China Delivers First Superconducting Quantum Chip to the Middle East

(CTN News) – An unidentified Middle Eastern scientific research institute has reportedly received the first shipment of a superconducting quantum chip built domestically by China, marking a significant advancement in the country’s quantum computing capabilities (state media report).

The sale by the innovative Shenzhen-based firm SpinQ follows the recent sale of Chinese quantum processors to the US and its allies.

Highlighting China’s role in promoting worldwide collaboration within the quantum computing industry, it demonstrates the country’s expanding importance in the field.

Since its inception in 2018, SpinQ has set up its own research and development center for superconducting quantum computers and manufacturing line for these quantum chips. A major accomplishment for the industry, the supplied chip, which is called QPU, is a product of the successful foray into standardized mass production of the technology.

International Collaboration: China SpinQ’s Quantum Chip Sales Extend to the Middle East

This collaboration is truly an honor for us. Our competence and creativity in quantum computing are on display in the delivery of the superconducting quantum chip.

Founder and CEO Xiang Jingen made the announcement in a Tuesday report by the state-owned Science and Technology Daily, emphasizing the company’s dedication to global collaboration in the field.

The recent addition of numerous Chinese quantum technology institutions and businesses on the US Department of Commerce’s Entity List in November 2021 reflects the intensified competitiveness in this technical area.

The Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale (HFNL), which created Micius, the first quantum science satellite in the world, and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., which is a Shanghai subsidiary of HFNL and specializes in quantum secure communication products, were among the entities included in this list.

When compared to other Chinese quantum computing companies, SpinQ has one of the quickest foreign market penetration rates. Technical discussions between the buyer and the company also took place during this transaction.

According to SpinQ VP Zou Hongyan, “this was a mutually beneficial learning process, providing us with invaluable global insights and cutting-edge information” (quoted on site).

According to an article in Science and Technology Daily, SpinQ has already expanded its quantum computing solutions across five continents, serving clients in various countries and regions, including the US, Canada, Australia, Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Slovenia, Russia, Brazil, and Japan.

As far as the quantum information sector is concerned, the United States is at the head of the pack, with China close behind. Xiang said the 21st Century Business Herald in September that, notwithstanding this, the difference in technology growth is not very big.

There are a number of physical implementations of quantum computing, each with its own set of benefits and drawbacks. These include photonic quantum systems, ion traps, semiconductors, and superconductors.

The most advanced and practically applicable technology right now is superconducting quantum computing, which relies on superconducting circuits.

SpinQ’s Strategy for Deepening Internationalization in the Quantum Computing Industry

A quantum computer’s central processing unit (CPU) is analogous to a quantum chip. With the help of pulse sequences transmitted by quantum measurement and control systems, they are able to execute quantum gate operations between their many quantum bits (qubits), allowing for targeted quantum computations.

A typical superconducting quantum chip is challenging to produce due to its intricate design, the necessity of guaranteeing the qubits’ constant and stable operation, and difficulties in the materials and technologies employed for its fabrication and management.

SpinQ claimed to have mastered key technologies through independent research and development, from chip design to full machine and algorithm applications. Its patented chip production system can produce consistent and reliable superconducting quantum chips.

Big superconducting quantum computers for real-world applications, little quantum computers for classroom use, and a universal quantum cloud platform are the three main products of the business.

“In the future, SpinQ plans to further its internationalization efforts by fostering greater international technical cooperation and exchanges, with the goal of driving shared prosperity along the global quantum computing industry chain,” Xiang stated in the study.