The new light-based quantum computer Jiuzhang has achieved quantum supremacy

A second type of quantum device performed a calculation impossible for a traditional computer

illustration of quantum computer light channels

The quantum computer Jiuzhang works by sending particles of light (illustrated in red) into a network of channels and then measuring the photons at the other end.

Yihan Luo

A new type of quantum computer has proven that it can reign supreme, too.

A photonic quantum computer, which harnesses particles of light, or photons, performed a calculation that’s impossible for a conventional computer, researchers in China report online December 3 in Science.