China has reached a new milestone in quantum computing with the development of Tianyan-504, a powerful 504-qubit quantum computer.
The Tianyan-504 quantum computer was developed through collaboration between the China Telecom Quantum Group (CTQG), the Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and QuantumCTek, a quantum technology company based in Anhui Province.
Accelerating quantum research through cloud integration
The Tianyan-504 quantum computer will be incorporated into the Tianyan quantum computing cloud platform, providing global access to users. Wang Zhen, deputy general manager of China Telecom Quantum Group, stated that the company plans to collaborate with QuantumCTek to advance a quantum computer using the new chip, enabling researchers across various fields to work more efficiently and speeding up the practical use of quantum computing.
The Tianyan quantum computing cloud platform, launched in November 2023, has received over 12 million visits from more than 50 countries, providing accessible quantum computing services to users worldwide.
Furthermore, China has progressed in quantum computing with the development of a 504-qubit superconducting chip, called Xiaohong, delivered to QuantumCTek. This marks a domestic record for qubit count in a superconducting quantum chip and will support testing of QuantumCTek’s kilo-qubit measurement and control system.
The measurement and control system, along with the quantum computing chip, are central to quantum computers’ performance. According to Liang Futian, an associate professor at the Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, their effectiveness significantly influences the overall capabilities of quantum computers.
Photonics and superconducting quantum computing technologies
The Xiaohong chip is expected to match the performance of major international cloud-based quantum computing platforms like IBM in terms of qubit lifetime, gate fidelity, and quantum circuit depth.
The China Telecom Quantum Group will also partner with QuantumCTek to develop a quantum computer using the new Xiaohong chip. This collaboration will provide global users with access to the China Telecom Quantum Group’s quantum computing cloud platform, enabling researchers from various fields to efficiently work on practical problems and algorithms.
However, Gong Ming, a researcher at the center, noted that the chip’s main focus is on advancing the development of large-scale quantum computing measurement and control systems rather than just achieving higher computing power or quantum supremacy.
Moreover, China is believed to be the only country to achieve quantum computational advantage through both photonics and superconducting quantum computing technologies. This milestone was reached with the development of Jiuzhang 2.0 and Zuchongzhi 2.1, each of which features 113 detected photons and 66 qubits.
Last month, a Chinese military-developed supercomputer, Tianhe, once again ranked first in an international test of AI computing efficiency, marking a second win since 2021. The supercomputer has also played a key role in the center’s significant achievements in research areas such as numerical simulation technology, materials computation, and environmental meteorology.
