A groundbreaking quantum computer named Juizhang, developed by a team led by renowned scientist Pan Jianwei, has made a remarkable claim of being able to process artificial intelligence (AI) tasks 180 million times faster than conventional computers, as reported by the South China Morning Post. Pan Jianwei, often referred to as the “father of quantum” in China, has been instrumental in advancing the country’s expertise in quantum computing, marking a significant stride in the field.

Unlike traditional computing, where bits can only represent one or zero, a quantum computing unit, or qubit, has the unique ability to exist in both states simultaneously. This characteristic allows qubits to process information faster than classical computers by considering all possible combinations at once.

China’s Juizhang gained international attention in 2020 when Pan Jianwei’s research team accomplished Gaussian boson sampling in just 200 seconds. In comparison, the same task would take an estimated 2.5 billion years on a conventional supercomputer.

Quantum computing is still in its nascent stages, with researchers globally exploring the potential and applications of these systems. Pan Jianwei’s team, however, has taken a bold step by utilizing “noisy intermediate scale” quantum computers to tackle real-world problems.

To put Juizhang to the test, the researchers implemented two commonly used AI algorithms: random search and simulated annealing. These algorithms pose a significant challenge even for supercomputers, prompting the team to employ 200,000 samples for solving them. With existing technology, the fastest supercomputer would require approximately 700 seconds to process each sample, amounting to a total of five years of computing time for the envisioned samples. In stark contrast, Juizhang completed the task in less than a second—a staggering 180 million times faster than the current fastest supercomputer.

While the United States is also actively developing quantum computers, researchers have encountered challenges related to error-prone sub-atomic particles affected by even the slightest disturbances from the environment. Consequently, quantum computers are typically operated in isolated, extremely low-temperature environments. However, Juizhang utilizes light as a medium for computation and does not require such low temperatures to function optimally.

The team deliberately chose advanced algorithms currently in use to highlight the advantages of quantum computing. Their research demonstrates that even early-stage “noisy” quantum computers offer distinct benefits over classical counterparts.

The computational achievements of Juizhang hold great potential for various fields, including data mining, biological information processing, network analysis, and chemical modeling research, as stated by the research team. The findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Physical Review Letters last month, solidifying the significance of this breakthrough in the scientific community.

By Impact Lab