China Advances Quantum Computing With Silicon Isotope Production
- tech360.tv
- 20 hours ago
- 2 min read
China has achieved a significant breakthrough in producing an ultra-pure form of silicon, a critical material for building silicon-based quantum computers. This development marks an acceleration of Beijing’s drive to reduce reliance on foreign technology in strategic areas, amidst global competition over advanced technology fabrication.
State-owned nuclear giant China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced that one of its research institutes had successfully mass-produced a high-purity silicon-28 isotope. The isotope boasts an abundance above 99.99%.
This achievement marks China’s first independent, large-scale production of the material, according to CNNC. The breakthrough helps plug a long-standing gap in the country’s quantum technology supply chain.
Previously, production capabilities for the silicon-28 isotope were concentrated among a small group of overseas players in Russia, Europe, and US-linked supply chains. While standard silicon forms the bedrock of smartphones and computer chips, quantum computers require an exceptionally pure variant.
Traditional computers process information using standard bits, represented as either a zero or one. Quantum computers, however, use qubits, which can exist as both a zero and one simultaneously, enabling them to perform complex calculations at speeds exceeding supercomputers.
Qubits are notoriously fragile. In natural silicon, magnetic interference, or “noise,” distorts the qubits, causing them to lose their quantum state and data. In contrast, silicon-28 is a stable isotope.
By purifying this variant, scientists can create an “ultra-quiet” environment, allowing qubits to remain stable for longer periods. This stability is vital for building functioning quantum computers.
Furthermore, because this method relies on silicon, future quantum chips could potentially be manufactured using processes similar to existing chipmaking technology.
"This breakthrough fundamentally addresses the urgent shortage of essential feedstock for silicon-based quantum computing and paves the way for scaled qubit control in China,” said Yu Dapeng, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, according to the CNNC statement.
The announcement comes in the final year of China’s three-year action plan for the high-quality development of the nuclear technology application industry. This plan was issued in 2024 by the China Atomic Energy Authority, the National Development and Reform Commission, and other government agencies.
The plan calls for the deeper integration of nuclear technology across the economy and requires significant improvement in the supply of key isotopes. Isotope production is a niche but strategic upstream capability for industries including quantum computing, advanced semiconductors, nuclear medicine, and fundamental research.
CNNC stated its institute had also overcome a series of technical challenges in isotope separation, purification, and conversion. It has produced 26 stable isotopes across 12 elements, including molybdenum, tellurium, nickel, zinc, silicon, and ytterbium.
The corporation will continue to develop stable isotope products for use in nuclear energy, aerospace, quantum information, particle physics, and deep-space exploration.
China successfully mass-produced high-purity silicon-28 isotope, critical for quantum computing.
The silicon-28 isotope achieved an abundance above 99.99%.
This marks China's first independent, large-scale production, addressing a supply chain gap.
Source: SCMP
