A team of researchers led by Jian-Wei Pan at the University of Science and Technology of China has reported their 105-qubit superconducting quantum processor — Zuchongzhi 3.0 — posted the fastest benchmark so far in the race for quantum advantage (QA), beating the mark set by Google late last year.
There’s a nice account of the work on APS.org written by Barry Sanders, a distinguished quantum researcher himself, and the scientific director of Calgary Quantum City. There’s also a report — Establishing a New Benchmark in Quantum Computational Advantage with 105-qubit Zuchongzhi 3.0 Processor — by the researchers published yesterday in APS Physical Review Letters.
Sanders wrote, “Pan and colleagues present Zuchongzhi 3.0, which has 105 qubits, arranged in a 15 × 7 array, and 182 qubit couplers. The researchers tested their new device by running random circuit sampling on a subset of 83 qubits with 32 logical cycles. They determined that the most powerful classical computer would need several billion years of run-time to simulate the probability distribution generated by their quantum processor in only 100 seconds. This performance was several orders of magnitude better than that of Google’s 67- and 70-qubit Sycamore processors, two precursors to Willow.”
Recall that Google presented its latest RCS (random circuit simulation) benchmark in December just as it was introducing, Willow, its new 105-qubit superconducting chip. At the same time, Google also touted its quantum error correction (QEC) breakthrough — breaking the QEC Threshold. (See HPCwire coverage, Google Debuts New Quantum Chip, Error Correction Breakthrough, and Roadmap Details)
Sanders noted in his article:
“Both Zuchongzhi 3.0 and Willow have executed random circuit sampling, but comparing their performances is not straightforward because the tasks differed in complexity. According to a Google blog, benchmarking of Willow shows that today’s fastest classical computers would need 1025 years to simulate the results produced by Willow in 5 minutes. Nevertheless, the key properties of the two quantum processors can be compared, as exemplified by a table in the Quantum Computing Report released by GQI, a quantum intelligence firm. This table lists averages of the following parameters: qubit connectivity, rates of spontaneous emission and dephasing (two qubit effects that can cause errors), fidelities for one- and two-qubit logic gates and for qubit readout, and time delays in those gates.
“According to the table, Willow and Zuchongzhi 3.0 are tied for average qubit connectivity, and Willow has a slight edge on the other measures. But the race is not over. These results are simply a glimpse at where the two runners are at this time in the race, and their separation is small.”
So the international race for quantum advantage continues!
Working with an earlier version of the Zuchongzhi chip (“named for named after the Chinese polymath who calculated pi with record-breaking precision in the fifth century”), Pan and his colleagues reported in 2022 outperforming Google’s earlier work and claim. Apparently, the leapfrogging continues.
A fair amount of “ink” has been spilled over the value of RCS as true test of quantum advantage but no one disputes the achievements as remarkable advances in quantum computing. Sanders notes the dual between Google’s chips and Zuchongzhi come during a time of heightened geopolitical tensions with the west and China both recognizing the dual potential for quantum technology in commercial and military applications.
In the U.S Department of Defense’s 2024 China Report singled out China’s vigorous development of quantum technology as a threat.
“The PRC defense industry and universities are developing quantum imaging, navigation, and radar applications to enhance intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, including position, navigation, and timing (PNT). PLA leaders view quantum sensing capabilities as tools to improve submarine detection. Judging from the build out of the PRC’s quantum communication infrastructure, the PLA may leverage integrated quantum networks and quantum key distribution to reinforce command, control, and communications systems,” according to the report. (See HPCwire coverage, DoD’s 2024 China Report Highlights Plans for AI and Quantum in Military Use).
Link to APS Physical Review Letter, https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.134.090601
