China Mobile launches hybrid quantum-classical cloud platform

China Mobile has launched the country’s largest cloud quantum computing platform with China Electronics Technology Group Corp (CETGC) targeting artificial intelligence, biomedicine, intelligent transportation and aerospace applications.

The telco – which made the announcement at the China Computational Conference – claimed that the technology is the first system-level platform in the industry to facilitate ‘unified hybrid scheduling of quantum and general computing power’.

In 2016 US computing giant IBM launched the world’s first quantum-computing-as-a-cloud service putting a quantum processor on the cloud for anyone to run experiments.

China’s platform connects China Mobile’s existing public cloud service to 20-qubit quantum computers, designed and built by state-backed CETGC.

According to a China Mobile statement, the platform proves that quantum in China is gradually moving towards a practical stage.

The platform is open to enterprises, researchers, universities and government agencies explore practical quantum use cases.  China Mobile added that it would be targeting artificial intelligence, biomedicine, intelligent transportation and aerospace applications.

Quantum technologies are a key focus for Beijing’s ambition to pull ahead in the global race to harness the power of quantum computing.

In May this year China mobile’s competitor China Telecom invested 3 billion yuan ($434 million) to establish the China Telecom Quantum Information Technology Group.

Based in eastern China, the new entity is focussed on developing quantum technology, stepping up the pace of quantum product updates and promoting the industry nationwide.

We unpack quantum computing  and it’s potential for businesses in a new two-part report.