China unveils next-generation superconducting quantum processor!

According to a university press release, the USTC quantum processor, known as Zhuchongzhi-3, has 105 qubits and 182 couplers and has already demonstrated its superiority in random quantum circuit sampling experimentally. The researchers claim that it will be at least 10¹⁵ times more powerful and faster than the most advanced classical supercomputers currently in use. This has been identified as a huge breakthrough in the field of quantum computing. 

Chinese researchers claim that their invented Zhuchongzhi 3.0 (105-qubit superconducting quantum processor) has already completed a very complex mathematical problem or computational task in just a few seconds. It would take the world's most powerful 'frontier' supercomputer an estimated 6.4 billion years to solve the same task. Although such claims by Chinese researchers may have been based largely on approximate predictions. 

 This superconducting processor, invented by the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), is named after the ancient Chinese mathematician and astronomer Zhu Chongzhi. Who made important contributions to the history of Chinese science and technology. The Zhuchongzhi-3 superconducting processor has so far demonstrated a capacity of about 83 qubits (qubit) through a 32-level random quantum circuit sampling task. Which is seen as a milestone achievement in achieving quantum computational advantage (quantum supremacy). 

The research team involved in this project claims that the Zhuchongzhi-3 superconducting processor can solve all the unimaginably complex problems that are almost impossible for the currently existing classical supercomputers to solve the same problem in a reasonable time. And this quantum processor with a capacity of 105 qubits (qubit) has added a new dimension to the world of technology. It will be much more powerful and faster than the 53-qubit Sycamore processor of American tech giant Google.

This high-tech quantum processor can actually calculate 10¹⁵ times faster than a classical supercomputer. Which is seen as a huge success in quantum computing. Although it is currently still in the very early stages of research. If the development of this high-tech quantum processor is completed, it is expected to revolutionize important technological fields such as cryptography, material science, artificial intelligence, and drug discovery in the near future.

Meanwhile, Google's 53-qubit Sycamore superconducting quantum processor completed a complex problem in just 200 seconds in 2019. Which would have taken an estimated 10,000 years for a classical supercomputer to complete. And the newly invented Zhuchongzhi-3 superconducting processor has taken the success of the superconducting processor a few steps further with its higher qubit number and improved computational power. Which may change the concept of conventional super advanced computing in the near future.

Although the superconducting quantum chip or processor called Zhuchongzhi-3 is still in the experimental stage, this new innovation indicates that China has made significant progress in the field of quantum computing. And the battle of high-tech capabilities has now begun to overtake high-level tech giants like America. This improvement in China's quantum computing may revolutionize the solution of extremely complex problems in various fields such as artificial intelligence, complex data analysis, space research, and nuclear technology research in the future.

References: Interesting Engineering, SciTech Daily, The Quantum Insider.

 Sherazur Rahman

Links:

(1) https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/china-quantum-processor-million-times-faster-google

(2) https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/03/04/chinese-team-officially-report-on-zuchongzhi-3-0-claims-million-times-speedup-over-googles-willow/

(3) https://scitechdaily.com/chinas-new-quantum-machine-runs-one-million-times-faster-than-googles/