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Chinese scientists match Google’s quantum breakthrough using a simpler approach that could make future quantum computers easier to build
Chinese researchers just pulled off something pretty remarkable. They’ve matched one of Google’s biggest quantum computing achievements, but they did it in a completely different way that might actually be easier to scale up.
The team at the University of Science and Technology of China, led by physicist Pan Jianwei, got their Zuchongzhi 3.2 quantum computer to cross what’s called the error correction threshold. Only Google had done this before. So China is now the second country to hit this milestone that scientists have been working toward for almost 30 years.
Here’s what makes this really interesting. Google used complex hardware controls with tons of complicated wiring in super cold environments. The Chinese team went with microwaves instead. It’s a simpler solution to the same problem.
Now, if you’re wondering why this matters, let me explain the challenge. Quantum computers are incredibly powerful because their qubits can be both zero and one at the same time. But that also makes them super fragile. Any tiny disturbance can mess things up.
To fix this, scientists use error correction. They group multiple qubits together to create more stable logical qubits. But here’s the weird part. Adding more qubits usually creates more errors. It’s like a catch-22 situation.
The error correction threshold is the point where adding more qubits actually starts reducing errors instead of making them worse. That’s the breakthrough both Google and China have now achieved.
Earlier this year, Google’s Willow processor achieved a distance-seven surface code logical qubit. Each time they scaled up from smaller grids to bigger ones, the error rate dropped in half. Pretty impressive stuff.
The Chinese team matched that same distance-seven achievement. But they did it using their microwave method. And this is where it gets better. Their approach doesn’t require the extensive hardware typically needed for error suppression. Since microwave signals can be multiplexed through the same wire, it cuts down on the hardware complexity.
Pan’s team achieved an error suppression factor of 1.4. What does that mean? It means that as they made their error correction system bigger, the errors actually went down. That proves the whole thing works when you scale it up.
Their findings were published in Physical Review Letters as a cover paper. That’s a big deal in the science world.
Why should you care about all this? Because it shows there are multiple ways to build practical quantum computers. The microwave approach could make it cheaper and simpler to create the massive million-qubit systems we’ll need in the future.
Both teams are bringing us closer to quantum computers that can handle real problems. We’re talking about discovering new drugs, designing better materials, and solving complex puzzles that even the fastest supercomputers today can’t crack.
The race is heating up. But now we know there’s more than one path to get there. And having options is always a good thing.
