China’s quantum leap: 1,000-qubit system advances large-scale computing

A Chinese quantum computing start-up has developed a control system capable of managing more than 1,000 quantum bits, or qubits, at less than half the cost of comparable foreign technology, potentially accelerating the commercialization of quantum computing.

QuantumCTek, based in Hefei, announced last Monday that it had delivered its ez-Q Engine 2.0 superconducting quantum measurement and control system to several research institutions, including the University of Science and Technology of China and China Telecom Quantum Group.

The system, which functions as the “nerve centre” of quantum computers by managing signal generation and control for quantum chips, represents a ten-fold improvement in integration compared with its predecessor, according to the Anhui Quantum Computing Engineering Research Center.

“The cost of controlling a single superconducting qubit with a control system was very high,” said Tang Shibiao, Director of Research Centre. “However, the ez-Q Engine 2.0 maintains international advanced technical standards while being less than half the price of similar products developed by foreign competitors.”

The development comes as China intensifies efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in quantum computing technology, viewing it as critical for future computational supremacy. The new system features domestically designed key components, reducing reliance on foreign suppliers.

QuantumCTek’s control system has been validated on China’s 504-qubit superconducting quantum computer and previously powered the Zuchongzhi 3.0, a 105-qubit processor that Chinese researchers claim achieves computational speeds quadrillions of times faster than conventional supercomputers for specific tasks.

The company plans to provide control services for more than 5,000 qubits across multiple institutions, marking a significant scaling up of China’s quantum computing infrastructure. Wang Zhehui, Deputy Director of Research Centre, and leader of QuantumCTek’s research team, said the company was already developing a next-generation system capable of managing 10,000 qubits with error-correction capabilities.

The announcement underscores intensifying global competition in quantum computing, with the US, China, and Europe racing to develop practical applications for the technology, which promises to revolutionise fields from drug discovery to cryptography and financial modelling.

Source: Quantum Zeitgeist.