Academia Sinica yesterday unveiled a quantum computer based on 5-quantum-bit (qubit) chips, connecting the device to the Internet to enable its use in scientific research by the institution’s members and partners.
The computer’s launch marked another milestone in the nation’s research into and development of quantum computing following the chip’s creation in October last year, said Chen Chii-dong (陳啟東), a research fellow at Academia Sinica’s Research Center of Applied Sciences.
Researchers participating in the Ministry of Science and Technology’s project accomplished the objectives ahead of the ministry’s schedule, which had stipulated the development of 3-qubit chips by February last year, he said.
Photo courtesy of Academia Sinica
The Taiwanese quantum computer’s logic gate reached a 99.9 percent fidelity rate, he added.
Although great strides have been and are being made in quantum computing technology, there is still a long way to go for its practical application in the commercial sector or for personal use, Academia Sinica said.
The 5-qubit computer is now available for use as a test and development platform for quantum computing, ultra-low temperature complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) and operational amplifier research programs, it said.
The Taiwanese research team has consistently outperformed expectations despite being given less time and resources than the quantum computer research programs of foreign nations, Academia Sinica President James Liao (廖俊智) said.
The program’s successful achievements are a basic part of the technology, and researchers need time to resolve foundational problems before breaking through the next bottleneck, he said.
Academia Sinica’s work in quantum computing is intended to blaze a trail for the nation’s private sector and generate the momentum necessary to sustain the investment in talent and education, Liao said.
Taiwan’s quantum computing project is a collaboration between Academia Sinica, the Industrial Technology Research Institute, National Changhua Normal University, National Central University, National Chung Hsin University, the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, it said.
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