Hefei Quantum Technology accelerates empowering thousands of industries

China News Service, Hefei, October 14th. Title: Hefei Quantum Technology Accelerates Empowerment of Thousands of Industries

China News Service reporter Zhang Qiang

A quantum sensor the size of a fingernail can "sense" signals 10 billion times weaker than the geomagnetic field. On October 13, in the exhibition hall of Guoyi Quantum Technology (Hefei) Co., Ltd. located in Hefei High-tech Zone, staff showed reporters the core components of the quantum magnetocardiograph.

"Traditional electrocardiography measures electrical signals, while magnetocardiography measures magnetic signals generated by heart beating." According to Wu Junfeng, head of the National Instruments Quantum Research Institute, magnetic signals can penetrate human tissue without damage, and the detection sensitivity is higher. At present, this examination technology has been applied in hospitals in Beijing, Chongqing, Hefei and other places, and a total of more than 10,000 clinical examinations have been completed.

The same technology, if used in another application scenario, can bring an "efficiency revolution" to the manufacturing industry. Lithium batteries need to be tested for the presence of magnetic foreign matter inside before leaving the factory. The traditional method takes more than 3 hours, but Guoyi Quantum's quantum magnetic foreign matter detection solution compresses the detection time to 3 to 5 minutes. Wu Junfeng said that Guoyi Quantum is currently cooperating with China's leading battery companies such as Guoxuan Hi-Tech to promote the application of related products.

Quantum technology has also found its application direction in the currently popular field of AI chips. High-bandwidth memory (HBM) is composed of a multi-layer structure. Once a failure occurs, it is difficult for traditional detection tools to penetrate and locate the fault point. The quantum diamond chip detector developed by Guoyi Quantum makes up for the shortcomings of traditional detection tools.

If a quantum computer is a super brain that requires "calm thinking", the dilution refrigerator is its indispensable "super refrigerator" - only in an extremely cold environment close to absolute zero can the quantum chip operate stably, which is even lower than the background radiation temperature in the depths of the universe.

For a long time, high-end dilution refrigerators have been monopolized by a few overseas manufacturers. Hefei Zhileng Cryogenic Technology Co., Ltd. focuses on this field. Huang Minglong, assistant general manager of the company, told reporters that Zhileng Cryogenics’ sales will reach 160 million yuan in 2025. Currently, its products have covered more than 60 scientific research institutions and innovation platforms around the world, realizing domestic substitution. Currently, the company is accelerating the research and development of new dilution refrigerators.

From core sensors to refrigeration equipment, from quantum computing to quantum communications, Hefei's quantum companies are forming a mutually supportive industrial ecosystem. The "Original Wukong" series of superconducting quantum computers have been accessed about 56 million times by users in 192 countries and regions, completing more than 1.3 million global quantum computing tasks; the USTC Guodun's Quantum Secret Messenger has more than 6 million users; Anhui Yunxi's "Quantum Cloud Seal" has been implemented in government affairs and corporate scenarios in many places.

Globally, quantum technology has become the forefront of technological competition among major powers. Hefei’s development path is to push the technology in the laboratory to real application scenarios as soon as possible.

"Hefei's experience is to insist on pioneering trials, continuous investment, and use scenarios to drive technology iterations." said Yao Kun, a staff member of the Hefei Municipal Science and Technology Bureau. In recent years, Hefei has regarded quantum technology as a key direction for the layout of future industries, and has opened more than 40 application scenarios in the fields of government affairs, energy, meteorology, etc., allowing new technologies to be "tested" and orders "received"; at the same time, through the transformation of results, financial support and other means, it has helped start-ups lower the threshold for transformation from papers to products.

Hefei is one of the earliest cities in China to systematically lay out the R&D and industrialization of quantum technology. At present, the city has cultivated more than 100 quantum industry chain companies, with revenue exceeding 6 billion yuan.