China now leading the quantum computing race
6 x 11 qubit lattice (Image Source: University of Science and Technology of China) Unlike Google's 53-qubit Sycamore quantum supercomputer that is based on electrons and superconductors, the latest Chinese achievement in the field dubbed Zuchongzhi can process 66 qubits and is based on optical circuits and photons. can process 66 qubits and is based on optical circuits and photons. Even though China already demonstrated the Jiuzhang computer with 56 qubit processing power that is a few orders of magnitude faster than Google’s 53-qubit Sycamore computer, the versatility side was still dominated by the U.S. scientists. Jiuzhang was developed in 2020 to be the fastest optical circuit supercomputer for a specific set of calculations, so it could not be programmed to perform varied tasks, whereas the Sycamore was overall more practical. Both models achieved the so-called “quantum supremacy”, proving much faster than regular supercomputers that would need ...