China races to turn quantum computing into industrial solutions

HEFEI, June 23 (Xinhua) -- In a significant stride toward practical quantum computing, a Chinese startup has successfully deployed its superconducting quantum processor to improve the accuracy of breast cancer screenings, showcasing the technology's potential to revolutionize medical diagnostics.

The breakthrough came from Origin Quantum, a Hefei-based startup, which harnessed the parallel processing power of its "Origin Wukong" quantum computer to analyze medical images with unprecedented speed.

This pioneering work is indicative of China's growing capability in translating quantum computing advancement into practical solutions. In an ambitious drive, the nation seeks to foster an industrial ecosystem of the future amid the global quantum computing race.

The Chinese government work report early this year called for the establishment of a growth mechanism for investment in future industries, including quantum technology, bio-manufacturing, embodied intelligence and 6G.

The national policy guideline spurred a swift market response with entities transforming frontier, lab-based research into operational technologies with tangible impact.

By tapping into the unique strengths of quantum technology, Origin Quantum's innovative approach in processing medical imaging data, developed in collaboration with Bengbu Medical University, resulted in a dramatic reduction of misdiagnosis and missed cases.

"The system enhances mammogram screening accuracy on current noisy intermediate-scale quantum computers, enabling high-precision and rapid classification of both healthy images and lesion malignancy," said Xie Zongyu, a physician from the university's First Affiliated Hospital.

"Our ultimate goal is to establish a quantum intelligent diagnostic system," Xie added.

REAL-WORLD USES

In March, a team of Chinese scientists unveiled Zuchongzhi 3.0, a 105-qubit superconducting quantum processor prototype with speed gains in the quadrillions over leading supercomputers for one specific task, showcasing capabilities that surpass those of classical supercomputers.

However, lab advances like this remain niche demonstrations with minimal real-world impact. Over the coming five years, global quantum scientists are aiming to pinpoint a handful of practical quantum applications -- like quantum chemistry and drug discovery, now largely bolstered by supercomputers and AI algorithms.

A growing number of Chinese tech companies, including Origin Quantum, are gearing up to make their mark in this field.

"Computational chemistry can partly predict interactions between drug molecules and target proteins. But classical computers have difficulty in accurately predicting complex large molecules," said Guo Guoping, chief scientist of Origin Quantum that launched the molecular docking software QDock.

"In theory, quantum computers can screen potential compounds and simulate complex reactions to break the computational bottleneck in drug discovery," Guo added.

AceMapAI, a Suzhou-based biotech company, is working with partners including Tencent Quantum Lab to explore the potential of quantum computing in drug molecular dynamics simulation, and drug screening and optimization.

Zhao Xuejiao, deputy director of Anhui Quantum Computing Engineering Research Center, said that the complex computational problems in China's biopharmaceutical industry will provide a broad application scope for quantum computing.

A Shanghai-based startup is also experimenting with applying quantum algorithms to the massive computations in smart cities.

TuringQ introduced this month a quantum-inspired solution for Autonomous Valet Parking (AVP) that significantly reduces parking wait time and enhances efficiency.

AVP is capable of autonomously navigating routes and parking accurately.

The firm's solution has already been deployed in a large commercial parking lot.

The algorithm cuts the average customer search time from 19.8 minutes under traditional manual scheduling to about 5.5 minutes when the parking space vacancy rate is only 5 percent.

The application of quantum algorithms in the financial sector has become a significant area. Beijing Quantum firm QBoson, the Postal Savings Bank of China and China Mobile jointly designed a quantum algorithm-based bank teller scheduling solution.

QBoson's quantum computer conducted a full search of the extremely large solution space and found the global optimum within milliseconds.

"Quantum computing companies design algorithms based on feedback from those with computational bottlenecks before testing them on quantum machines," said Dou Mengan, vice president of Origin Quantum. "This model creates a sustainable industrial ecosystem."

ENTREPRENEURIAL ZEAL

On a road in Hefei, Anhui Province, which is dubbed "Quantum Avenue," dozens of quantum tech firms, including Origin Quantum, cluster along this compact stretch. In Shanghai and Beijing, the number of companies investing in this track is also on the rise.

CCID Consulting's research shows that China's quantum computing firms increased from 93 in 2023 to 153 in 2024, a rise of nearly 40 percent.

The country's quantum computing industry scale will keep rising swiftly to 11.56 billion yuan (1.61 billion U.S. dollars) by 2025, maintaining an annual growth rate of over 30 percent, according to CCID Consulting.

In 2023 and 2024, the total R&D expenditure in quantum computing exceeded 100 percent of the total revenue, indicating that companies in the sector have entered a period of active development.

China's quantum engineers are exploring multiple technological routes: Origin Quantum focuses on superconducting, TuringQ and QBoson on photonic quantum computing, and Hyqubit from Beijing on ion traps.

Now, in early development of quantum computing, the front-runners and best technical approaches have not yet been consolidated, meaning "any country that is able to deploy quantum tech first will have a first-mover advantage," according to a report published by the Mercator Institute for China Studies last December.

China has built a full industrial chain ecosystem in quantum computing, covering quantum chip design and production, quantum computer manufacturing, quantum algorithm development and industry solutions, said Zhao.

Cutting-edge attempts also include integrating quantum computing with generative AI. In April, Origin Quantum successfully fine-tuned a billion-parameter AI model on its quantum computer Origin Wukong, marking the first real-world application of quantum computing in large-model tasks.

"In the past five years, the surge of generative AI has brought about many disruptive changes in computing models," said Sun Xiaoming, a researcher at the Institute of Computing Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

"In the next five years, quantum computing is likely to move from labs to applications, and the integration of AI and quantum computing is expected to become a trend," added Sun. ■