China replaces imported quantum computer component with domestic product immediately after US sanctions

Chinese research company Origin Quantum announced it has created a crucial ‘high-density microwave interconnect module’ domestically

The news came days after the US expanded sanctions against China, adding 22 leaders in quantum research to its export control list

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Origin Quantum has announced a crucial module to quantum computing can now be produced domestically. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 2:06pm, 18 May 2024Updated: 2:31pm, 18 May 2024

Just days after the US imposed yet another round of sanctions aimed at curbing China’s quantum technology, China announced that a core component in the field no longer needs to be bought overseas, according to mainland media reports.

On Wednesday, less than a week after the updated sanctions list was released, Chinese quantum computing research company Origin Quantum said it had successfully created the crucial “high-density microwave interconnect module”.

The component has been likened to the “neural network” of a quantum computer.

Kong Weicheng, a researcher at Origin Quantum, told mainland media outlets that because quantum processors, or quantum chips, had to operate at ultra-low temperatures close to absolute zero (-269 degrees Celsius or -452 Fahrenheit), the module must first be able to insulate heat.

On top of that, it also needed to provide a high-speed, stable channel between the “brain” of the quantum computer and external devices for the accurate transmission of signals and quantum information.

Until now, a major obstacle to the module’s independent domestic production has been sourcing one key part – an ultra-low temperature specialised high-frequency coaxial cable.

Anhui News reported on Thursday that the cable previously had to be imported from Japan and was expensive.

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