Chinese scientists say they may be a step closer to a quantum code-breaking machine
- Researchers unveiled a design that uses recent breakthrough in memory technology, based on device made from crystal
- ‘Experimental results suggest the idea works,’ according to the team leader, but he says there is still a long way to go
Chinese scientists say they could be a step closer to developing a code-breaking machine, thanks to a recent breakthrough in quantum memory technology.
At present, the most powerful quantum computers run with less than 100 qubits, meaning they are limited to simple tasks with little practical value.
However, a team from the University of Science and Technology of China has unveiled a design for a new quantum computer that could break a code using considerably less qubits than it was previously thought were needed.
The team in Anhui province, led by associate professor Zhou Zongquan, published their research on Friday in Acta Physica Sinica, a peer-reviewed journal run by the Chinese Physical Society.
Zhou said in a phone interview on Monday that the team anticipated the computer would still need about 10,000 qubits for the task, but “from an engineering perspective this is much easier to achieve”.
