A research team led by National Tsing Hua University Department of Physics and Center for Quantum Science and Technology professor Chuu Chih-sung (褚志崧) has developed Taiwan’s first and the world’s smallest quantum computer, using a single photon, the university said yesterday.
Chuu said in the study, which was published in the journal Physical Review Applied last month, that they had resolved the main obstacles for quantum computing development — high energy costs and a low-temperature operating environment.
Chuu said that photons are the smallest possible particle of electromagnetic energy, and his team had devised a way to encode information in 32time bins, or dimensions, of a single photon.
Photo: Hung Mei-hsiu, Taipei Times
Photons can be kept at a stable quantum state even at room temperature, he said.
Quantum computing is normally prone to information loss and calculation errors from vibrations or magnetic fields, he said.
However, photons have a more extended range of transmission, and they are less prone to interference, which contributes to a unique advantage when developing a commercialized quantum computer, he added.
Traditional computers enact computation on circuit boards, while quantum computing relays information through photonics and enacts computation using quantum physics.
The smallest unit of digital information in a traditional computer is the binary digit, or bit, which can only represent 0 or 1, Chuu said.
However, the quantum bit, or qubit, can be processed as both 0 and 1, a characteristic referred to as quantum superposition, he added.
Superposition enables quantum computing to process complex computations, such as prime factorizations or big data searches, up to 100 million times faster than traditional computers.
University president John Kao (高為元) said the paper’s publication in Physical Review Applied was an excellent milestone for quantum computing, as the device could operate at room temperature and was compact.
Kao said he remembered touring the US’ most advanced quantum computer lab last year.
He was struck by the enormity of the cooling system, which took up a whole room and kept temperatures at extremely low levels, Kao said.
Separately, the National Science and Technology Council has invited Alain Aspect, the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics laureate, to attend this year’s Quantum Taiwan event, highlighting the nation’s focus on developing quantum technology.
The event would discuss quantum technology, superconducting quantum computers, quantum communications, quantum metrology, sensing and imaging.
National Science and Technology Council Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said quantum technology promises unforeseen computational abilities and could make communication safer.
The seminar is aimed at fostering international collaboration in creating a global platform to further develop quantum technology and ensure that Taiwan is an indispensable member of the global quantum technology development effort, Wu added.
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
The Philippines is working behind the scenes to enhance its defensive cooperation with Taiwan, the Washington Post said in a report published on Monday. “It would be hiding from the obvious to say that Taiwan’s security will not affect us,” Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilbert Teodoro Jr told the paper in an interview on Thursday last week. Although there has been no formal change to the Philippines’ diplomatic stance on recognizing Taiwan, Manila is increasingly concerned about Chinese encroachment in the South China Sea, the report said. The number of Chinese vessels in the seas around the Philippines, as well as Chinese
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative