China is catching up with America in quantum technology

IN A SMALL shop in the eastern Chinese city of Hefei, one of the rarest pieces of technology in the world is on display. The quantum computer in the showroom of Origin, a Chinese startup, looks ready to be plucked from the shelf and fired up. Only 20 such devices are produced globally each year. It is unclear what in Origin’s showroom is for sale, but none of it is supposed to be seen by foreigners. During your correspondent’s visit, which was agreed on in advance, the company panicked at the sight of a foreigner, abruptly cancelled interviews and notified the police.

Few industries outside of weapons manufacturing are so sensitive. Quantum computers can conduct calculations in minutes that would take the world’s whizziest supercomputers billions of years or longer. Communications using quantum bits, or qubits, are ultra-secure. Although the commercial opportunities remain uncertain, militaries around the world have taken a keen interest in quantum technology.

This is why China closely guards its industry. Little is known about how its supply chain for components works, and the Chinese government restricts exports of some related technologies. America, too, is protective of its quantum secrets. In October, the Treasury Department imposed stringent restrictions on American investment in China’s quantum industry.