HEFEI, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) — A new quantum computer, deployed in the eastern Chinese city of Hefei this month, is poised to be accessible to the global research and business community. The machine can reportedly solve a particular problem 450 million times quicker than the world’s leading supercomputer.
This breakthrough signals a new thrust in China’s campaign to build its economic future on the foundation of next-generation technology.
The country’s established track record in batteries, electric vehicles and renewable energy demonstrates its capacity to build new tech-intensive industries from the ground up. Now, the country is setting its sights on similar breakthroughs at the frontiers, including quantum tech.
Codenamed “Tianyan-287,” this superconducting quantum computer is fully domestically produced. While it uses the same quantum chips as the experimental “Zuchongzhi 3.0,” it is no longer a lab prototype but a purpose-built system for commercial use.
A joint team from the China Telecom Quantum Group (CTQG) and QuantumCTek tackled a key engineering challenge: ensuring that the machine’s core component — a dilution refrigerator that creates an ultra-cold operating environment — could operate stably and reliably to meet the demands of continuous cloud services.
They also created an AI system for efficient and precise automated calibration of the superconducting chips.
The new machine will be connected to CTQG’s quantum computing cloud platform, making it available to users worldwide. Since its launch in November 2023, the platform has received over 37 million visits, covering users in more than 60 countries.
BROADER PUSH
In a bid to cultivate new economic engines, China’s new five-year plan is supposed to prioritize a range of cutting-edge fields, from quantum technology and bio-manufacturing to brain-computer interfaces and 6G communications.
This policy push is set to accelerate a tangible industrial build-out, transforming laboratory breakthroughs into market-ready supply chains.
Lab-industry ties are tightening. At the World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit this month, Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Wuxi Photonic Chip Institute (CHIPX), in partnership with quantum firm TuringQ, won the top award for their large-scale, high-speed programmable photonic quantum processor.
CHIPX’s pilot line has already closed the loop from design to system integration, turning photonic quantum computers into industrial-grade products.
In August, China’s southern manufacturing hub, Shenzhen, began building the nation’s first production line for photonic quantum computers. Upon completion, the plant built by Beijing-based startup QBoson is projected to produce dozens of optical quantum computers annually.
Start-ups are emerging along the entire supply chain — components, systems and applications.
“Take dilution refrigerators used in superconducting quantum processors, for instance,” said Jin Yirong from Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences (BAQIS). “In just a few years, China has spawned more than ten domestic manufacturers, while supporting technologies are falling into place equally fast.”
“We have built a comprehensive quantum industrial chain that encompasses basic research, product manufacturing, chip development and materials,” said Zhou Lei, vice president of QuantumCTek. “This complete pipeline is accelerating industrial growth and establishing a virtuous cycle.”
REAL-WORLD DEPLOYMENT
In Hefei, a 220 kV grid substation has gone quantum: services such as dispatch, distribution, drone patrols and inspection robots run over quantum-encrypted links, while an innovative power-flow algorithm has been validated on a superconducting quantum processor.
TuringQ introduced a quantum-inspired solution for Autonomous Valet Parking (AVP) that significantly reduces parking wait time and enhances efficiency.
AVP can autonomously navigate routes and park accurately. The firm’s solution has already been deployed in a large commercial parking lot.
Quantum technology has found its way into precision measurement. At the ongoing Quantum Technology and Industry Conference in Hefei, a quality-inspection device that uses quantum sensing to vet raw materials for lithium batteries is now on show.
This quantum magnetic-impurity analyzer pinpoints trace magnetic contaminants in lithium-battery feedstock within 5 minutes, which is 90 percent faster and with 70 percent fewer personnel than traditional devices, said Wu Junfeng, a researcher from CIQTEK, a local quantum firm.
“We have already partnered with leading battery makers like CATL and Gotion High-Tech,” Wu added.
The firm’s optically pumped magnetometer array can detect the ultra-weak magnetic fields generated by every heartbeat and pulsatile flow, converting them into signals that spot early ischemia or coronary disease.
“Thanks to upfront research and development investment, quantum research and commercialization will be more tightly coupled, sharply accelerating technology transfer,” said Jin from BAQIS. ■
