Chinese company Origin has produced a usable quantum computer in the country that has real-world applications.
A report by Science and Technology Daily, one of the country’s state newspapers, confirmed that the Origin Wuyuan quantum computer has been in use for a year now, but did not say which customer or industry was using it.
China now joins the United States and Canada as the only known countries to possess this cutting-edge technology on a viable scale.
More is coming?
Origin’s Wuyuan has some great specs, featuring a 24-qubit processor with superconducting chip technology. It also has its own set of programs, as well as the ability to work through the cloud, so that it can be used remotely.
Furthermore, Origin is working on its next quantum computer called Wukong, which is said to be coming in the near future. Interestingly, in the ongoing chip war between the US and China, Origin has not been blacklisted for using quantum computing technologies in the US like other vendors. (Opens in a new tab)suggesting that perhaps Origin’s creations are entirely her own.
Although it seems as if there is only one Wuyuan in use, there are reports (Opens in a new tab) There may be more to come or already in use by other customers.
Quantum computers are the next stage in supercomputing, using the principles of quantum mechanics to fundamentally change the architecture of how computers operate to achieve speeds exponentially faster than standard supercomputers. High-level applications of quantum computers include weapon development, complex problem-solving, code-breaking, and scientific research, to name a few.
Major chip makers are getting involved in this new technology. For example, IBM recently developed a massive 433-qubit processor, and even hopes to quickly advance beyond that, boldly claiming that a 4,000-qubit processor will be manufactured by 2025.
If claims like these come true and the general atmosphere of optimism about quantum computing turns out to be justified, there may be some seismic discoveries and breakthroughs in all kinds of fields awaiting.
- For now, you will have to deal with the best PC hardware that you can currently buy
