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Chinese scientists claim record smashing quantum computing breakthrough

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Chinese scientists claim record smashing quantum computing breakthrough​

  • Paper says JiuZhang 3 is a million times faster than its predecessor and light years ahead of the world’s fastest supercomputer
  • Researchers say that despite the advance, there is still a long way to go before the technology replaces classical computers
Published: 1:58pm, 11 Oct, 2023

Scientists in China say their latest quantum computer has solved an ultra-complicated mathematical problem within a millionth of a second – more than 20 billion years quicker than the world’s fastest supercomputer could achieve the same task.

The JiuZhang 3 prototype also smashed the record set by its predecessor in the series, with a one million-fold increase in calculation speed, according to a paper published on Tuesday by the peer-reviewed journal Physical Review Letters.

The research team is led by Pan Jianwei, a leading scientist in China’s national quantum research programme, from the University of Science and Technology of China at Hefei, in the eastern province of Anhui.

The first Jiuzhang machine – named after an ancient mathematics textbook – was built by Pan’s team in 2020. The series uses photons – tiny particles that travel at the speed of light – as the physical medium for calculations, with each one carrying a qubit, the basic unit of quantum information.

After increasing the number of photons from 76 to 113 in the first two versions of the machine, respectively, Pan and his team have achieved an advance to 255 in the latest iteration.

The researchers used Jiuzhang 3 to solve a complex problem based on Gaussian boson sampling that simulates the behaviour of light particles passing through a maze of crystals and mirrors.

The task was initially proposed as a physical game without purpose, though some recent studies suggest that boson sampling could have some applications in cryptography.

In the experiment, the research team said Jiuzhang 3 solved a problem with the highest sample complexity, claiming it was able to process the task within one millionth of a second.

The fastest classical supercomputer Frontier – developed in the US and named the world’s most powerful in mid-2022 – would take over 20 billion years to complete the same task, the researchers said.

China, the US and other countries are in a heated race to achieve “quantum supremacy” – the point at which a machine can outperform classical computers, solving problems that are beyond the capabilities of conventional machines.

But they are using different methods to approach the objective, with photonic processors just one of several types of quantum computing.

Also competing with light-based systems is Xanadu, a company based in Toronto. In a collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the US, the firm unveiled its Aurora quantum processor, with 216 photons, in 2022.

But despite their speed, these machines are not about to replace common computers. At this stage, they can work only in a protected environment for short periods on highly specific tasks. They also make a lot of mistakes.

In 2021, when Jiuzhang 2 was launched, Pan said the team hoped to achieve quantum error correction “with four to five years of hard work”.

In a 2019 interview with Newsweek, quantum computing pioneer Peter Zoller said that, despite the appearance in laboratories of small-scale quantum computers with dozens of qubits, a breakthrough in error correction was needed for them to become truly practical.

“In the next five to 10 years, it is possible that we will see the emergence of quantum computers with several hundred qubits, some even with partial error correction capabilities.”

In the same interview, Zoller, from the University of Innsbruck, speculated that it would require tens of thousands – or even millions of qubits – along with robust error correction capabilities” to actualise a large-scale and high-speed quantum computer.

 
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China secures world-leading computational power with freshly unveiled quantum computer prototype

Global Times
Published: Oct 11, 2023 10:17 PM

Introductory illustration to the Jiuzhang 3.0 quantum computer prototype. Photo: Courtesy of University of Science and Technology of China

Introductory illustration to the Jiuzhang 3.0 quantum computer prototype. Photo: Courtesy of University of Science and Technology of China

With the successful development of the Jiuzhang 3.0 quantum computer prototype, which makes use of 255 detected photons, China continues to hold a world-leading position in the field of quantum computer research and development, lead scientists for the program told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The research team, composed of renowned quantum physicists Pan Jianwei and Lu Chaoyang from the University of Science and Technology of China in collaboration with the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Parallel Computer Engineering Technology Research Center, announced the successful construction of a 255-photon-based prototype quantum computer named Jiuzhang 3.0 early Wednesday morning.

The quantum computing feat accomplished by the team of talents achieves a speed that is 10 quadrillion times faster in solving Gaussian boson sampling (GBS) problems compared with the world's fastest supercomputers.

According to a press release Pan's team provided to the Global Times on Wednesday, this achievement has once again "renewed the world record in the field of optical quantum information technology, solving the mathematical problem of Gaussian boson sampling 10 quadrillion times faster than the current fastest supercomputer in the world, taking an important step toward the development of quantum computers."

The study was published online in the journal Physical Review Letters early Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, according to the publicly disclosed optimal algorithm, the speed of Jiuzhang 3.0 in processing Gaussian boson sampling is one million times faster than its predecessor, the 133-photon-based Jiuzhang 2.0. Jiuzhang 2.0 could calculate the most complex sample in 1 microsecond, while the current fastest supercomputer Frontier would take more than 20 billion years to do the same calculation, according to the press release.

Lu Chaoyang, a key member of the research team, explained that quantum computing is specially designed for solving highly complicated calculations while the simpler calculations are the job of regular computers. This is why the comparison was made between the Jiuzhang 3.0 and supercomputers.

Currently, the prototype is used for calculation of graph theory related problems and in the future it will also be used in the field of material design, Lu told the Global Times on Wednesday.

According to the scientist, developing quantum computers is one of the biggest challenges at the forefront of current world technology. During Jiuzhang's research and development, scalable quantum control technology has been developed, providing a technical foundation for the development of fault-tolerant universal quantum computers.

"This paves the way for universal quantum computers, which is estimated by the academic community to be achieved in 10-15 years, said Lu.

In 2021, the team led by Pan developed the 133-photon-based Jiuzhang 2.0 and a 66-qubit programmable superconducting quantum computing system named Zuchongzhi 2.1, making China the only country to achieve a quantum computational advantage in two mainstream technical routes - one via photonics quantum computing technology and the other via superconducting quantum computing technology.

 
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China’s Computational Power Gains New Strength With 255-Detected-Photon Quantum Computer​

By Iednewsdesk On Oct 26, 2023

Chinese scientists unveiled a quantum computer prototype named “Jiuzhang 3.0” with 255 detected photons on Wednesday, once again pushing the boundaries of photonics quantum computing technology.

Led by the renowned Chinese quantum physicist PAN Jianwei, the research team has successfully accomplished this quantum computing feat, achieving a speed that is 10 quadrillion times faster in solving Gaussian boson sampling (GBS) problems compared to the world’s existing fastest supercomputers.

Gaussian boson sampling, a classically intractable problem, was employed in this study to provide a highly efficient way of demonstrating quantum computational speedup in solving some well-defined tasks.

The study was published online in the journal Physical Review Letters on Wednesday Beijing Time.

LU Chaoyang, a member of the research team and professor at the University of Science and Technology of China of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS), said that a series of innovations, including a newly developed superconducting nanowire single-photon detection scheme with fiber loop-based configuration, increased the number of detected photons for “Jiuzhang 3.0” to 255, greatly improving the complexity of photonics quantum computing.

“By demultiplexing photons into time bins through delays, we’ve achieved capabilities of pseudo photon number resolving,” LU added.

According to the state-of-the-art exact classical simulation algorithm, “Jiuzhang 3.0” is a million times faster at solving GBS problems than its predecessor, “Jiuzhang 2.0.” Moreover, the most complex samples of GBS that “Jiuzhang 3.0” can calculate in just one microsecond would take the world’s fastest supercomputer, “Frontier,” more than 20 billion years to complete.

In 2021, the team led by PAN developed the “Jiuzhang 2.0” with 113 detected photons and a 66-qubit programmable superconducting quantum computing system named “Zuchongzhi 2.1,” making China the only country to achieve a quantum computational advantage in two mainstream technical routes — one via photonics quantum computing technology and the other via superconducting quantum computing technology.

Establishing quantum computational advantage requires great endeavor, with long-term competition between classical algorithms and quantum computing hardware, the team noted. They anticipate that this work will, on one hand, stimulate more research on classical simulation algorithms, and on the other hand, through diligent efforts, gradually address various scientific and engineering challenges in quantum computing research. Ultimately, quantum computers will achieve computational power beyond the reach of classical computers, driving the advancement of science and technology.

 
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