China's Zuchongzhi-3 achieves faster quantum computing speeds over rival from Google

Imagine a sprinter outpacing a snail by, well, a million times. That's the scale of the claim coming out of China, where their Zuchongzhi-3 quantum computer is reportedly achieving computational speeds a million times faster than Google's Sycamore. If true, this isn't just progress; it's a quantum jump.

But let’s rewind for a second.

Back in 2019, Google’s Sycamore made headlines when it hit "quantum supremacy." Sycamore's 53 qubits completed a task in 200 seconds that would’ve taken a classical supercomputer 10,000 years. It was a massive breakthrough—proof that quantum computers could outpace even the most powerful traditional machines. At the time, it felt like a glimpse into the future of computing.

But fast-forward to today, and China may have just rewritten the playbook with Zuchongzhi-3, developed by the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), it didn’t just beat Sycamore’s record—it may have obliterated it by a factor of a million. That’s like going from dial-up to fibre optic overnight.

Zuchongzhi-3 isn’t just fast—it’s built differently, we’re talking 105 qubits and 182 couplers, designed to handle complex quantum tasks with unmatched precision. Reports suggest that it can perform random quantum circuit sampling tasks a quadrillion times faster than the best classical supercomputers. To put that in perspective, Forbes reports that the research team completed an 83-qubit task a staggering 15 orders of magnitude faster than classical machines—and outperformed Google’s latest Sycamore results by six orders of magnitude.

And it’s not just about speed—it’s about stability. Quantum computers are notoriously delicate, with qubits prone to errors and instability. But Zuchongzhi-3 boasts a coherence time of 72 microseconds and gate fidelities exceeding 99%. Meaning? It’s not only fast—it’s incredibly stable and precise.

If Zuchongzhi-3’s performance holds up, the implications are massive. We’re talking about breakthroughs in cryptography—potentially breaking current encryption methods. Drug discovery could accelerate, leading to life-saving treatments developed in record time. Materials science could leap forward with the design of new compounds and structures previously thought impossible.

And the geopolitical stakes are enormous. Quantum computing is now a high-stakes race between global tech giants like Google, IBM, and China. If Zuchongzhi-3 truly delivers on its promise, China could gain a strategic advantage not just in technology but in critical fields like defense, communications, and finance.