US-China tech race: China bets $14.73 million on Shanghai quantum computing hub - Interesting Engineering

Visitors look at China Telecom's quantum computer at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre in Shanghai, China (representative image).Getty Images China has sharpened its focus on gaining quantum computing supremacy by doing what it does best – setting up infrastructure to develop technology at an industrial scale. A 100 million yuan (US$14.73 million) investment in Shanghai’s quantum computing hub will enable the region to compete not just with global companies but also with Chinese cities developing similar clusters. While much of the hype is around artificial intelligence (AI) these days, quantum computing is expected to bring a major revolution in what computing will look like in a few years. As we celebrate the ability of AI chatbots to answer the questions that we have, quantum computers will compute to solve the biggest problems that we face today. From climate change to drug discovery, quantum computing is expected to be solve problems at a pace where even the fastest supercomputers appear to be slow-moving snails. Even though tensions today might seem to be about whether China’s DeepSeek can be Claude or ChatGPT, the race to build quantum computers has already begun. China goes industrial Last week, the city of Shanghai launched the Quantum Computing Future Industry Incubation Zone in Xuhui district. The initial cohort consists of 26 firms and offers resources, talent, and subsidies to help them move their laboratory research into an industrial ecosystem for quantum computing. The 100 million yuan have been earmarked for foundational research, technology innovation and building platforms. Putting innovation at the heart of this move, the Incubation Zone has also welcomed companies that will develop their first products, instead of relying only on established players in the industry to build the future of computing. More from InnovationSee AllInnovationChinese smart chip maps brain structures up to 478x faster than NVIDIA A100 GPUInnovationMIT researchers move closer to petabit-speed chips with breakthrough in photonic integrationInnovationNew 3D-printed diving suit allows cyborg cockroaches breathe underwater for three hoursInnovationUS semiconductor giant breaks ground on $9.3-billion memory chip plant expansion in JapanInnovation‘World’s largest’ heavy-lift cargo aircraft targeted for military and disaster logistics China’s focus on making rapid progress in quantum computing is evident in it’s support for companies in the form of computing subsidies to help reduce computing and validation costs. The support is earmarked in the form of a purse of 20 million yuan (~$3 million). The plan is to go from 26 to more than a hundred firms in the next three years and achieve a valuation target of hundreds of billions of yuan in this time. AI-Quantum convergence The Incubation Zone wouldn’t be working in isolation on quantum computing alone but will facilitate the AI-quantum convergence in the near future. The Xuhui district in Shanghai is home to some of the top AI labs in the country and will allow the cohort firms to team up with these companies as their technologies develop. The deep integration of artificial intelligence and quantum technologies is expected to allow technology integration, real-world scenario testing, and more commercial outputs for research efforts. As an industrial hub, Shanghai is also home to startups and research institutions in areas as diverse as biomedical research to financial technology.

The Incubation Zone will allow cohort firms to explore opportunities in various domains and build solutions While the move looks to build globally competitive quantum computing firms, Shanghai will actually be competing with cities in its own country first. With the Asian giant making quantum technology one of its national strategic priorities for the next five years, local governments are racing to build industrial quantum clusters. The capital city of China’s eastern Anhui province, Hefei, is already home to over 90 companies engaged in quantum technologies. Shenzhen crowned its first unicorn in quantum tech in SpinQ, while Beijing too boasts quantum startups like QBoson that are working on using the computing tech for drug development, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) said in its report. Recommended ArticlesGet the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Sign up for freeBy subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and PoliciesYou may unsubscribe at any time.0COMMENTSubscribe toToday!Access to exclusive content, expert insights and a deeper dive into engineering and tech. No ads, no limits.Explore Now!ByAmeya PalejaAmeya is a science writer based in Hyderabad, India. A Molecular Biologist at heart, he traded the micropipette to write about science during the pandemic and does not want to go back. He likes to write about genetics, microbes, technology, and public policy.TRENDINGLATEST1China's nuclear-powered submarine fires test missile in Pacific for first time2Next-gen ramjet fuel propulsion system for future offensive, defensive missions tested3Sixth-gen jet that can combat advanced threats accurately set to bolster UK, Japan, Italy's power4Video shows humanoid robot acting ‘rogue’ in Indonesian office, ‘attacking’ coworkers5Germany bolsters ballistic missile defense with expanded Arrow-3 coverageVisitors look at China Telecom's quantum computer at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre in Shanghai, China (representative image).Getty Images China has sharpened its focus on gaining quantum computing supremacy by doing what it does best – setting up infrastructure to develop technology at an industrial scale. A 100 million yuan (US$14.73 million) investment in Shanghai’s quantum computing hub will enable the region to compete not just with global companies but also with Chinese cities developing similar clusters. While much of the hype is around artificial intelligence (AI) these days, quantum computing is expected to bring a major revolution in what computing will look like in a few years. As we celebrate the ability of AI chatbots to answer the questions that we have, quantum computers will compute to solve the biggest problems that we face today. From climate change to drug discovery, quantum computing is expected to be solve problems at a pace where even the fastest supercomputers appear to be slow-moving snails. Even though tensions today might seem to be about whether China’s DeepSeek can be Claude or ChatGPT, the race to build quantum computers has already begun. China goes industrial Last week, the city of Shanghai launched the Quantum Computing Future Industry Incubation Zone in Xuhui district. The initial cohort consists of 26 firms and offers resources, talent, and subsidies to help them move their laboratory research into an industrial ecosystem for quantum computing. The 100 million yuan have been earmarked for foundational research, technology innovation and building platforms. Putting innovation at the heart of this move, the Incubation Zone has also welcomed companies that will develop their first products, instead of relying only on established players in the industry to build the future of computing. More from InnovationSee AllInnovationChinese smart chip maps brain structures up to 478x faster than NVIDIA A100 GPUInnovationMIT researchers move closer to petabit-speed chips with breakthrough in photonic integrationInnovationNew 3D-printed diving suit allows cyborg cockroaches breathe underwater for three hoursInnovationUS semiconductor giant breaks ground on $9.3-billion memory chip plant expansion in JapanInnovation‘World’s largest’ heavy-lift cargo aircraft targeted for military and disaster logistics China’s focus on making rapid progress in quantum computing is evident in it’s support for companies in the form of computing subsidies to help reduce computing and validation costs. The support is earmarked in the form of a purse of 20 million yuan (~$3 million). The plan is to go from 26 to more than a hundred firms in the next three years and achieve a valuation target of hundreds of billions of yuan in this time. AI-Quantum convergence The Incubation Zone wouldn’t be working in isolation on quantum computing alone but will facilitate the AI-quantum convergence in the near future. The Xuhui district in Shanghai is home to some of the top AI labs in the country and will allow the cohort firms to team up with these companies as their technologies develop. The deep integration of artificial intelligence and quantum technologies is expected to allow technology integration, real-world scenario testing, and more commercial outputs for research efforts. As an industrial hub, Shanghai is also home to startups and research institutions in areas as diverse as biomedical research to financial technology.

The Incubation Zone will allow cohort firms to explore opportunities in various domains and build solutions While the move looks to build globally competitive quantum computing firms, Shanghai will actually be competing with cities in its own country first. With the Asian giant making quantum technology one of its national strategic priorities for the next five years, local governments are racing to build industrial quantum clusters. The capital city of China’s eastern Anhui province, Hefei, is already home to over 90 companies engaged in quantum technologies. Shenzhen crowned its first unicorn in quantum tech in SpinQ, while Beijing too boasts quantum startups like QBoson that are working on using the computing tech for drug development, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) said in its report. Recommended ArticlesGet the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Sign up for freeBy subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and PoliciesYou may unsubscribe at any time.0COMMENTSubscribe toToday!Access to exclusive content, expert insights and a deeper dive into engineering and tech. No ads, no limits.Explore Now!ByAmeya PalejaAmeya is a science writer based in Hyderabad, India. A Molecular Biologist at heart, he traded the micropipette to write about science during the pandemic and does not want to go back. He likes to write about genetics, microbes, technology, and public policy.TRENDINGLATEST1China's nuclear-powered submarine fires test missile in Pacific for first time2Next-gen ramjet fuel propulsion system for future offensive, defensive missions tested3Sixth-gen jet that can combat advanced threats accurately set to bolster UK, Japan, Italy's power4Video shows humanoid robot acting ‘rogue’ in Indonesian office, ‘attacking’ coworkers5Germany bolsters ballistic missile defense with expanded Arrow-3 coverage