A team of researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) has developed a groundbreaking superconducting quantum computing prototype known as Zuchongzhi-3. This prototype boasts an impressive 105 qubits and 182 couplers, operating at a speed that is an astounding 1015 times faster than the current fastest supercomputer. Notably, it surpasses Google’s latest results by a staggering one million times.
This achievement marks a significant advancement in the field of quantum computation, bringing us closer to realizing the potential of quantum supremacy. Quantum supremacy signifies a critical point in quantum computing where a quantum computer can solve complex problems that are practically impossible for 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 around 10,000 years to accomplish. However, in 2023, the USTC team managed to complete the same task in just 14 seconds using more advanced classical algorithms and over 1,400 A100 GPUs.
Building on their success, the team developed the Zuchongzhi-3 processor with 105 qubits and 182 couplers, boasting impressive coherence time and fidelity metrics. This new processor outperformed the world’s most powerful supercomputer by a remarkable 15 orders of magnitude in a random circuit sampling task, surpassing even Google’s latest results by 6 orders of magnitude.
Continuing their research, the team is focusing on quantum error correction, quantum entanglement, quantum simulation, quantum chemistry, and other key areas. By integrating surface code and exploring quantum error correction with a distance-7 surface code, they aim to enhance the manipulation of quantum bits and further advance the capabilities of their quantum computing platform.
This groundbreaking work has garnered widespread acclaim, with reviewers hailing it as a significant upgrade from previous quantum computing devices. The team’s achievements are detailed in their paper titled “Establishing a New Benchmark in Quantum Computational Advantage with 105-qubit Zuchongzhi 3.0 Processor,” published in Physical Review Letters (2025).
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
