Origin Quantum, a Chinese startup company created in 2017 by prominent quantum physicists from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), has taken a quantum leap with the debut of its first quantum computer. The development moved China up a bit in the quantum race; after Canada and the United States, they now become the third country capable of producing a comprehensive computer system using game-changing quantum technology.
China has announced that the 24-qubit Wuyuan quantum computer, the country’s first practical quantum computer, has been in use since 2021. The 24-qubit Wuyuan was supplied to an unnamed user more than a year ago and is based on superconducting chip technology. Guo Guoping, the company’s founder, claims that the technology will have a noticeable impact on daily life within three to five years.
A Quantum Breakthrough by Chinese Scientists
It was the first formal confirmation that this disruptive technology, which employs elemental particles known as qubits to replace the 0 and 1 employed in classical computing, has been deployed in a real-world application in China. No details were offered regarding the user or the computer’s prospective applications.
“Quantum computers can act as accelerators. For example, a problem might take ten traditional supercomputers a month to calculate. If a quantum computer is added to the computing group, the calculation time may be reduced to three to seven days.
Origin Quantum co-founder, Guo Guoping
Using the tools that follow quantum mechanics to study the quantum world is more efficient than traditional computers.”
According to Guoping, the company’s quantum computers were constructed utilizing two different technical paths. The superconducting version can leverage quantum phenomena like superposition and entanglement more quickly, but it must run at low temperatures.
In contrast, semiconductor quantum computers use the same chip technology as traditional computers, and the required equipment and expertise are similarly highly consistent.
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