Significant progress has been reported in the field of quantum technology. On February 6, the University of Science and Technology of China announced that a research team led by Academician Pan Jianwei achieved a major breakthrough in scalable quantum network research. This development marks a critical step toward realizing practical fiber-based quantum networks utilizing quantum entanglement, further solidifying China's leading position in this domain internationally.
On the same day, several A-share quantum technology concept stocks experienced substantial gains during trading. Geer Software briefly hit the daily limit-up, while Shengbang Security, Hengtong Optic-Electric, Xingtu Xinke, Zhongtian Technology, Changfei Optical Fiber, and Keda GuoChuang all followed with notable increases. Brokerage analysts pointed out that, driven by national strategic guidance and industrial capital investment, the quantum computing industry is rapidly transitioning from the laboratory validation phase to industrial application.
**Major Quantum Network Breakthrough**
In the early hours of February 6, the University of Science and Technology of China published an announcement stating that Pan Jianwei and his colleagues had recently made a significant research breakthrough in scalable quantum networks.
According to reports, researchers including Wang Ye, Wan Yong, Zhang Qiang, and Pan Jianwei, collaborating with the Jinan Institute of Quantum Technology, the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the University of Hong Kong, and Tsinghua University, have constructed the fundamental module for a scalable quantum repeater for the first time internationally. This achievement makes long-distance quantum networks a realistic possibility.
Simultaneously, another group including Bao Xiaohui, Xu Feihu, Zhang Qiang, and Pan Jianwei, working with the Jinan Institute of Quantum Technology, the National University of Singapore, and the University of Waterloo in Canada, realized high-fidelity entanglement between single-atom nodes over long distances. Building on this, they achieved a breakthrough by extending the transmission distance for device-independent quantum key distribution (DI-QKD) beyond 100 kilometers for the first time, significantly advancing the practical application of this technology.
These two core technological breakthroughs were published in the prestigious international academic journals *Nature* and *Science* on February 3 and February 6 (Beijing Time), respectively. They represent another milestone achievement for China in the fields of quantum communication and quantum networks, following the "Micius" quantum satellite, indicating that fiber-based quantum networks relying on quantum entanglement are moving from theoretical concept toward practical reality.
The ultimate goal of quantum information science is to build efficient and secure quantum networks. This involves using quantum precision measurement for high-accuracy information sensing, quantum communication for secure and efficient information transmission, and quantum computing for exponentially accelerated information processing, thereby achieving a revolutionary leap in our ability to understand the material world.
A fundamental requirement for building quantum networks is the long-distance, deterministic distribution of quantum entanglement. However, a major challenge has been the attenuation of quantum signals in optical fibers, which severely limits the distribution distance. To address the signal loss problem in long-distance quantum communication, scientists proposed "quantum repeater" technology. This acts like setting up multiple "relay stations" during the quantum signal's "long journey," generating entanglement between adjacent stations and then linking these segments of entanglement to achieve distribution over vast distances. To ensure the effective realization of quantum entanglement links, the research team achieved long-lifetime quantum entanglement internationally for the first time, guaranteeing that adjacent entanglement could be generated effectively within the entanglement's survival time. This successfully established the basic module for a scalable quantum repeater.
Quantum key distribution is central to the security of quantum communication. In a device-independent scheme, the generated keys remain secure even if the quantum devices themselves are completely untrusted. Previously, the transmission distance for this technology internationally was limited to only a few hundred meters. Leveraging the breakthrough in quantum repeater technology, the Chinese research team realized long-distance, high-fidelity entanglement between atomic nodes and, based on this, broke the 100-kilometer barrier for DI-QKD transmission for the first time.
According to a CCTV news report, Pan Jianwei, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and executive vice president of the University of Science and Technology of China, stated that with another 10 to 15 years of effort, once universal quantum computers become a reality, the basic modules of quantum repeaters and device-independent key distribution could be used to connect all quantum computers into a network. In this scenario, a quantum internet would truly materialize, enabling precise information perception of the world and providing a revolutionary means for understanding the entire material world.
**Movement in Related Concept Stocks**
During today's trading session, several A-share quantum technology concept stocks rallied, with the sector index rising over 1% at one point. At the time of reporting, the Tongdaxin Quantum Technology Index was up 0.90%. Changfei Optical Fiber hit the daily limit-up, Geer Software rose over 8%, Hengtong Optic-Electric gained over 7%, Shengbang Security advanced nearly 7%, Zhongtian Technology and Luobote Ke increased over 5%, while Keda Quantum and Xingtu Xinke, among others, also saw gains.
Quantum computing, based on mechanisms like quantum superposition and entanglement, can achieve exponential acceleration compared to classical computing. It is considered an important supplementary path to overcome the slowing pace of Moore's Law and meet the explosive growth in computing power demand during the AI era. Northeast Securities indicated that, resonating with national strategic guidance and industrial capital investment, the quantum computing industry is swiftly evolving from the laboratory validation stage towards industrial implementation.
Northeast Securities pointed out that the global quantum computing market size grew from $800 million in 2021 to $5.037 billion in 2024, and is projected to reach $219.978 billion by 2030, corresponding to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 87.64%. Furthermore, computing power demands are amplified in the AI era. Against the backdrop of slowing process node advancement and constraints on power density, the future gap between computing power supply and demand may widen. Quantum computing, with its exponential acceleration capabilities afforded by superposition and entanglement, is expected to become a new paradigm for computing power supply.
In the quantum computing industry chain, the upstream and midstream segments—including dilution refrigerators, control and measurement systems, and quantum chips—collectively account for approximately 86% of the value, representing the core part of the chain. In the context of strict export controls on dilution refrigerators and high-end control and measurement equipment by Europe and the United States, domestic companies in China are accelerating independent innovation and import substitution, with some technologies already comparable to leading international counterparts. Competition is intense in midstream complete machine manufacturing; although China started later, it is catching up rapidly with swift development across multiple technical routes. Downstream applications hold relative advantages in areas such as financial risk control, biopharmaceutical R&D, and chemical material design, with the combined market size for related applications potentially exceeding one trillion dollars in the next decade.
Regarding international developments, the global quantum company IonQ recently announced the acquisition of SkyWater for $1.8 billion. It plans to commence functional testing of 200,000-qubit QPUs (supporting 8,000 ultra-high-fidelity logical qubits) by 2028 and has accelerated the R&D for a 2-million-qubit chip by one year, achieving vertical integration from quantum design to manufacturing and packaging.
On the domestic front, a Chinese research team recently utilized the 78-qubit superconducting quantum chip "Zhuangzi 2.0" to conduct, for the first time internationally, systematic research on tunable prethermalization in a periodically (quasi-periodically) randomly driven system simulated on a quantum simulator. This opens up new research directions for artificially driving and controlling quantum systems. The related findings were published in the journal *Nature* on January 28.