Scientists install encryption shield to protect advanced Chinese quantum computer from attack

Origin Wukong protective tech shows ‘China’s home-grown superconducting quantum computer can play both offence and defence’: computing centre head
Countries around the world reported developing cryptography techniques to ‘resist quantum computer attacks’

Science

Holly Chik

Published: 5:00pm, 12 Apr 2024

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China’s most advanced superconducting quantum computer has put up a powerful shield against potential attack by other quantum computers, three months after opening access to the world, according to an official Chinese outlet.

The new encryption technology was installed in Origin Wukong – China’s first home-grown third-generation superconducting quantum computer – to ensure the security of its operational data, the official Science and Technology Daily said on Thursday.

Countries around the world had been developing similar “post-quantum cryptography” techniques to “effectively resist quantum computer attacks”, the newspaper reported.

The new methods are to replace the conventional public-key cryptography system, which could be vulnerable in the face of quantum computers with powerful computing capabilities.

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The report quoted Dou Menghan, deputy director of the Anhui Quantum Computing Engineering Research Centre, as saying the “anti-quantum attack shield” was developed and used for the first time by Origin Quantum, the developer of the computer named after the Monkey King of Chinese mythology.

“This shows that China’s home-grown superconducting quantum computer can play both offence and defence in the field of quantum computing,” he said.

“This is also an important exploration of the application of new data security technologies in China.”

Origin launched its first superconducting quantum computer in 2020. The next year, the company delivered the 24-qubit Wuyuan second-generation machine – the country’s first practical quantum computer – making China the third country capable of delivering a complete quantum computing system after Canada and the United States.

The third-generation Wukong is powered by a 72-qubit home-grown superconducting quantum chip, also known as the Wukong chip.

In January, the superfast computer opened remote access to the world, attracting global users from countries such as the US, Bulgaria, Singapore, Japan, Russia and Canada to perform quantum computing tasks.

In traditional computing, a bit is the basic unit of information that represents either zero or one. A quantum bit, or qubit, takes it a step further by being able to represent zero, one, or both simultaneously.

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Because quantum computers can simultaneously represent multiple possibilities, they hold theoretical potential for significantly faster and more powerful computation compared to the everyday computers we use now.

But the subatomic particles central to this technology are fragile, short-lived and prone to errors if exposed to minor disturbances from the surroundings. Most quantum computers operate in highly isolated and extremely cold environments to avoid disruption.

The normal operating temperature of the Wukong chip is close to “absolute zero”, or minus 273.15 degrees Celsius. It is stored in a special fridge before being installed in a vacuum environment for operation.