Secretly creating quantum technology, China made the US 'sit on the fire' with 3 aces

SCMP information, in November 2021, the US government added 12 Chinese companies to its export blacklist, citing national security concerns. This time, Chinese quantum computing companies are also among them.

Surprising things about China's quantum technology

According to the US Department of Commerce, some of the companies added to the blacklist have previously supported "Chinese military anti-submarine and stealth applications, and the ability to circumvent encryption or develop code." unbreakable chemistry".

These are all applications related to quantum technology that both the US and China are racing to develop.

How exactly does this quantum technology work and is it really a game changer?

What is quantum technology?

Quantum technology is a complex field of physics that explores the behavior of subatomic particles - particles smaller than atoms, the basic building blocks of all matter.

A major area of ​​interest in quantum technology is quantum computing. Unlike a classical computer, which performs calculations at a time, a quantum computer can perform many calculations at the same time.

The basic unit of information in classical computers was the "bit", which represented one of two binary values: 0 or 1. The computer could interpret these values ​​and represent them in formats variety, including words and pictures.

Quantum computers use another basic unit of memory called a qubit, which has the flexibility to represent both 0, 1, or both at the same time.

The ability of an object to exist in more than one form at the same time is called quantum superposition (also known as quantum superposition, or quantum layering).

Things get more complicated when the many qubits in a quantum computer interact with each other. This is where the concept of quantum entanglement (entanglement, or quantum entanglement) comes in: Many particles in a quantum system are connected and affect each other.

Difference between classical (left) and quantum computers.

For example, if one qubit represents 0, then another qubit entangled in it will take on the value of 1, and vice versa, making the measurement of each qubit dependent on the other.

Because quantum computers' basic information units can represent all possibilities at once, they are theoretically much faster and more powerful than the conventional computers they use. we are familiar.

For example, physicists in China recently launched a quantum computer that they say takes 1 millisecond to perform a task that would take a typical computer 30 trillion years.

As one more example, a future quantum computer could crack any of today's popular security systems - such as 128-bit AES encryption - in a matter of seconds. Even today's best supercomputer will take millions of years to do the same job.

If they're so great, why aren't all computers quantum?

Considering our "obsession" with speed in technology, you might think that quantum computing should be the default from now on. So far, however, these machines have only worked in protected environments for short periods of time for exceptionally high tasks, and they make a lot of mistakes.

Therefore, the issue of debate among scientists is whether "quantum supremacy" - the idea that a quantum device can be programmed to solve a problem that no classical computer can solve. within any feasible period of time - ever achieved or not.

Quantum technology is a complex field of physics.

A major challenge for scientists is how to get qubits to maintain quantum superposition and quantum entanglement long enough to accomplish a task. Quantum superposition and quantum entanglement are extremely fragile, and without the right environmental and temperature conditions, they quickly lose quality and behave erratically.

To function properly, qubits must be stored in a special refrigerator at extremely low temperatures close to the point where the atoms stop moving. The need for specialized equipment is the main reason that only countries willing to invest large amounts of resources can study quantum computing.

China's top quantum physicist Pan Jianwei estimates that it will take "4 to 5 years of hard work" to fix the quantum errors for the two quantum computers his team has developed, before they can. address important scientific questions of practical value.

Some potential applications of quantum technology

In an article published in 2020, Pan Jianwei, the father of China's quantum satellite program, outlined three applications for quantum technology that China is trying to develop:

1. Quantum sensor

This application can reveal a submarine hidden hundreds of meters under the ocean, or navigation devices can operate independently for months without GPS signal.

2. Quantum computers

Quantum computers can perform calculations that today's high-performance computers would take thousands of years to solve - such as cracking encryption - in seconds;

3. Quantum Internet

The quantum internet uses entangled particles to transmit messages, resulting in super-secure communication.

In addition to military and national security applications, quantum research can help achieve important scientific breakthroughs.

There is hope that quantum computing can help researchers develop new drugs by modeling larger, more complex molecules a lot faster, according to a 2021 McKinsey report.

Modern encryption is used to protect information that is nearly impossible to crack for conventional computers, but quantum computers are capable with their superior processing power.

The researchers are also working on climate applications and suggest that high-speed quantum computing simulations could help scientists make batteries or fertilizers more efficient, or find ways to optimize processes to reduce carbon emissions.

As interest in quantum computing applications grows, the world's leading R&D (R&D) tech giants - including IBM, Google, Huawei Technologies Co. and Alibaba, the parent company of the South China Morning Post (SCMP) - have provided free platforms for people to develop quantum algorithms.

The leading country in the quantum technology race

The UK, the European Union (EU) and the US have all announced plans in recent years to take a leading role in the global race in quantum science and technology.

On the other hand, China's national quantum program is kept secret until 2020, saying quantum technology is a top priority, along with six other key science and technology areas in the development plan. 5-year development of this country.

In December 2021, a Harvard report said that in the field of 'trumps' are quantum computing, quantum communication and quantum sensing - 3 areas led by US researchers according to traditional - then "China is catching up and, in some cases, overtaking the US".

Both the United States and China have invested a huge amount of money and instituted strict policies regarding the research of quantum technology.

Pan Jianwei is considered the father of China's quantum satellite program.

In September 2020, Pan Jianwei and his team announced they had achieved quantum supremacy with a new machine 1,000,000 times faster than the record held by Sycamore - a quantum computer built by Google. build.

According to a Valuenex report in 2021, China has more than 3,000 quantum technology-related patents, twice as many as the US, but lags behind in patents dedicated to quantum computing.

Why is the US worried about China's quantum industry?

According to a research report by the US Congress, quantum computing could pose a threat to current encryption methods around 2030-2040, SCMP information.

Modern encryption is used to protect information that is nearly impossible for conventional computers to crack, but quantum computers can do so with their superior processing power.

This could give "adversaries access to sensitive information about US military or intelligence activities", the US congressional report said.

The report also predicts that, with improvements in both quantum computing and machine learning - Machine learning (ML), a subfield of artificial intelligence (AI), countries could develop new weapons. more accurate and more dangerous.

Not far away, China has developed quantum devices with potential military applications: In 2021, scientists from Tsinghua University (Beijing, China) developed a quantum radar that can detect stealth aircraft by generating a small electromagnetic storm; In 2017, the Chinese Academy of Sciences also developed a quantum submarine detector that can detect submarines from a great distance.

That is why the US is concerned about quantum research and development from China. This high-tech race between the two countries will be very long.