Taiwan aims to produce its first domestically developed quantum computer by 2027, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) said yesterday.
Quantum computing is the most anticipated next-stage development for raw computational power, said Luo Meng-fan (羅夢凡), head of the NSTC’s Department of Natural Sciences and Sustainable Development.
The council has been working with the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Academia Sinica and other research organizations to realize a five-year, NT$8 billion (US$258.86 million) quantum technology plan that began in 2022, it said.
Photo courtesy of Chen Chi-tung, Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica
A Google study published in July last year showed how a random circuit sampling task that would have taken a classical supercomputer 47 years to complete was finished in just 6.18 seconds on the latest version of its Sycamore processor, which had been boosted to 70 quantum bit (qubits), Luo said.
In quantum computing, a random circuit sample task tests quantum computer performance by running random circuits and evaluating its capabilities and efficiency in solving complex problems.
With such powerful computational capabilities, security experts have warned that one day — dubbed “Q Day” — quantum computers would be able to crack codes protecting digital data, Luo said.
Measures to counter such development include quantum cryptography, such as quantum key distribution, he said.
However, quantum computers are still affected by high error rates, he said, adding that the technology needs another six years of research and development to reach maturity, when it could make a global impact.
That is why it is crucial for Taiwan to develop quantum computers to retain a foothold in critical technologies, he said.
The NSTC’s collaboration with academia and other sectors would flesh out the component supply chain for building quantum computers and shorten the time necessary when transitioning the supply chain for commercial purposes, Luo said.
Taiwan is not alone in rushing to develop quantum computers, he said.
Taiwanese researchers are in talks with Finnish quantum computing hardware company IQM to establish testing platforms in Taiwan, he said.
Four cloud software computational platforms are utilizing the quantum cloud computation services offered by IBM, Amazon and other international companies, he added.
Academia Sinica is to provide some of its newly developed 5-qubit chips for trials at research facilities later this month, said Lee Chau-hwang (李超煌), executive secretary of the institute’s Central Academic Advisory Committee.
Taiwan has only started developing quantum chipsets, but is closely monitoring increasing chipset yield rates, Lee said.
“Yield rates are key for mass production,” he said.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
RSS