China's Quantum Computing Power Makes First Overseas Sale
The Quantum Computing Engineering Research Center of Anhui Province has announced that China's domestic quantum computing power has achieved its first international sale to a “well-known enterprise in a country that is a permanent member of the United Nations”, according to a report by Hong Kong’s Wenweipo. A physics professor speculates that Russia might be the country referred to in the report.
Origin Quantum, China’s pioneering quantum computing company, revealed that the quantum computing service sold overseas involves usage time on its third-generation superconducting quantum computer, branded as “Origin Wukong.” This independently-developed machine is equipped with a 72-qubit superconducting chip and represents China’s third-generation achievement in autonomous quantum technology.
Since its launch on January 6, “Origin Wukong” has completed over 270,000 quantum computing tasks submitted by users from 133 countries as of the end of October. Among international users on the cloud, the United States, Russia, and Japan rank as the top three countries accessing the service remotely. In addition to global usage, Origin Quantum has explored practical applications for its technology, such as meteorological forecasting.
Zhao Xuejiao, deputy director of the Anhui Quantum Computing Engineering Research Center and lead of the “Origin Wukong” cloud service R&D team, highlighted that Origin Quantum and U.S.-based IBM are both offering superconducting quantum computing services to the global market at competitive prices. The recent overseas sale signifies an initial acknowledgment of China's quantum computing capabilities by the international community.
The “Origin Wukong” platform has facilitated quantum computing for numerous scientific research projects and has been adopted by Chinese institutions, including Peking University. Currently, more than 60 universities across China have integrated quantum computing education programs centered on “Origin Wukong.”
Despite this achievement, China continues to face significant international restrictions in quantum technology. On October 28, the U.S. government announced new regulations that will restrict U.S. companies and citizens from investing in China’s quantum technology sector, effective January 2025. Additionally, 22 Chinese quantum research and development entities were added to the U.S. “Entity List” as of May this year.
Origin Quantum, the only Chinese quantum computing company currently on the U.S. Entity List, holds a unique position as the largest supplier of complete superconducting quantum computers in China and boasts the country’s only independent superconducting quantum computer manufacturing chain.
Chinese media reports, such as those from China News Service, indicate that more than 80% of the components used in the Wukong quantum computer are sourced domestically. The remainder of the components have been self-developed, underscoring the company’s confidence in achieving full autonomy in quantum computer production.
