Tech war: China boosts quantum computer production with self-developed chips amid US sanctions

A US-sanctioned Chinese company is upgrading its production line of superconducting quantum computers – the first in the country – after finding initial success with a self-developed chip, a move that state media said can elevate the nation’s ability to independently manufacture those cutting-edge machines.

Origin Quantum – a research firm based in Hefei, capital of eastern Anhui province – has kept its 72-qubit quantum computing chip running in “stable operation” on its Origin Wukong superconducting quantum computer for nine months, according to a People’s Daily report on Tuesday, citing an executive at the company.

The firm’s chip laboratory is now enlarging its chip production line, with the aim of delivering a newer generation of quantum chips with better performance, higher qubits and greater stability, the report said.

The company is also expanding its superconducting quantum computer assembly line, so that it can eventually put together at least eight units simultaneously, up from a maximum of five at present, according to the report.

Origin Quantum is boosting its operations amid China’s nationwide drive towards technological self-sufficiency. That push has become more urgent as the US has ramped up efforts to thwart China’s progress by curbing its access to advanced American technologies with trade controls.