Quantum information processing system hold the promise to revolutionize modeling and calculations . By employing the rummy laws of quantum mechanics , they can execute figuring that would take even the fast supercomputer billions of twelvemonth to complete . Building and operating quantum computers has many challenges , and while these devices are still a retentive style off , some components are already break records .
For a few years now , different organizations and individual companies have been announcing " Quantum supremacy " , the power for a quantum C.P.U. to do a calculation quicker than a regularsupercomputerwould . The latest claimant to this record book is the Zuchongzhi-3 , a superconducting quantum computing prototype made of 105 qubits – the quantum equivalent of regular information processing system bits .
As a equivalence , what is now the second most powerful supercomputer , Frontier , would take almost 6 billion years to do what Zuchongzhi-3 can do in a few minutes , the Formosan investigator said . The most sinewy supercomputer , El Capitan , only go online lately , so if it can knock off time off that is yet to be picture .
The task at paw is call Random Circuit Sampling ( RCS ) , a well - established ( although occasionally controversial ) quantum computing benchmark that has no specific lotion . Basically , the processor generates random quantum circle and evaluates their outputs , something that quantum computers do much honest than even reckoner .
“ To measure its capabilities , the team conducted an 83 - qubit , 32 - level random circuit sample task on the system . compare to the current optimum classical algorithm , the computational speed go by that of the world ’s most knock-down supercomputer by 15 Order of order of magnitude , " astatementfrom the University of Science and Technology of China said . " Additionally , it outperforms the recent result published by Google in October of last year by 6 orders of magnitude , found the substantial quantum computational advantage in the superconducting system to date . "
If the numbers are confirmed , it signify that Zuchongzhi-3 is 2 million billion times quicker at RCS than Frontier and about 1 million fourth dimension quicker than Google ’s Sycamore . This Modern fleck does n’t seem to be faster than Google ’s Willow ; base on a press release from the Mountain View company , Willow is 10 billion time quicker than Zuchongzhi-3 .
These processors can do some interesting matter , but they are not the quantum computers that will commute everything . establish on our current knowledge , engineering science , and methods , there is still a lack of practical uses for the quantum processors that are around . In fact , last yr Google set in motion aglobal competitionoffering $ 5 million to find a pragmatic use for quantum computers . However , an interesting program was showcased a few week ago when aquantum devicewas used to simulate a simplified reading of a possible ending of the world . You do necessitate a quantum computer for that .
The study is published in the journalPhysical Review Letters .
