Quantum supremacy claimed again

摘要

A new type of quantum computer has proved that it can reign supreme, too. A photonic quantum computer, which harnesses particles of light, or photons, performed a calculation that's impossible for a conventional computer, researchers in China report online December 3 in Science. That milestone, known as quantum supremacy, has been met only once before, in 2019 by Google's quantum computer (SN: 12/21/19 & 1/4/20, p. 29). Google's computer, however, is based on superconducting materials, not photons.