Scientists build prototype quantum supercomputer

Chinese scientists from Hefei, Anhui province, have created a quantum supercomputer prototype that is able to solve certain computing tasks 10 quadrillion times faster than the world's current most powerful supercomputer. Developed by a research team from the Hefei-based University of Science and Technology of China, the computer, Jiuzhang 3.0, is able to solve a Gaussian Boson Sampling problem 10 quadrillion times faster than Frontier, the world's current most powerful supercomputer. "Estimating with the best classical algorithms to date, generating a single ideal sample from the same distribution on the supercomputer Frontier would take about 600 years using exact methods, whereas Jiuzhang 3.0 takes only 1.27 microseconds to produce a sample," according to a study published online in the journal Physical Review Letters on Wednesday. In 2020, the team led by Pan created the world's first light-based quantum computer prototype, Jiuzhang, which can reliably demonstrate a quantum advantage over classical computers.