SpinQ Ships Superconducting Quantum Chip to Middle East Client

Insider Brief

• Chinese-based SpinQ reportedly made its first delivery of a domestically developed superconducting quantum chip.
• The company sold the chips to an unnamed Middle East research institution, Chinese media sources report.
• SpinQ is a leading Chinese quantum computing company based in the technological hub of Shenzhen.

A Chinese quantum computing company reportedly notched its first delivery of a domestically developed superconducting quantum chip to a scientific research institute in the Middle East, according to Chinese state media and the South China Morning Post.

More than just a sale, Chinese officials are touting this event as a pivotal moment in China’s growing influence in the quantum computing sector.

The quantum chip was developed by SpinQ, a leading company based in the technological hub of Shenzhen. Details on the sale to the research institute remain undisclosed.

“We are honoured by this collaboration. Delivering the superconducting quantum chip shows our skill and innovation in quantum computing. It also represents our commitment to worldwide collaboration in this field,” SpinQ founder and chief executive Xiang Jingen said in a release on the company website.

Established in 2018, SpinQ has autonomously developed a research and development center dedicated to superconducting quantum computers, along with a production line specifically for superconducting quantum chips. The recently delivered chip, referred to as QPU, signifies a significant stride in the standardized mass production of this technology, marking a pivotal accomplishment in the field, the SCMP reports.

SpinQ vice-president Zou Hongyan said: “This was a mutually beneficial learning process, providing us with invaluable global insights and cutting-edge information.”

SpinQ has clients globally, including ones in the US, Canada, Australia, Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Slovenia, Russia, Brazil and Japan, among other regions, according to the SCMP. The paper added that SpinQ has developed key technologies through independent research and development, – from chip design to complete machine and algorithm applications. SpinQ also has its own chip production line that can produce superconducting quantum chips.

The paper also reports that SpinQ has three production lines: large superconducting quantum computers for industrial scenarios, small quantum computers for educational purposes and a general-purpose quantum cloud platform.

“Looking ahead, SpinQ aims to deepen its internationalization strategy, driving common prosperity in the global quantum computing industry chain through increased international technical cooperation and exchanges,” the CEO said.

Shaowei

SpinQ reports on its website that it released the superconducting quantum chip “Shaowei,” in April of 2023, claiming it is also one of the few standardized and mass-produced superconducting quantum chip products globally.

The website also lists the Shaowei coherence time (T1) has reached 10-100 microseconds, which paves the way for more gate operations while increasing the upper limit of logical gate fidelity. The chip can execute single and double qubit gate operations at the scale of tens of nanoseconds and achieve over 99.9% fidelity for single-qubit gates and over 98% fidelity for two-qubit gates, according to the company.