Concept: Chinese internet company Baidu has launched a superconducting quantum computer named Qian Shi that integrates hardware, software, and applications. It also introduced an all-platform quantum hardware-software integration solution called Liang Xi that provides access to various quantum chips through a mobile app, personal computer (PC), and cloud. The company claims that both offerings can contribute to the industrialization of quantum computing.

Nature of Disruption: Qian Shi integrates its hardware platform with Baidu’s software stack. The stack includes a cloud-based platform for quantum control named quanlse, a cloud-native quantum computing platform quantum leaf, a quantum network toolkit (QNET), a quantum error processing toolkit (QEP), and a quantum ML platform paddle quantum. Multiple practical quantum applications such as quantum algorithms employed in the development of lithium battery materials or the simulation of protein folding are built on top of this infrastructure. Qian Shi provides a reliable and substantial quantum computing service with high-fidelity 10 quantum bits (qubits) of power. Liang Xi can connect to Qian Shi and other external quantum computers, such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ trapped ion quantum device and a 10-qubit superconducting quantum device. Users can build quantum algorithms and utilize quantum computing power with Qian Shi and Liang Xi without creating their quantum hardware, control systems, or programming languages.

Outlook: As quantum computing continues to experience continuous progress, many organizations are exploring how quantum computing can contribute to their real-world businesses. Baidu’s Qian Shi and Liang Xi enable anyone with a smartphone to access quantum computing from any location at any time bridging the gap between quantum devices and services. Baidu boasts that these are backed by Baidu Research’s Institute for Quantum Computing, which covers a wide range of technological areas, including quantum algorithms and applications, communications and networks, encryption and security, error correction, architecture, measurement and control, and chip design. Recently, Baidu designed a 36-qubit superconducting quantum chip with couplers that claims to offer simulation results across important parameters. The company aims to achieve a future where ‘everyone can quantum’ by creating an open and sustainable quantum ecosystem.

This article was originally published in Verdict.co.uk