China and the US are now at cold war, as you know. The rivalry between two empires is one of the "objects of the future" that I often deal with, even asking experts to give me information an opinion on the situation. There are certainly two knots in this dispute artificial intelligence and quantum computers.
It is a quantum computer indeed of this type is the protagonist of a recent statement by two Chinese physicists. Scientists say they have built two machines, two quantum computers that outclass their American competitors. To say "they outclass", however, is an understatement. The fastest of the two quantum computers built would be the fastest of all time, according to a recent study published in Physical Review Letters and Science Bulletin.
What are you saying? I trust? China has already exaggerated the capabilities of its technology previously, but previous declarations may have been "pre-tactical", and even admitting a possible exaggeration, it is clear that in any case the reasoning is based on the reflections of enormous growth. I wouldn't focus only on speed, however: a quantum computer is also evaluated by its calculation precision.
Most people are unfamiliar with quantum computers, so let's briefly explain what they are and how they work. A quantum computer or quantum computer is a type of computer that uses quantum bits, or qubits. These qubits can exist in more than one state at the same time, which allows them to perform several calculations at the same time. This makes a quantum computer much faster than traditional computers.
And Chinese quantum computers still make a lot of mistakes
The Chinese supercomputer is capable of calculating in a single millisecond a task that the fastest conventional computer in the world would take 30 trillion years. The breakthrough was revealed during an interview with the research team, broadcast on China's state-run CCTV on Tuesday. This indeed supports the propaganda thesis, but it is also true that for this quantum computer there are two peer-reviewed papers, so I would respectfully wait. Anyway Pan Jianwei, lead researcher of the studies, said that Zuchongzhi 2, this is the name of the 66 qubit programmable superconducting quantum computer, is 10 million times faster than the Google's Sycamore 55 qubit, making the new Chinese machine the fastest in the world, and the first to beat Google in the past two years.
To be clear, Google's quantum computer has only 16 qubits, while the new Chinese quantum computer has (would it have?) 49 qubits.
Lo Zuchongzhi 2 is the improved version of another quantum computer made just three months ago, the Jiuzhang 2. That's a different quantum computer that runs on light, has fewer applications but can run at a blinding speed 100 sextillion times faster than today's largest conventional computers. In case your head spins when you hear the word “sextillion,” a sextillion is a number 1 with 23 zeros.
Quantum computer, there is time for the market
It is now evident, the quantum computer will totally revolutionize information technology, and consequently the planet. But you won't have a “Quantum Commodore 64” at home to fiddle with anytime soon. Think of it more as a big eve, like when computers took over entire rooms in universities. The two Chinese machines can only work in pristine environments and only for hyper-specific activities. And even with special attention, they still make many mistakes. It'll take a while. How much? “In the next stage we hope to achieve quantum error correction with four or five years of hard work,” said Professor Pan Jianwel from the University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, in the southeastern province of Anhui
The applications, however, will be incredible. Huge. Currently, just as it was at the dawn of information technology, it is not even possible to imagine them all. The calculation of genetic mutations, the prediction of stock prices, the air flows in hypersonic flight, the formation of new materials will certainly be enormously facilitated. These four things are enough for the quantum computer to turn the planet inside out like a sock.
