Chinese scientists claim to have achieved quantum supremacy

Chinese scientists have claimed to have achieved quantum supremacy, building a quantum computer capable of carrying out certain calculations 100 trillion times faster than existing supercomputers.

The breakthrough was achieved by manipulating photons, particles of light. The computer could process 10 billion times faster than Google’s quantum computer unveiled last year, the researchers claimed.

The Chinese researchers claim their new prototype is able to process 10 billion times faster than Google’s prototype, according to the Xinhua report.

According to Bloomberg, Xi Jinping’s government is building a $10 billion National Laboratory for Quantum Information Sciences as part of a big push in the field. In the U.S., the Trump administration provided $1 billion in funding to research into artificial intelligence and quantum information earlier this year and has sought to take credit for Google’s 2019 breakthrough.