A groundbreaking achievement in quantum computing has been made by a research team from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) with the development of the Zuchongzhi-3 superconducting quantum computing prototype. This prototype, equipped with 105 qubits and 182 couplers, operates at a speed that is an astonishing 10^15 times faster than the current fastest supercomputer and one million times faster than the latest results from Google.
The team’s accomplishment marks a significant advancement in the field of quantum computation, bringing us closer to achieving quantum supremacy. Quantum supremacy is a crucial milestone in quantum computing, signifying the point at which a quantum computer can solve complex problems that are practically impossible for even the most powerful classical supercomputers to tackle within a reasonable timeframe.
In a remarkable comparison, Google’s 53-qubit Sycamore processor took 200 seconds to complete a task that would have taken the world’s fastest supercomputer 10,000 years to accomplish. In 2023, the USTC team managed to complete a similar task in just 14 seconds using advanced classical algorithms and over 1,400 A100 GPUs, further challenging Google’s claim of quantum computational supremacy.
The team’s journey towards quantum supremacy began in 2020 with the introduction of the “Jiuzhang” photonic quantum computing prototype, followed by the Zuchongzhi-2 processor in 2021. The Jiuzhang-3 quantum processor, introduced in 2023, demonstrated supremacy by performing tasks 10^16 times faster than classical supercomputers, surpassing Google’s Sycamore processor in October 2024.
The latest advancement is the development of the Zuchongzhi-3 processor, featuring 105 qubits and 182 couplers with impressive specifications including a coherence time of 72 microseconds and high gate fidelities. This enhanced processor excelled in a random circuit sampling task, outperforming the world’s most powerful supercomputer by a significant margin.
Looking ahead, the USTC team is focusing on research areas such as quantum error correction, quantum entanglement, quantum simulation, and quantum chemistry. They plan to expand their capabilities by integrating surface code and increasing the distance of quantum error correction codes.
The team’s remarkable work has been recognized in the scientific community, with reviewers praising the Zuchongzhi-3 processor as a significant upgrade from its predecessor and a benchmark in superconducting quantum computing performance.
Journal Reference:
- Dongxin Gao et al., Establishing a New Benchmark in Quantum Computational Advantage with 105-qubit Zuchongzhi 3.0 Processor, Physical Review Letters (2025). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.134.090601
