10月20日早间英文播报：Xi highlights crucial role of quantum tech

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Compositephoto taken on Dec 9, 2016 shows a satellite-to-earth link established between quantumsatellite "Micius" and the quantum teleportation experiment platformin Ali, Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region. [Photo/Xinhua]

Scientists encouraged to make moreoriginal innovations, breakthroughs

PresidentXi Jinping has stressed that China will advance the development of quantumscience and technology with more strategic planning, supportive policies andinvestment, with the aim of fostering a favorable environment for basicresearch, innovation, talent training and commercialization in this field.

During agroup study session of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of ChinaCentral Committee held on Friday, Xi, who is also general secretary of the CPCCentral Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said quantumscience and technology is at the forefront of a new round of sci-tech andindustrial revolutions.

As aresult, developing quantum science and technology is of great scientific andstrategic significance, he said.

China'sscientific and technological workers have made great efforts to catch up inquantum science and technology and have made a number of significantinnovations with international influence. On the whole, China possessesstrength in terms of science and technology and innovative abilities in thisfield, Xi said.

However,China's quantum science and technology development still has many weak linksand faces multiple challenges, he said, calling for efforts to follow the pathof independent innovation, make breakthroughs in key core technologies, ensurethe safety of industrial and supply chains and enhance the ability to respondto international risks and challenges.

It isimperative to systematically sum up the successful experience of China'squantum science and technology development, learn from the useful practices ofother countries, thoroughly analyze and judge the development trends, and findthe breakthrough point for the development of quantum science and technology inChina, Xi said.

Headvocated more strategic planning, policy support and investment in quantumscience and technology. Training more quality talent, granting scientists moreresources and autonomy and enhancing international cooperation are alsoimportant for the development of this field, he added.

Quantumscience and technology is the study and application of the physical propertiesof matter at the scale of atoms and particles. The foundational theory ofquantum physics is quantum mechanics, and the current three major applicationsof quantum physics are quantum communication, quantum computing and quantumprecision measurement.

Fordecades, scientists have believed that harnessing the bizarre phenomena ofquantum mechanics could lead to ultra-secure communication for political,economic and military use.

It canalso lead to the creation of ultrapowerful computers that can simulateextremely complex models, allowing new discoveries in fields ranging frommedicine to material sciences, as well as greatly improving the accuracy ofweather and financial forecasting and the efficiency of machine learning andartificial intelligence.

ChenYu'ao, a quantum physics professor at the University of Science and Technologyof China, said he was greatly encouraged by Xi's speech, which showcased thatChina is attaching immense significance to this cutting-edge field which iscritical for promoting high-quality development and safeguarding nationalsecurity.

"Weare also excited to see support for industrializing and commercializing ourbasic research into new applications," Chen said.

ZhangQiang, a professor of quantum communication at USTC, said apart fromexcitement, he also felt the urgency to develop quantum science and technology.

"Wemust concentrate our resources and talents, unleash the full potential of our scientists,and make breakthroughs in key fields," he said.

Zhangsaid the technology for quantum communication is relatively mature, especiallyfor quantum key distribution. "China is currently leading in the field ofquantum communication, but other countries are catching up," he added.

This modeof communication is unhackable due to the encryption keys being encoded inparticles that are in a delicate, entangled quantum state. Any attempt tointercept them would disrupt that state and signal the presence of aneavesdropper.

Somebanks in China are now sending ultra-secured transactions along the Jing-HuTrunk Line, a 2,000-kilometer quantum communication line connecting Beijing,Jinan, Hefei and Shanghai, which was launched in 2017.

"Thisquantum communication service is still in early trials but the response so faris very satisfactory," Zhang said. "But whether this technology couldbe expanded to more areas will need more appraisal and certification fromgovernment and regulatory agencies."

In termsof quantum computing, tech giants such as Google, IBM, Amazon and Microsoft,along with smaller companies including Rigetti and D-Wave, are racing to createthe world's first commercial quantum computer.

Unlikeclassical computers, which handle data in 0 or 1 binary bits, quantum computersprocess data using quantum bits, or qubits, that can exist in either 0, 1, orboth. As a result, the computing power of quantum computers can increaseexponentially as the number of qubits increases.

The pointat which a quantum computer can solve a problem that not even the most powerfulsupercomputer can solve in any reasonable amount of time is called quantumsupremacy.

Lastyear, Google claimed it had reached this milestone by using a 53-qubitprocessor named Sycamore to solve an arbitrary mathematical computation in 200seconds. The same problem would take the world's most powerful supercomputer,the Summit, over 10,000 years, according to a study published in the journalNature.

However,IBM, the creator of Summit, later challenged Google's findings by adjusting theway its supercomputer approached the task and said it could come up with asolution in 2.5 days.

YuanZhensheng, a professor of quantum information at USTC, said quantum computingexcels in solving complex problems that require processing a large amount ofdata or calculations, such as creating new drug molecules and weatherforecasting, but it may take years before the technology can mature.

"Thetheoretical framework for quantum computing is established, and we already knowwhat issues need to be overcome to make it practical, the hard part is solvingthese difficult engineering challenges," he said.

Forexample, most quantum computers need to operate at a temperature close toabsolute zero (-273.15 C) and in an extremely clean setting with lowelectromagnetic interference in order to avoid decoherence, a process in whichthe environment disturbs the qubits and causes errors.

Breakthroughs envisioned

"Wemay see some major breakthroughs in quantum computing within the next five to10 years," he said. "Ordinary people may not need such a powerful andcomplex machine in their home, so it is unlikely that quantum computers willreplace today's computers."

"Aswe make our way to building a practical quantum computer, we may stumble uponnew materials and discoveries that can also benefit society," he said."Such is the beauty of pushing the boundaries of science into unknownterritory."

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记者：张之豪

播报：AndrewPasek

音频编辑：万月英

原文链接：

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202010/19/WS5f8cc996a31024ad0ba7f62e_1.html