With Zuchongzhi 3.0, China Unveils a Quantum Computer 10¹⁵ Times Faster Than Existing Supercomputers.

China's long-awaited response to the American quantum leaps of recent weeks is here!

The technological rivalry between the USA and China is intensifying, particularly in quantum computing, which is now considered a major technological challenge. Recently, Microsoft unveiled Majorana 1, the first quantum chip based on a topological architecture, which could make it possible to solve problems requiring decades of computing in just a few years. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella likened the breakthrough to a “revolution comparable to the invention of the transistor”.

In response, China quickly unveiled its own advanced quantum chip prototype: Zuchongzhi 3.0. The experimental quantum computer equipped with it is said to have a computing speed a million billion times faster than the most powerful supercomputers.

Unveiled on Monday, March 3, 202,5 by a team of Chinese physicists, this new 105-qubit quantum chip represents a strategic breakthrough for Chinese quantum computing research. It is also said to have set a quantum computing record for superconducting systems.

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One of the goals of researchers around the world is to design quantum computers capable of performing viable calculations inaccessible to classical machines. One of the benchmark tests in this field is Random Circuit Sampling (RCS).

For several years now, the USA and China have been waging a fierce battle in this discipline. In 2019, Google made its mark with its Sycamore quantum processor, achieving in 200 seconds a calculation that would have taken 10,000 years on the most powerful supercomputer of the time. A year later, China presented Jiuzhang, exploiting a different quantum approach based on photonics.

In 2021, the country reached a new milestone with the development of Zuchongzhi 2.1, a 66-qubit system. China thus became the first nation to claim an advantage in quantum computing on two separate platforms: Jiuzhang, which used light particles to perform quantum calculations, and Zuchongzhi 2.1, which relied on superconducting circuits to manipulate the qubits.

A new technological leap for China

Today, with Zuchongzhi 3.0, designed by physicists at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), China is taking another decisive step forward. Equipped with 105 qubits and 182 couplers, this quantum chip performs (placed in a quantum computer) random sampling calculations 10¹⁵ times (one million billion) faster than the world's second most powerful supercomputer, Frontier, according to results published in Physical Review Letters.

According to research director Pan Jianwei and his team, Zuchongzhi 3.0 significantly improves on its predecessor's performance and achieves unrivaled quantum computing power. It would even be a million times faster than what can be deduced from the results obtained by Google in similar quantum experiments carried out in October 2024, notably in sampling random circuits (according to the company's press release).

The researchers explain that reproducing this task on a classical supercomputer would take around 5.9 billion years, an estimate based on the current performance of classical systems and the complexity of the calculations performed by Zuchongzhi 3.0. According to the scientists, this is “a new benchmark in quantum advantage” and represents “a major upgrade on its 66-qubit predecessor”.

Towards new applications and automatic correction of quantum errors

The improved performance of the Zuchongzhi 3.0 chip is based on optimized manufacturing processes and processor circuit configuration. According to the researchers, these advances could pave the way for concrete applications, notably in drug discovery and artificial intelligence.

Furthermore, quantum systems, thanks to their ability to factor large numbers exponentially, could eventually undermine current encryption protocols. This concern is prompting the major powers to invest in quantum cybersecurity.

China has already taken the lead in developing secure quantum communication technologies. In 2016, the Micius quantum satellite established the first unbreakable encrypted transmission via quantum entanglement, demonstrating the potential of these new communications infrastructures.

“Our work not only pushes back the frontiers of quantum computing but also lays the foundations for a new era in which quantum processors will play a key role in solving complex real-world challenges,” the physicists said in their study.

At the same time, the Chinese team is exploring various avenues of research, including automatic quantum error correction, quantum entanglement, quantum simulation, and quantum chemistry. One of the priorities is to improve the surface code, a method of correcting quantum errors, currently at a code distance of 7 - meaning that a quantum computer uses an error correction scheme where at least 7 qubits are needed to cause an irreparable error. The aim is to increase this distance to 9, then 11, in preparation for large-scale qubit integration and control. With Zuchongzhi 3.0, China consolidates its lead in the quantum computing race.

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