Chinese scientists have unveiled a new prototype superconducting quantum computer which they claim would lay the groundwork for a whole new era of processors.
Researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) say the quantum computer operates at a speed that is a quadrillion (1015) times faster than the fastest supercomputer currently available.
The quantum processor, described in a new study in the journal Physical Review Letters, was also found to be a million times faster than Google’s latest experiment.
Scientists across the world have been attempting to build quantum computers capable of performing tasks infeasible for classical computers.
One of the tasks that has become something like a golden standard for testing and comparing quantum computers is what’s called the “random circuit sampling” (RCS) problem.
“This process [RCS] has become a focal point of intensive research due to its capacity to underscore the computational superiority of quantum systems,” scientists explained.
Two powerhouses that have been competing strongly with each other to build the world’s best quantum computers have been Google’s Sycamore and China’s Zuchongzhi research teams.
For instance, Google’s groundbreaking Sycamore processor created a benchmark in 2019 by completing a random circuit sampling task in 200 seconds – a task that would have taken about 10,000 years to simulate on the world’s fastest supercomputer at the time.
Now, USTC’s new quantum computer Zuchongzhi-3 has been found to outperform the latest results published by Google in October 2024 by 6 orders of magnitude.
Chinese scientists say Zuchongzhi-3 has a computation speed surpassing that of the world’s most powerful supercomputer by 15 orders of magnitude, “firmly establishing a new benchmark in quantum computational advantage”.
“This task is estimated to be infeasible on the most powerful classical supercomputer, Frontier, which would require approximately 5.9×109 years to replicate the task,” scientists wrote.
“We have successfully executed a larger scale random circuit sampling than previously achieved by Google, further widening the gap in computational capabilities between classical and quantum computing,” researchers wrote in the study.
Scientists say this leap in computing power came after optimising the processor’s fabrication and wiring configuration.
The latest findings are a “testament” to progress in building hardware for quantum computers, they say, adding that it can lead to advanced processors for drug discovery and artificial intelligence.
“Our work not only advances the frontiers of quantum computing but also lays the groundwork for a new era where quantum processors play an essential role in tackling sophisticated real-world challenges,” they wrote.
