Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group and Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), have launched the superconducting quantum computing cloud, featuring a quantum processor with 11 quantum bits (qubits).
This is in the top two of the most powerful public quantum computing services available in the world to date and offers a range of features including being able to work at extreme temperatures as low as 10mk (or -273 degrees Celsius).
Users can now access the superconducting quantum computing cloud through Alibaba Cloud’s quantum computing cloud platform to efficiently run and test custom built quantum codes and download the results.
With this new quantum technology offered by CAS and Alibaba Cloud, users will be able to run and trial their quantum algorithms in order to learn more about the features and capabilities including the performance of the processor and any existing technological barriers. Understanding more about these considerations will further push the advancement of quantum technology.
Offering quantum computing services on cloud is another breakthrough by the two parties. This will enable wider participation in overcoming technological challenges and the sharing of ideas and knowledge that will move scientists towards full utilization of this powerful technology.
Dr Shi Yaoyun, Chief Quantum Technology Scientist at Alibaba Cloud, said: ‘By introducing quantum computing services on cloud, we make it easier for the teams to experiment with quantum applications in a real environment to better understand the property and performance of the hardware, as well as leading the way in developing quantum tools and software globally. The user experience offered on the cloud will, without doubt, help us further enhance our platform.’
Alibaba Cloud has made a significant commitment to quantum technology over recent years. In July 2015, Alibaba Cloud and CAS jointly established the first quantum computing laboratory in Asia, and shortly thereafter made a breakthrough in achieving the world’s first cloud-based quantum cryptography method.
