China's quantum technology accelerates the realization of world-earth integration (new observations on new business forms and new models⑦)
There is a "Quantum Avenue" in the High-tech Zone of Hefei City, Anhui Province.
There are more than 20 quantum related enterprises densely arranged along the 2km Yunfei Road.
Origin Quantum is one of them.
Zhang Hui is the vice president of Hefei Benyuan Quantum Computing Technology Co., Ltd.
In the past, in order to raise funds, he traveled all over the country.
In the past month, various types of capital have come to the door.
"Suddenly there were 30 investment institutions, and we finally chose 11." Zhang Hui told our reporter.
Government departments at all levels have found the original quantum.
"Many departments come to investigate and research, discuss and study industrial policies, and help companies solve practical difficulties." Zhang Hui said, which made him very excited.
Zhang Hui said that on October 16, the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee held the 24th collective study on quantum technology research and application prospects, which promoted the strategic planning and forward-looking layout of China's quantum technology development, and created a better quantum technology. Development Environment.
The application of quantum technology has ushered in a period of important development opportunities.
"God knows and knows you know and I know"
The development of quantum technology has great scientific significance and strategic value, and international competition in the field of quantum technology is becoming increasingly fierce.
In recent years, developed countries in Europe and the United States have successively launched strategic plans in the field of quantum technology.
At present, China has already possessed the technological strength and innovation ability in the field of quantum technology.
The specific applications of quantum technology include three areas: quantum communication, quantum computing, and quantum precision measurement.
Quantum communication is based on the principle of quantum entanglement, that is, two quanta in an entangled state are like "telepathy", no matter how far apart, one quantum state changes, the other will also change accordingly.
The important reason why quantum communication is valued is that it can realize "knowledge of heaven and earth, you know me and know".
Currently, quantum communication applications include quantum key distribution and quantum teleportation.
Quantum key distribution is an absolutely secure means of communication in principle. In the process of quantum key transmission, an eavesdropper cannot achieve both eavesdropping and leaving no trace.
In the field of quantum communications, China is already in a leading position in the world.
On October 20, at a press conference of the Information Office of the State Council, the relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Science and Technology stated that during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, a number of major high-tech achievements have emerged in China.
In terms of quantum information technology, the experiments of the "Mozi" and the "Beijing-Shanghai Main Line" have constructed the first prototype of a quantum communication network integrating world and earth.
In August 2016, China successfully launched the world's first quantum science experimental satellite "Mozi", taking the lead in realizing high-speed satellite-to-earth quantum communication internationally, laying the foundation for the construction of an integrated world-earth quantum communication and scientific experiment system.
In June 2020, the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced that the "Mozi" quantum science experimental satellite achieved the first thousand kilometers-level quantum key distribution based on entanglement in the world.
In this experiment, when the "Mozi" passed through the border, the scientists also established optical links with the two ground stations of Nanshan Station in Urumqi, Xinjiang and Delingha Station in Qinghai, and established a quantum link between the two stations over 1,120 kilometers on the ground. Entanglement and generate keys.
In China's integrated quantum communication network, another important role is the "Beijing-Shanghai trunk line."
In September 2017, the world's first quantum secure communication trunk line-"Beijing-Shanghai trunk line" was officially opened.
The "Beijing-Shanghai trunk line" is more than 2,000 kilometers long, passing through major cities such as Hefei and Jinan, and has 32 quantum communication nodes.
After the successful docking of "Beijing-Shanghai Main Line" and "Mozi", China has become the world leader in quantum communication applications.
Another important application of quantum technology is quantum computing.
Pan Jianwei, executive vice president of the University of Science and Technology of China and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, believes that "in the field of quantum computing, China as a whole is at the same level as developed countries."
Compared with traditional computers, quantum computers have unique advantages.
A bit in a traditional computer can only be one of 0 or 1 at a certain time, but in a quantum computer, due to the existence of a quantum superposition state, a qubit can record the two states of 0 and 1 at the same time.
Therefore, quantum computers have the potential to far exceed traditional computers in computing power.
Quantum computer research and development is a hot area of current international technological competition.
At the end of 2019, Chinese scientists cooperated with German and Dutch scientists to realize the Bose sampling quantum calculation of 20-photon input 60×60 mode interference circuit for the first time in the world, breaking world records in all four key indicators.
In the field of quantum precision measurement, Pan Jianwei believes that "China as a whole still has a certain gap compared with developed countries, but it is developing rapidly."
In October of this year, the University of Science and Technology of China announced that the university’s scientific research team, in cooperation with American and German scientists, observed intensity compression on a single-photon source device with high purity, high indistinguishability, and high efficiency.
This is the first time that scientists have directly observed intensity compression in the system through 20 years of efforts since the realization of the single-photon quantum dot source in 2000, laying the foundation for quantum precision measurement based on single-photon sources, and is an important progress in the field of quantum precision measurement. .
In the future, where is the breakthrough point for China's quantum technology development?
Xue Qikun, vice president of Tsinghua University and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, believes that when deploying quantum technology development, we should consider the collaboration of industry, university and research, and the close integration of basic research to applications, which can improve efficiency and speed up research and development.
Top-level design policy support
With the improvement of the top-level design and policy support system, quantum technology has gained more room for development.
On November 3, the "Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the Fourteenth Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and Long-Term Goals for 2035" was announced.
"Quantum Information" was written into the planning "Recommendations": "Aim at cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum information, integrated circuits, life and health, brain science, biological breeding, aerospace science and technology, and deep seas, and implement a number of forward-looking, Strategic national major scientific and technological projects." The plan "Recommendations" puts forward: "Develop an action plan for a scientific and technological power, improve a new nationwide system under the conditions of a socialist market economy, fight a battle for key core technologies, and improve the overall efficiency of the innovation chain"; "Develop and implement Strategic scientific plans and scientific projects promote the optimal allocation and resource sharing of scientific research forces in scientific research institutes, universities, and enterprises."
The development of quantum technology has received increasing attention.
In January of this year, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission and other five departments jointly issued the "Strengthening "From 0 to 1" Basic Research Work Plan". The "Plan" proposed that "the national science and technology plan highlights the support of important original directions." Supported.
Recently, the Ministry of Science and Technology stated that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, it will vigorously develop a new generation of high and new technology featuring quantum technology.
On November 3, the 2020 World Computer Conference opened in Changsha, Hunan Province.
Wang Zhijun, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said that it will cultivate new development momentum, deploy quantum computing and other cutting-edge fields, play a market-driven role, drive upstream from downstream, and improve the advanced computing innovation system.
In recent years, local governments have also shown a keen interest in quantum technology.
Many places have increased their capital investment in the field of quantum technology.
In 2019, the "Several Policy Measures for Accelerating the Construction of a Large Quantum Information Science Center" issued by Jinan City, Shandong Province proposed to provide financial support to quantum enterprises in the construction of scientific research conditions such as the purchase of equipment, project research and development, and the introduction of talent teams. The highest support is 1 100 million yuan.
In order to enhance its advantages in the field of quantum information, three years ago, Beijing established the Beijing Institute of Quantum Information Science in conjunction with a number of academic units.
Chang Kai returned to China from overseas, joined the institute and became a researcher.
Chang Kai said, “The research funding of the Institute is very strong, and researchers can build world-class laboratories according to their own ideas.”
Since the beginning of this year, the construction of new infrastructure has become a key investment area in various regions.
There are many "quantum" figures in the "new infrastructure" in various places.
The Action Plan for the Construction of Major Projects of New-type Infrastructure in Chongqing (2020-2022), issued in June, proposes: “lay out the quantum communication network in advance, explore the application of quantum communication information security encryption services, and build confidentiality from Chongqing to Beijing, Shanghai and other places. The communication backbone network will gradually expand new application scenarios such as quantum security authentication and quantum encryption terminals."
The "Three-Year Action Plan for the Construction of New Infrastructure in Zhejiang Province (2020-2022)" issued in July proposed: "Promote the construction of commercial networks such as quantum communication inter-city trunk lines and central city metropolitan area networks, and create a benchmark for the commercialization of quantum communication."
The "Guangdong Province Action Plan for Cultivating Blockchain and Quantum Information Strategic Emerging Industrial Clusters (2021-2025)" issued in September listed the construction of a shared and shared research platform in the field of quantum information as a "new infrastructure" strong foundation project.
The "Plan" puts forward: "All-round and diversified promotion of quantum information industry application demonstration, exploring the promotion and application of quantum information in government affairs, finance, electric power, national defense and other important industries and fields of national economy and people's livelihood."
Looking forward to more innovative entrepreneurs
At present, the transformation of quantum technology theoretical research results to practical and engineering is accelerating, and more and more companies are participating in the development of quantum technology.
Among the three major application areas of quantum technology, quantum communication has the highest degree of commercialization, and a number of upstream and downstream enterprises in the field of quantum communication have been born.
Currently, smart transportation construction is being carried out in many parts of the country.
How to ensure the safety of traffic big data has become the focus of traffic control departments.
Recently, quantum "armor" was used in Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province.
In the Xiaoqing Avenue Overload Management Project, Xiaoshan District has introduced quantum cryptography technology to protect core business data with quantum security encryption, which effectively guarantees end-to-end data encryption transmission.
This is a typical case of the industrial application of quantum technology.
Compared with traditional data encryption, quantum keys are high-quality keys generated based on the principle of randomness in quantum physics, and the keys are more secure.
Zhejiang Jiuzhou Quantum Information Technology Co., Ltd. provided this quantum "armor" for Xiaoshan District.
Huang Xiang, vice president of Kyushu Quantum, told our reporter: "At this stage, quantum security technologies such as quantum communications are the longest researched and closest practical technologies in quantum technology. They have successfully achieved commercialization and are moving toward the integration of various business applications. The direction of development. Quantum communication technology has been applied to key information infrastructure, smart cities and other fields."
On October 14, Hainan Province signed a contract for the project of "'Star-Ground One' Round-the-island Quantum Secure Communication Network".
The quantum secure communication network will provide high-level security services in the fields of government affairs, finance, transportation, and energy in Hainan Free Trade Port.
The project will also build a practical quantum satellite ground station in Wenchang to realize the docking with the "Mozi", so as to connect the round-island quantum secure communication network to the national backbone network, and realize Hainan and important cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. The safe circulation of cross-domain data.
Di Yunzhu, vice president of National Science Quantum Communication Network Co., Ltd., who participated in this contract, said, “Quantum security application products and solutions for enterprises and the public will continue to be launched, such as quantum crypto cloud, quantum data center, quantum data storage, and quantum identity authentication. , Quantum phone, quantum video conference, etc."
In the financial field, the application of quantum communication is also common.
At present, many banks and financial institutions such as securities, futures, and funds have begun to introduce quantum communication technology in data center backup and online banking real-time transfers.
Compared with quantum communication, the practicality of quantum computing needs to be improved.
However, quantum computing has good prospects in fields such as cryptanalysis, weather forecasting, oil exploration, and drug design, and is considered to be the key driving force for the next generation of information revolution.
On September 12, the superconducting quantum computing cloud platform developed by Quanyuan Quantum was officially opened to global users.
This platform provides two online programming methods, graphical programming and code programming, and has developed and introduced typical quantum programming applications such as complex network sequencing and handwritten number recognition.
"The social recognition of quantum computing is getting higher and higher, and the pace of application is also accelerating." Zhang Hui said, but quantum computing still has a long way to go.
He predicts that it will take at least 10 years before quantum computing can be applied on a large scale.
Although it will take time for large-scale applications, many companies are still stepping up the deployment of quantum computing in order to seize the opportunity.
As early as 2015, Alibaba Cloud and the Chinese Academy of Sciences started exploring quantum computing.
After that, Alibaba established a quantum laboratory.
In September 2019, Alibaba Quantum Lab completed the first controllable qubit research and development work, achieving a breakthrough from 0 to 1.
In 2018, Baidu established the Institute of Quantum Computing to carry out research on quantum computing software and information technology applications.
In September of this year, Baidu released the quantum computing platform "Lianyifu", users can develop and test on the platform.
Compared with quantum communication and quantum computing, quantum precision measurement is more mysterious.
Its applications cover scientific research, medical treatment, geology, energy, disaster prevention, etc.
For example, applying quantum measurement to the power grid can accurately monitor current and voltage.
Used for prospecting, it can measure the surrounding geological composition while drilling.
Used in medical treatment, it can accurately analyze the content of blood trace substances.
Guoyi Quantum (Hefei) Technology Co., Ltd. is a quantum measurement enterprise established earlier in China.
"The precision of quantum measurement can reach the atomic level." Zhang Wei, deputy general manager of Guoyi Company, introduced that traditional measurement technology can only detect the micron level at the smallest, while quantum technology can be thousands of times, ten thousand times as fine as nanometers and sub-nanometers. , Bringing revolutionary technological progress.
"Quantum technology is to truly bring well-being to mankind, in addition to scientists expanding their boundaries in the field of basic research, it also needs more innovative entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs, and investors to join." Xue Qikun said.
Pan Xutao