Chapter 891
Who throws out a royal flush at the start?
At 10:45 a.m., the string theory presentation came to an end.
Wang Donglai stood on the stage, looking at the shocked, excited, and incredulous faces below, a slight smile playing on his lips.
He picked up the water glass on the podium, took a sip, and moistened his throat.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we were just talking about theoretical physics. Theory is very important; it tells us how the world works and how far humanity can go."
"But theory must eventually be put into practice, become technology, and change lives."
The audience fell silent, and everyone pricked up their ears.
"Next, I would like to share with you some of Galaxy Technology's explorations in the field of technology over the years."
He pressed a button on the remote control.
The LED screen behind me switched to display a huge building—a silver-white exterior, a blue glass curtain wall, and a giant sphere on top that glittered in the sunlight.
"This is the Galaxy Quantum Computing Research Center, located in Tangdu High-tech Zone, covering an area of 300 acres and a building area of 200,000 square meters. It boasts the world's strongest quantum computing R&D team and the world's first..."
He paused.
"A general-purpose quantum computer that breaks through the 5,000-qubit barrier."
The audience erupted in chaos.
Five thousand qubits!
It's worth noting that just a year ago, Google released the "Supra" processor, which claimed to achieve "quantum supremacy," but it only had 53 qubits.
Moreover, that "hegemony" is conditional—it can only surpass classical computers on specific random sampling problems, and it is not a universal quantum computer at all.
IBM's quantum computer has a maximum of only 50 qubits.
As for the quantum computer in Lucheng, China, information was only released to the public when the technology made a breakthrough, and the data has not been updated since.
Now, suddenly, I heard Wang Donglai introduce Galaxy Technology as having a quantum computer with 5,000 qubits.
Clearly, this is the current level of quantum computing in China.
What does a general-purpose quantum computer with 5,000 qubits mean?
This means that humanity has finally acquired true quantum computing capabilities!
"This is impossible!"
Someone in the audience couldn't help but shout out.
He was an elderly man with white hair, Klaus von Klitzing of the Max Planck Institute in Germany, the 1985 Nobel Prize laureate in Physics.
He stood up, his face flushed, his voice trembling: "Academician Wang, a general-purpose quantum computer with 5,000 qubits requires extremely low temperatures, extremely high precision, and extremely complex control. IBM and Google have invested billions of dollars and researched for over a decade, but they haven't been able to achieve it. How could you possibly do it?"
Wang Donglai wasn't angry; instead, he smiled.
"Professor von Klitzing, that's a good question."
Wang Donglai pressed the remote control, and a huge low-temperature device appeared on the screen, gleaming silver, like an inverted giant metal bowl.
"This is our independently developed 'Ice Soul' system. It uses multi-layer dilution cooling technology to reduce the temperature of the quantum chip to below 10 millikrvin, which is -273.14 degrees Celsius, only 0.01 degrees Celsius above absolute zero."
The screen switches to display a detailed chip structure diagram.
"This is our quantum chip, named 'Xuanwu-1'. It adopts a brand-new superconducting quantum circuit design, with a qubit coherence time of 300 microseconds, which is nearly 6 times higher than Google's 53 microseconds. The two-qubit gate fidelity reaches 99.8%, and the readout fidelity reaches 99.5%."
The data appeared one by one, each number like a heavy hammer, striking the hearts of everyone present.
"More importantly..."
"We have solved the problem of quantum error correction."
Lines of complex formulas appeared on the screen.
"This is our theoretically proposed 'topological superconducting-surface code hybrid error correction scheme'. By combining the stability of topological protection with the scalability of surface codes, we have achieved logical error correction of qubits for the first time, extending the effective coherence time by three orders of magnitude."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "In other words, our quantum computer can stably run more than 15,000 logic gate operations."
The entire room fell silent.
Fifteen thousand logic gate operations.
what does this mean?
This means that this quantum computer is no longer just a toy in the laboratory, but a real tool that can execute complex algorithms.
This means it can crack RSA encryption, simulate complex chemical reactions, optimize traffic flow, and train more powerful artificial intelligence.
This means that humanity has truly entered the quantum age.
Von Klitzing stood there blankly, his lips moving but no sound coming out.
Next to him, another Nobel laureate, Claudi from Stanford University, stood up.
"Professor Wang, may I ask you a question?"
His voice was soft, but everyone in the room could hear it.
"Please speak."
"What can your quantum computer do right now?"
Wang Donglai smiled.
"That's a good question."
A complex molecular structure diagram suddenly appeared on the screen.
"This is a caffeine molecule, composed of 24 atoms. How much computing power would be needed to simulate its quantum behavior using a classical computer?"
He asked himself the question and answered it.
"Even the most advanced supercomputers need months of computation to get preliminary results. Our quantum computer, however..."
The screen switched, and a live demo appeared.
In the image, a three-dimensional molecular model is spinning rapidly, surrounded by a dense array of data.
"It only took three minutes."
There was an uproar.
"In three minutes, we completed the calculation of the ground state energy of the caffeine molecule, the excited state analysis, and the simulation of the chemical reaction pathway."
"If these calculations are used for new drug development, the development cycle can be shortened from ten years to one year, and the development cost can be reduced from billions of US dollars to hundreds of millions of US dollars."
"This is the power of quantum computers."
Applause erupted once again.
This time, the applause was more enthusiastic than ever before.
Because everyone understands that this is not a theory, but real technology, a force that can change the world.
Claudi stood there, staring at the rotating molecular model on the screen, unable to sit down for a long time.
He is a professor at Stanford University, a former Secretary of Energy, and a Nobel laureate.
He knew better than anyone what this meant.
This means that America's leading position in the field of quantum computing has come to a complete end.
This means that in the coming decades, the rules of global science and technology will be written by China.
He slowly sat down, looking at Wang Donglai on the stage with a complicated expression.
There was admiration, shock, resentment, and disappointment.
But more than anything, it was a deep sense of powerlessness.
Before the shock of quantum computers had subsided, Wang Donglai had already moved on to the next topic.
"Next, I would like to share with you some of GalaxyBio's progress in the field of brain-computer interfaces."
He pressed the remote control.
A 3D scan of a person's head appeared on the screen, with a dense array of electrodes covering the cerebral cortex.
"The concept of brain-computer interfaces is familiar to everyone. Musk's Neuralink has been conducting research in this area. Their goal is to enable humans to directly control computers with their brains."
Our goals are simpler than theirs.
The screen switched to a photo of a middle-aged man. He was in his forties, with an ordinary appearance, but his eyes were closed.
"His name is Li Jianguo, he is 43 years old, from Beihe. Fifteen years ago, he lost his sight in an accident."
"For fifteen years, he couldn't see anything. He couldn't see his wife's face, he couldn't see his children growing up, he couldn't see the colors of this world."
Three months ago, he underwent brain-computer interface implantation surgery at Galaxy Bio.
The screen switched, and a video appeared.
In the video, Li Jianguo is sitting on the hospital bed with his head wrapped in gauze and his eyes still closed.
His wife, in her early forties with some gray hair, stood beside him, holding his hand tightly.
The doctor stood to one side, holding a tablet computer.
"Li Jianguo, can you hear me?" the doctor asked.
"Yes." Li Jianguo's voice was a little hoarse.
"Okay. Now, we're going to begin the first visual stimulation. You might see some bright spots, don't be nervous, that's normal."
The doctor pressed a button on the tablet.
Li Jianguo's body suddenly jolted.
Then, he slowly opened his eyes.
Those were unfocused eyes, staring blankly ahead.
But soon, light appeared in those eyes.
“I…I saw…light…” His voice trembled, filled with excitement.
Beside him, his wife covered her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes.
"I saw... red... blue... that... is that a window? Is that a tree? What is that?"
He frantically turned his eyes, trying to see the world clearly.
For the first time in fifteen years, he saw the light.
The video ends.
The audience was silent.
Wang Donglai stood on the stage, looking at the silent faces below.
"Li Jianguo's current visual acuity is 0.3."
"With the help of our technology, the light in his eyes has been restored. As our technology advances, it is not impossible for him to completely regain his sight."
Some people in the audience began to wipe away tears.
Those elderly professors with gray hair, those doctors who had seen countless life and death, and those scientists who were rational to the point of being cold, were all quietly wiping away tears at this moment.
Because they know what that means.
This means that those who have lost their sight due to accidents can regain their sight.
This means that children who are born blind can see their parents' faces.
This means that people who have lost their sight due to illness can see the world again.
"Brain-computer interfaces are not just about letting people control computers."
"It should first and foremost help those who need help."
He pressed the remote control, and more cases appeared on the screen.
A child born blind smiled so brightly the first time he saw his mother's face.
A middle-aged man who lost his sight in a car accident picked up his paintbrush again and created his first painting in fifteen years.
An elderly man with age-related macular degeneration finally saw his grandson's face clearly.
One case after another, one smile after another, one tear after another.
"To date, we have completed 37 implantation surgeries with a 100% success rate."
Wang Donglai's voice remained calm: "Next, we plan to promote this technology nationwide within three years, so that all blind people will have the opportunity to regain their sight."
He paused.
"Our goal is not to make money; our goal is to make this world a little less dark."
"Of course, we will actively communicate with relevant higher authorities and complete the necessary technical compliance reviews under their guidance, with the patient's health as the top priority."
Applause erupted once again.
This applause is not for the technological marvel or the astonishment of the achievement, but for those who have seen the light again, for those whose pain has been healed, and for those whose hope has been ignited.
The applause lasted for a very long time.
Before the shock of brain-computer interfaces had completely subsided, Wang Donglai had already moved on to the next topic.
"Next, I would like to share with you some of Galaxy Energy's progress in the field of batteries."
He pressed the remote control.
A black battery appeared on the screen, about the size of a mobile phone battery.
"This is our Xuanwu Battery."
"Everyone knows its specific information."
"A solid-state battery with an energy density of 1400 watt-hours per kilogram."
"We have slowed down the pace of further breakthroughs in energy density and instead focused on more application scenarios and security performance protection."
"Safety is the greatest luxury!"
"Here, I can announce to all consumers and partners that we will provide a ten-year free warranty for our Xuanwu battery products. Within ten years, we will provide full compensation for any product quality issues such as non-human-caused spontaneous combustion."
"Currently, our production line is still under construction, but it will be put into use soon, and our production capacity will increase significantly."
"At the same time, we are also developing more application scenarios for Xuanwu batteries."
As he spoke, a concept image appeared on the screen behind Wang Donglai.
A giant drone.
The drone has four seats in the middle, covered by glass, giving it a sci-fi feel.
"This is a personal aircraft development project based on the performance of Xuanwu batteries and the advancements in drone technology."
"In addition, there are electric regional jets jointly developed with COMAC, and electric cargo ships jointly developed with CSSC, etc..."
One image after another appeared on the screen, captivating the audience below.
Although it was only the first day, Wang Donglai didn't want to keep anyone in suspense.
That's the kind of shock we're looking for!
Like a tidal wave, it directly shocked everyone, allowing scholars and audiences around the world to gain a deeper and clearer understanding of China's tremendous achievements in cutting-edge technology.
Unveiling the secrets little by little might seem to attract more traffic, and extending the timeline could yield better results.
However, Wang Donglai did not think so.
They started with a royal flush, throwing in four twos right from the start.
This method actually produces a better result.
There were a huge number of people watching this World Academic Conference.
To say it garnered worldwide attention would be an exaggeration, but it was certainly a grand event.
The reaction to the technologies Wang Donglai presented was brewing intensely. (End of Chapter)