Does China’s Jiuzhang 4.0 computer herald the age of quantum supremacy?

China has unveiled its latest photonic quantum computer, Jiuzhang 4.0, with researchers saying it can outperform the world’s fastest classical supercomputer by a vast margin, further strengthening Beijing’s push towards quantum supremacy.The results, published on May 13 in the peer-reviewed journal Nature, mark the latest milestone in China’s rapidly advancing quantum programme led by a team of scientists at the China" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="23976" data-entity-type="location">University of Science and Technology of China headed by renowned Chinese quantum physicist Pan Jianwei.Quantum physicist Pan Jianwei leads the China" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="23976" data-entity-type="location">University of Science and Technology of China team behind Jiuzhang 4.0, the country’s latest photonic quantum computer. Photo: SohoJiuzhang 4.0 completed a Gaussian boson sampling task in just 25 microseconds – a calculation they estimated would take the world’s most powerful supercomputer, El Capitan in the United States, a mind-boggling more than 10^42 years to finish, according to the university in the eastern city of Hefei.