The JiuZhang 3 prototype also smashed the record set by its predecessor in the series, with one million-fold increase in calculation speed.

The series uses photons as the physical medium for calculations, with each one carrying a qubit, the basic unit of quantum information. The researchers said that the fastest classical supercomputer Frontier — developed in the US and named the world's most powerful in mid-2022 — would take over 20 billion years to complete the same task.

The article claims they've increased the number of photons from 76 to 113 in the first two versions, improving to 255 in the latest iteration.