A quantum computing model developed by Origin Quantum is shown in Hefei, East China’s Anhui Province. Photo: VCG

A Chinese startup has launched the country’s first nondestructive probe electrical measurement platform dedicated to the production of quantum chips in Hefei, capital of East China’s Anhui Province, the Science and Technology Daily reported on Wednesday.

Named NDPT-100, the equipment is developed by Origin Quantum Computing Technology Co Ltd and will be used in production of chips for quantum computers, the report said.

If quantum chips are compared to a human heart, the equipment serves as a person’s eyes. It can realize fast and accurate measurement of quantum bit resistance, identify the quality of quantum chips with almost zero damage, according to the report.

Currently, the nondestructive probe platform has been put into use in the country’s first quantum chip production line, it said.

The nondestructive probe plays an important role in the production of quantum chips, as it can fast and accurately identify unqualified quantum bits on the quantum chips, said Jia Zhilong, deputy director of Anhui Quantum Computing Engineering Research Center. 

Just like the lithography machine is a basic industrial machine for the manufacturing of traditional chips, the instrument is one of the most important industrial machines for quantum chip manufacturing, which will significantly shorten the R&D cycle of quantum chips while improving quality, Jia said. 

As of now, only dozens of quantum computers are available in the world. China’s quantum computer “Wukong” is about to make its debut, and the country’s first quantum chip production line is rushing to produce quantum chips for the machine.

Origin Quantum has made a number of breakthroughs in the field of quantum computing since its establishment in the Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone, which is also known as the Quantum Center, in 2017, according to media reports.

Its inventions, all of which are firsts in China, include a superconducting quantum computer called Wu Yuan, an all-in-one quantum computer measurement and control machine, a quantum computing cloud platform equipped with a superconductor quantum computer, a quantum computer operating system, and superconducting and semiconductor quantum chips.