Chinese Scientists Claim Record-Smashing Quantum Computing Breakthrough – Slashdot

From the South China Morning Post:

Scientists in China say their latest quantum computer has solved an ultra-complicated mathematical problem within a millionth of a second — more than 20 billion years quicker than the world’s fastest supercomputer could achieve the same task. The JiuZhang 3 prototype also smashed the record set by its predecessor in the series, with a one million-fold increase in calculation speed, according to a paper published on Tuesday by the peer-reviewed journal Physical Review Letters…

The series uses photons — tiny particles that travel at the speed of light — as the physical medium for calculations, with each one carrying a qubit, the basic unit of quantum information… The fastest classical supercomputer Frontier — developed in the US and named the world’s most powerful in mid-2022 — would take over 20 billion years to complete the same task, the researchers said.
The article claims they’ve increased the number of photons from 76 to 113 in the first two versions, improving to 255 in the latest iteration.

Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader hackingbear for sharing the news.