advantage in two mainstream technical routes, while the US has only achieved a “quantum advantage” in superconducting quantum computing, writes the Global Times of China.
The research team, headed by the renowned Chinese quantum physicist Pan Jianwei, designed a 66-qubit programmable superconducting quantum computing system, naming it “Zuchongzhi 2.1,” after the noted 5th century Chinese mathematician and astronomer, significantly enhancing the quantum advantage, the Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday.
“Zuchongzhi 2.1,” is 10 million times faster than the current fastest supercomputer and its calculation complexity is more than 1 million times higher than Google’s Sycamore processor. It’s the first time that China has reached quantum advantage in a superconducting quantum computing system.
“Zuchongzhi 2.1” has achieved a quantum advantage for the first time compared with an earlier processor named “Zu Chongzhi”, a 62-qubit programmable superconducting quantum prototype designed by a Chinese research team from the USTC in May, Lu Chaoyang, a professor of the USTC in Hefei, capital city of East China’s Anhui Province, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
Pan’s team also built a new light-based quantum computer prototype, “Jiuzhang 2.0,” with 113 detected photons, which can implement large-scale Gaussian boson sampling (GBS) 1 septillion times faster than the world’s fastest existing supercomputer, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
The light-based quantum computer prototype “Jiuzhang” was built in December 2020, led by Pan and Lu, and demonstrated a quantum advantage.