Opinion | Has China achieved its leap to ‘quantum supremacy’?

China has made massive strides in quantum technology, breaking new ground and closing the gap with the US, or even overtaking America in some cases

Yet it still faces several systemic challenges, including a lack of real-world applications, high error rates, a scientific talent gap and Western sanctions

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Published: 1:30am, 23 Dec 2021Updated: 4:18am, 23 Dec 2021

The quantum race is heating up. Last month, the US and Australia signed an official agreement on quantum technology and information science, emphasising the exchange of skills and development in the field for the protection of intellectual property as well as building safe and secure research environments.

It also highlighted a focus on quantum technology for the two nations to collaborate in developing and setting technical standards that foster interoperability, innovation and transparency.

President Xi Jinping has established a national strategy for China to become technologically self-reliant and surpass the US as the global leader in emerging and critical technologies. At the heart of this is quantum innovation and research. Apart from allocating funds for a long-term quantum mega project, Xi also announced the establishment of a National Laboratory for Quantum Information Sciences.

One achievement by Chinese scientists, announced this month, buttresses the country’s growth in the field – the creation of a quantum communication network in space, using their quantum satellite to secure the national power grid against blackouts and other long-distance attacks.

This is a massive leap forward in building secure communication networks using quantum science and technology. It also underlines the strides made by China in the field and the advantage it has gained over its competitors in recent years.

But is China’s quantum ecosystem as good as the government claims, or is it scientific jargon meant to instil fear in its rivals? Does China still have challenges to overcome before achieving what it calls “quantum supremacy”, or is it already there?