University researchers develop innovative quantum device
Quantum computing uses the field of quantum physics to dramatically increase the speed at which computers can process information. The Chinese scientists report that their prototype can perform calculations that would take an ordinary computer billions of years to solve. It’s because the country is in a technology race with the US over who can achieve quantum domination.
Findings about the quantum computer were published Thursday in the journal Science, with scientists from the University of Science and Technology of China in downtown Hefei behind the machine.
Lu Chaoyang, lead professor behind the experiment, said the team achieved the breakthrough by manipulating light particles.
Xinhua, China’s official news agency, claimed the computer was 10 billion times faster than Google’s Sycamore machine launched last year.
The study also claimed that the prototype was 100 trillion times faster than Japan’s Fukagu supercomputer, which launched in June and is widely regarded as the faster computer in the world.
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China news: Scientists have developed a quantum computer that is 100 trillion times faster than Fugaku (Image: PA / GETTY)
China news: The Chinese prototype has led the team to declare quantum supremacy, with the fastest model in the world (Image: GETTY)
Mr. Lu explained how his team’s quantum computer differed from Google’s, where the US machine uses ultra-cold superconducting chips instead of China’s manipulation of light particles.
The scientist added that he admired Google’s work and told the Financial Times, “Building a quantum computer is a race between humans and nature, not countries.”
Mr Lu then said that the machines are limited in what they can achieve, adding that they can only “perform a specific task, not all tasks”.
He continued, “It’s not fully programmable yet. This is something we are working on. “
China news: Lu Chaoyang said the prototype is manipulating light particles to increase processing speed (Image: PA)
China news: The US and China have both invested billions in the technology (Image: PA)
Should quantum computers be built to scale, they will be able to create exponential gains in computing power, giving countries that exercise it substantial influence.
Mr. Lu praised his team’s developments, saying, “Scientists are close to useful quantum machines that can do something non-trivial.”
Other experts in the field praised the development, with Christine Silberhorn, a quantum optics expert at the University of Paderborn in Germany, describing the Chinese team’s work as a “milestone experiment.”
Richard Murray, chief executive of London-based quantum computing company ORCA, added: “There are still those who question whether quantum computing will be a reality. With two systems that have hit this benchmark, that argument sounds pretty unlikely. “
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In an effort to beat the US by quantum superiority, China had announced that it was investing $ 10 billion (£ 7.44 billion) earlier this year in a new national quantum information science laboratory.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has committed $ 1 billion (£ 744 million) to funding for artificial intelligence and quantum information research this year.
When Google announced their Sycamore machine last year, the president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, was quick to mention the Trump administration.
She said on Twitter: “It’s official! The US has achieved tremendous supremacy! (…) We are proud to have contributed to this important milestone, ushering in the next generation of quantum technology in the US! “
China news: Beijing has also made huge investments in space exploration in addition to Russia (Image: PA)
China news: Experts fear China will use technological supremacy for global domination (Image: EXPRESS)
The US and China are in a race to develop new technologies for fear the other country could use their superiority to advance military efforts.
Earlier this year, Beijing and Moscow announced they would collaborate on space exploration and other related technological advancements, in a dislike for the US.
It comes after John Ratcliffe, Director of Mr. Trump’s National Intelligence Service, wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal warning that China has a plan to “dominate” the world “economically, militarily and technologically.”
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Mark Milley, also warned that the US must accelerate the development of robotic weapons to beat China technologically.
He told the US Naval Institute, “They want to not only match us, but surpass us, dominate us, be able to defeat us in a mid-century armed conflict.”
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