Equip quantum computers with a 'Chinese steward'
2026-03-30
Imagine a future computing center with a massive scale, densely packed with precision instruments, and data streams flying at incredible speeds. When the command is given, billions of components work together precisely and operate at full capacity. What does it rely on to make all of this a reality? The answer may be unexpected: not only more powerful chips, but also a "butler" who can oversee the whole situation and dispatch thousands of troops. Recently, China's first independently developed quantum computer operating system, "Benyuan Sinan," has officially opened for global download, playing the role of the "butler" in the quantum computer system. As the world's first open online download channel for quantum computer operating systems, "Benyuan Sinan" is taking an important step towards promoting China's quantum computing industry from technological breakthroughs to the construction of an industrial ecosystem with an open and inclusive attitude. Dancing on the needle tip in the assembly and testing laboratory of the Origin Quantum Computer, the dilution refrigeration machine emits a low and regular "buzzing" sound, continuously creating an ultra-low temperature operating environment for the third-generation autonomous superconducting quantum computer "Origin Wukong". This machine with 72 computational qubits has completed over 800000 computational tasks for more than 160 countries and regions worldwide. What is a quantum computer? Simply put, it is a device that utilizes the laws of quantum mechanics for information processing, capable of performing high-speed mathematical and logical operations, as well as storing and processing information. Traditional computers rely on classical bits to process information, where each classical bit can only represent a certain state, namely "0" or "1". The basic information unit of quantum computers is quantum bits, which are units constructed based on the quantum states of microscopic particles such as atoms or photons. They have unique quantum superposition characteristics and can be in a superposition state of "0" and "1" simultaneously. It is precisely this characteristic that endows quantum computers with enormous potential for parallel processing of massive amounts of information, and also brings them powerful capabilities far beyond traditional computing. Classical computer problem-solving is like being the only one in a maze, and if you can't get through, you have to backtrack and try again, eliminating each path one by one; And solving problems with quantum computers is like sending out countless clones in an instant, exploring all paths at the same time. ”Guo Guoping, a professor at the University of Science and Technology of China and chief scientist of Origin Quantum, used a metaphor. It is precisely with this parallel computing capability that quantum computers have the potential to solve the "cosmic level problems" that traditional computers require tens of thousands of years of computation in just a few minutes. However, to move this cutting-edge technology from the laboratory to practical applications, a key driver is indispensable - the quantum computer operating system. Currently, with the acceleration of a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation breakthroughs, the global quantum computing competition is entering an important stage of ecological construction. As the core hub for quantum resource scheduling, task collaboration, software and hardware adaptation, and application implementation, breakthroughs at the operating system level are crucial. However, developing well is not an easy task. Unlike traditional computer operating systems such as Windows that manage mature and stable hardware, quantum computer operating systems face extremely fragile quantum units. Temperature fluctuations, small vibrations, and even subtle changes in the electromagnetic environment can cause quantum states to collapse instantly, "said Guo Guoping." Operating a quantum computer is like dancing on a needle tip. "Open the browser with an open ecosystem, search for the" Origin Quantum Cloud, "click to enter, and easily find the free entrance to the" Origin Sinan "operating system. As a domestically developed technological achievement, this operating system integrates many features of quantum computing. We strive to transform quantum computers from precision instruments that require manual calibration by experts to automated devices that engineers can easily handle. We focus on key underlying algorithms such as core scheduling, noise suppression, and error mitigation, comprehensively improving the stability and usability of quantum computers. ”Guo Guoping introduced that "Benyuan Sinan" also introduces an automatic calibration function. "In the past, it relied on experience to monitor the real-time operation status of quantum bits, but now it can be automatically completed by the system. Once deviations are detected, they can be corrected in a timely manner, significantly reducing the dependence on manual parameter tuning." In addition, "Benyuan Sinan" has also added an efficient parallel scheduling mechanism, which can reasonably arrange multiple computing tasks, effectively avoid idle computing power, and improve resource utilization. The related technology has been successfully deployed on the "Benyuan Wukong" series quantum computers in China and maintained stable operation. Nowadays, any research institution, university, or enterprise can quickly complete system deployment locally and carry out research and verification of quantum algorithms. ”Guo Guoping stated that by breaking monopolies independently and exchanging openness for ecology, "the competition in quantum computing is essentially a competition in industrial ecology. Only by using open means to make more people 'use' and willing to develop on domestic quantum chips and systems can the domestic quantum computing industry make up for its shortcomings in rapid iteration and build a truly autonomous, controllable, and sustainable industrial ecology." However, openness is far from just "open source" and "use," and developers often face huge adaptation costs if they want to migrate between different hardware platforms. Due to the fundamental differences in the underlying control instructions of various types of quantum chips, developers often need to relearn a set of instructions and rebuild a new operating environment whenever they come into contact with a new quantum hardware, greatly limiting the development of the quantum computing application ecosystem. As a complete quantum computer operating system, "Benyuan Sinan" has built a full stack solution that covers bottom level drivers to upper level applications. It can not only directly support quantum chips with various technological routes such as superconductivity, ion traps, and neutral atoms, but also coordinate the scheduling of quantum computing, supercomputing, and artificial intelligence computing resources, truly making "quantum computing" available, controllable, and implementable. Simply put, we have created a 'universal language' for quantum computing. ”Guo Guoping introduced that for quantum chips with different technological systems, it is only necessary to deploy "Benyuan Sinan" locally to operate the hardware, complete calibration, scheduling, and optimization work. Opening up the online download channel of 'Source Sinan' will effectively 'instrumentalize' the underlying capabilities of quantum computers. Hardware manufacturers have systems available, developers have platforms to rely on, and ultimately ordinary users have adjustable computing power, allowing more people to participate in the innovation of quantum computing. Integrating into production and daily life, quantum computing is currently in a critical application period of transitioning from prototypes to engineering machines. The next five years will be a critical window period for the transformation of quantum computing technology from laboratory prototypes to market-oriented applications. As the core hub for quantum resource scheduling, task collaboration, software and hardware adaptation, and application implementation, "Benyuan Sinan" has built a software foundation in advance, allowing application development and hardware research and development to run parallel, effectively promoting quantum computing from the laboratory to industry applications. At present, relying on "Source Sinan", quantum computers have shown broad application prospects in multiple key fields. In the financial field, it has successfully supported the operation of the world's largest portfolio optimization application for "Origin Wukong"; In the field of biomedicine, as the underlying software core, "Benyuan Sinan" efficiently drives key applications such as breast molybdenum target detection, drug molecule property prediction, and drug molecule docking, opening up a new path of quantum acceleration for drug development and precision medicine. However, behind the rapid development, quantum computing also faces new challenges. How to provide more developers with tools and scenarios to use is becoming a key topic in promoting the popularization of technology. At present, China has systematically laid out the six core competencies of "three hard and three soft", but it is still weak at the level of dedicated algorithm toolchains, and has not yet spawned "killer" applications with widespread influence. The advancement of hardware requires application traction, the maturity of software requires developer verification, and the ultimate landing of technology cannot be separated from the trust of industry users. The lack of ecological scale and application richness from "made" to "used" still remains a real gap between technology and industry. Guo Guoping believes that the resource advantages of existing superconducting quantum computers and supercomputing centers should be fully utilized to accelerate the construction of "quantity superconversion" computing centers. At the same time, we will deepen the implementation of the "Thousand Scenarios" action plan and collect and select benchmark application scenarios from across the country in key areas such as finance, government affairs, communication, and biomedicine, so that new technologies can be used locally and practiced in specific scenarios. The landing of technology requires a carrier, and innovation breakthroughs cannot be separated from directional guidance. In the process of accelerating the application of quantum computing, the quantum computer operating system named "Sinan" has been iterated to version 4.0. It symbolizes both the direction of progress and the mission of exploration. Looking ahead to the future, quantum computing is expected to gradually become a silent and ubiquitous new infrastructure, integrating into every corner of production, life, healthcare, transportation, and finance in a more efficient, secure, and intelligent way, laying a solid foundation for an intelligent society. (New Society)
Edit:Momo Responsible editor:Chen zhaozhao
Source:Economic Daily
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