China Launches Its Largest Quantum Cloud Platform

China Mobile, the largest telecommunications operator in China, has launched the country’s largest cloud quantum computing platform in partnership with China Electronics Technology Group Corp (CETGC).

It is the first system-level platform to offer a hybrid quantum-classical capability. It connects China Mobile’s existing public cloud service to 20-qubit quantum computers designed and built by CETGC, China Mobile said in a statement.

Users can access quantum algorithms via an interface that sends tasks to the computer “with one click,” enabling them to use quantum computers more easily.

The open quantum testing environment is designed to help researchers and enterprises carry out experiments with quantum computing. It also offers public access to universities and government agencies.

China Mobile said it is targeting artificial intelligence, biomedicine, intelligent transportation and aerospace applications. The aim is to support moving quantum computing out of the laboratory and into practical use cases.

China Mobile unveiled the platform at the 2023 China Computational Conference in Yinchuan in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

Quantum computing and other quantum technologies are a key focus for President Xi Jinping’s government. In 2021, quantum computing, along with six other emerging technologies, was singled out for prioritization in Beijing’s Five-Year Plan, the nation’s economic blueprint.

Related:Microsoft Aims to Develop Quantum Supercomputer in 10 Years

There is likely to be a stronger focus on self-sufficiently in the wake of President Biden’s executive order limiting U.S. investment in Chinese tech companies. This followed the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, which aimed to reduce dependence on semiconductor chips imported from Taiwan and expedite the lab-to-market process for quantum projects.