Back to the future: Chinese team's record transmission lays ground for quantum internet
Chinese scientists have set a transmission record in quantum secure direct communication, which brings the technology to the internet dial-up speed of the 1990s and sets the stage for a future quantum internet.
Advertisement
The team's new quasi-quantum secure direct communication (QSDC) protocol set both a transmission and a distance world record with a transmission rate of 2.38 kilobits per second (kbps) over 104.8km (65 miles) of standard telecommunications optical fibre.
This speed allows for the secure transmission of text, voice, and image files in quantum states, making it potentially useful for securely sending small amounts of sensitive information – such as financial data or information vital for national security.
05:00
Does the arrival of China's low-cost DeepSeek mean the end of Nvidia's chip dominance?
Does the arrival of China's low-cost DeepSeek mean the end of Nvidia's chip dominance?
'This system paved the way for the practical application of QSDC and offers a unique method to detect eavesdropping online, which is crucial in certain circumstances,' the team wrote in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances on February 21.
Inventor of the QSDC technology Long Guilu, a physics professor at Tsinghua University and vice-president of the Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences, said the protocol could also be used for constructing a quantum internet.
Unlike the classical internet, in which information is transmitted as bits, a quantum internet would aim to enhance internet capabilities and security by leveraging quantum bits, or qubits, and quantum phenomena to achieve ultra-secure connection.
Advertisement
'Prototype quantum internet based on this protocol has already been built in our lab,' Long said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Standard
6 hours ago
- The Standard
Nvidia to build first industrial AI cloud in Germany
Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, holds a NVIDIA DGX Cloud Lepton as he speaks during the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, June 11, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
South China Morning Post
11 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Tech war: iFlytek says using local chips in AI models extends development time by 3 months
A senior Chinese tech executive admits that using mainland-produced semiconductors could delay the development of artificial intelligence (AI) models by three months, but insisted that his company would continue to use these chips and push improved processes. Liu Qingfeng, chairman and founder of Chinese voice recognition solution provider iFlytek, said that the extended AI model development process was due to the need for additional computing resources, compared with using Nvidia chips and their mature software ecosystem. In a statement posted on the company's official channel on WeChat, Liu said iFlytek was likely 'the only Chinese AI model developer that insisted on using domestic chips', including the Ascend 910B developed by Huawei Technologies, 'to avoid the risk of losing access to imported chips'. However, the company, based in Hefei, Anhui province, has been barred from purchasing advanced US chips since it was added to the US Entity List in October 2019. The iFlytek booth at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain March 4, 2025. Photo: Reuters According to Liu, when benchmarked against the A800 by Nvidia, the training efficiency of the Ascend 910B has increased to 73 per cent, up from 25 per cent at the end of last year.
HKFP
17 hours ago
- HKFP
Billions of data records relating to Chinese citizens leaked online, including WeChat and Alipay details
'Billions upon billions' of data records belonging to hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens have been briefly exposed online, according to cybersecurity researchers. The 631 gigabyte haul of information – including WeChat and Alipay details – may be part of a surveillance effort targeting Chinese citizens, according to the research team at tech media outlet Cybernews and Bob Diachenko, owner and founder of cybersecurity consulting firm Security Discovery. 'The Cybernews research team believes the dataset was meticulously gathered and maintained for building comprehensive behavioral, economic, and social profiles of nearly any Chinese citizen,' the media outlet said last week. 'The sheer volume and diversity of data types in this leak [suggest] that this was likely a centralized aggregation point.' They added that the data could potentially be exploited for anything from 'large-scale phishing, blackmail, and fraud to state-sponsored intelligence gathering and disinformation campaigns.' The team were only able to glimpse 16 datasets before the database was removed, preventing them from understanding the identity of those behind it. 'However, collecting and maintaining this sort of database requires time and effort, often linked to threat actors, governments, or very motivated researchers,' they said. Aside from WeChat and Alipay records, residential data with geographic identifiers was included, along with apparent banking data such as payment card numbers, dates of birth, names, and phone numbers. Together, the datasets could allow attackers to triangulate users' places of residence, spending habits, debts, and savings.
