China Unveils Ultra-Fast Quantum Computer

China Unveils Ultra-Fast Quantum Computer

Chinese scientists recently unveiled a new light-based quantum computer. It broke the speed record of any other quantum computer in the world in detecting photons (rays of light). Its model is Geozhang 3.0. Source-  News Asia Times.

The computer was developed by Chinese physicist Pan Jianwei and a team led by him. It has a detection capability of 255 photons. The Geozhang 2.0 model could detect 113 photons and the Geozhang 1.0 72 photons.

Geozhang 3.0 and Gaussian boson samples solve problems hundreds of thousands of times faster than Geozhang 2.0. It is a mathematical model suitable for quantum computation.

It can calculate even the most complex sample of Gaussian bosons in one microsecond. Frontier, known as the world’s fastest supercomputer so far, will take more than two billion years to complete the task.

The research on Quantum computers

The research by Pan Jianwen and his team was recently published online in the American scientific journal Physical Review Letters. “Quantum computers have ultra-fast parallel computing capabilities,”

Pan Jianwen said. It is expected to support areas like code deciphering, big data optimization, weather forecasting, material design, and drug analysis with stronger computing power than conventional computers through specific algorithms.

Toronto-based company Xanadu announced in June last year that its quantum computer Borealis can detect up to 219 photons and perform GBS tasks in 36 microseconds. A conventional computer would take nine years to complete the same task.

Technology experts say people should pay more attention when comparing different types of quantum computers. Because they are made based on different methods.

Types of quantum computers

There are generally three types of quantum computers. These are electron-based, atomic, and photon-based. A Brussels-based management consulting firm recently published a survey.

So, It found that nearly 40 percent of technology experts believe that electron-based quantum computers are the most likely to succeed in the next decade.

Moreover, 35 percent think the ultimate winner will be atom-based quantum computers and 26 percent believe photon-based quantum computers will have to be ahead.

The institution of quantum computer manufacturers Tech Giants

In general, big tech giants like Google and IBM are focusing on building electron-based quantum computers. On the other hand, smaller companies are looking at photon-based computers.

Photon-based quantum computer manufacturers include PsychoQuantum of the United States, ORCA of the United Kingdom, NuQuantum and TandraSystems Global, Xanadu of Canada, and Quandela of France.

China is relying on a research team at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in Hefei to develop a photon-based quantum computer.

In December 2020, the panel team unveiled Geozhang 1.0. It was China’s first light-based quantum computer, which could detect 76 photons. At the time, China claimed to be the second country to achieve quantum supremacy after the US.