China unveils processor a million times faster than US rival
Chinese scientists have unveiled a new superconducting quantum computing prototype they say operates a million times faster than one of Google's top quantum processors. The Chinese chip is also a quadrillion times more efficient than any conventionally built supercomputer, according to a statement issued by its creators.
Dubbed Zuchongzhi-3, the chip was developed by the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in cooperation with half a dozen of the nation's scientific institutions. The USTC published the results of its research and the chip's performance analysis in an article for the Physical Review Letters earlier this month.
According to the university's statement, the testing showed that the new Chinese processor is a million times faster than Google's Sycamore processor. The US tech giant presented its quantum computer back in October 2024, boasting that it could surpass the fastest conventional supercomputers in performing computationally complex calculations.
'We are focused on developing practical applications for quantum computers that cannot be done on a classical computer,' Google Quantum AI representatives said at the time. The USTC said in its statement that Zuchongzhi-3's computational speed outpaced that of the world's most powerful supercomputer by 15 orders of magnitude (a quadrillion times faster).
It is unclear how the newly unveiled chip compares to another Google product – the Willow quantum processor unveiled in December. The two have roughly similar processing capacities, although the Willow is reportedly slightly better than its Chinese rival when it comes to coherence time, a key parameter enabling more complex computations, according to Live Science. The US tech giant has not commented on the USTC statement.
Chinese companies have substantially boosted investments in AI and quantum computing after President Xi Jinping urged the nation to accelerate fundamental scientific research. Beijing is aiming to increase self-reliance in crucial areas, including chip-making, space exploration, and military sciences.
Bloomberg reported in October 2023 that Chinese companies and institutions applied for 29,853 AI-related patents in 2022, compared to 29,000 in the previous year. The figure is nearly 80% more than US filings.
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