Rebirth 08: Rise from copycat phones

Chapter 640 Superconducting Quantum Computer Leaks

Across the Pacific Ocean, in Silicon Valley, at Google's headquarters.

A group of executives sat in the conference room, many of them with furrowed brows.

"We have confirmed this through special channels. This information came from the intelligence department, so it should be quite accurate. After all, they have no reason to fabricate such a lie!"

"A superconducting quantum computer, and a superconducting quantum computer that can be put into large-scale practical use. How exactly did the people at Zhiyun manage to build it?"

"We have been developing quantum computers for many years, but at present we only have a few hundred controllable qubits. This number of controllable qubits is simply not enough to support large-scale computing. It can only be used in a very few special fields and has no practical commercial value!"

"And how did they do it?"

"Furthermore, what performance level has their superconducting quantum computer actually achieved? If it's to be used on a large scale, has it already reached a thousand qubits? Or even two thousand? But even if it does reach that number, practical application would be extremely difficult, still requiring the support of special algorithms!"

The middle-aged man on the other side, holding a cigar and exhaling smoke, said, "One or two thousand qubits probably aren't enough. I guess it's already reached five thousand qubits. According to our quantum computer team's technical estimates, at least five thousand qubits are needed!"

"Especially since the intelligence clearly mentioned that the Zhiyun Group is using superconducting quantum computers in the field of artificial intelligence, five thousand qubits is already the minimum required for performing inference calculations!"

The elderly man opposite him said, "What should we do now? In this competition in the field of artificial intelligence, we were already far behind. Now, Zhiyun Group has even obtained the assistance of superconducting quantum computers, while we have not. In the long run, the technological gap between us in the field of artificial intelligence will only widen!"

The man with the cigar said, "What else can we do? Naturally, we should increase investment in the research and development of superconducting quantum computers. We should provide money and manpower as needed. In addition, we should try every means to obtain the core secrets of Zhiyun Group's superconducting quantum computer. Ideally, we should be able to get the technical principle documents. If that's not possible, we can get the design blueprints and conduct reverse engineering. We can't have nothing at all. We don't even know their technical principles right now!"

"We can't just ignore this, otherwise we'll fall even further behind in the field of artificial intelligence. And don't expect Xu Shenxue to sell us a superconducting quantum computer easily. Even if he does, it will be at an astronomical price. That guy has always been a heartless person."

"And you should never expect him to license his superconducting quantum computer technology to us. I believe you all know him well. On the surface, he talks about globalization and that Zhiyun is a human-made smart cloud, but in reality, he is very narrow-minded. He even wants to keep the screw industry used to make mobile phones under his nose!"

"Not to mention advanced technologies like superconducting quantum computers, so the best approach is to develop them independently while simultaneously trying to acquire them through intelligence channels!"

"However, obtaining technical information through intelligence is extremely risky. The people who do intelligence work are not easy to fool. We need to prepare sufficient public relations funds, and we can increase the amount of lobbying funds for those congressmen!"

"In addition, we should also send our own people to try it out. Although the abilities of ordinary business intelligence personnel are relatively weak, there is no harm in giving it a try, and it won't cost much!"

Google quickly confirmed the news that Zhiyun Group was secretly developing and using a superconducting quantum computer, and reacted quickly... a large amount of secret funds began to be mobilized.

Several other major American companies reacted similarly: Damn, the news of the large-scale practical application of superconducting quantum computers is terrifying; it scared them.

If you were to say that Xu Shenxue has developed something like three-nanometer or even two-nanometer technology, achieved several hundred gigabytes of high-bandwidth memory, or developed APO graphics cards with better performance, they wouldn't have reacted this strongly... They do have advanced semiconductor technology, and they do have advanced computing cards based on it.

Although AMD's computing cards have lower performance and a weaker ecosystem, they are still available in practice.

Their continued purchase of APO graphics cards was purely out of business cost considerations... AMD's graphics cards were too poorly made and incompatible with the YCDA ecosystem, making it impossible to use a large number of big data model algorithms that Zhiyun Group had made freely available, such as the GTAI model.

But at least there's a backup. If that madman Xu Shenxue stops selling APO one day, they'll have a backup plan... Even though the cost will be very high, they can grit their teeth and keep the artificial intelligence technology going.

However, superconducting quantum computers... they were completely stumped by this, having no corresponding technology and no backup!

According to reliable intelligence, Zhiyun Group is using superconducting quantum computers on a large scale for the training and operation of artificial intelligence. This not only reduces its computing power costs but also enables it to develop better artificial intelligence technologies.

Therefore, they also want to obtain this superconducting quantum computer!

If they can buy it from Xu Shenxue, they will; if not, they will have to find a way to obtain the technology and then conduct reverse research... In short, they must obtain superconducting quantum computer technology.

These large, high-tech American companies wield enormous influence and are the main entities controlled by those conglomerates... The top conglomerates hidden beneath the surface are also anxious upon hearing the news.

As a result, all sorts of actions began... all kinds of illegal individuals who had been hiding before started to move around.

Moreover, in just a few days, hundreds of illegal individuals from various countries and conglomerates flocked to the area...

These are all clandestine operations, while various open actions have also begun.

They also looked through the catalog of advanced technology blockades, studied the market, and saw what benefits or technologies could be exchanged with Xu Shenxue.

They were trying to get Xu Shenxue to sell the superconducting quantum computer... as for Xu Shenxue directly selling the technology, they didn't have any hope of that.

It would be great if we could buy a superconducting quantum computer, use it, and take it apart to conduct research.

Hoping Xu Shenxue will directly sell the technology is less reliable than hoping he'll get killed by an assassin someday...

However, there is still some hope that by exchanging favors, Xu Shenxue could lift export restrictions and allow the export of superconducting quantum computers!

Well, forget about threatening him. Ordinary threats won't work on Xu Shenxue; he simply ignores you... Xu Shenxue is like a rock in a latrine—stinky and stubborn. Over the years, he has never been afraid of threats.

You block him, he blocks you; you sanction me, I sanction you… He never knows what it means to back down.

If they're going to play dirty tricks, this lunatic might even dare to throw rockets into your house...

They are all among the top people in the world. There's no need for them to fall out over a new technology and live in constant fear... It's ridiculous to be fighting and killing every day!

In the early years, when I was learning assassination techniques from Xu Shenxue, those days of having to take dozens of bodyguards with me wherever I went and living in fear were not easy.

So, competition is competition, but we can't go too far, especially with threats and the like... In short, we can't stoop to the level of a madman!
As I said before, the world is not black and white!

The interests of conglomerates and ordinary people are not aligned!
They felt that there was a possibility of cooperating with Xu Shenxue on this matter!

The large conglomerates were alarmed and began trying to find out more details, then figuring out how to purchase the superconducting quantum computer from Xu Shenxue.

The media and ordinary people alike reacted as if they had encountered a major news story, with the news media in particular reporting intensively, offering various speculations and analyses.

Ordinary people who follow the development of the technology industry are also paying attention to it every day...

After all, this is a superconducting quantum computer, and a large-scale, practical superconducting quantum computer at that. It is crucial to the overall development of science and technology, and we can't afford to ignore it.

As for most ordinary people... they just watch the excitement and then turn around to pay attention to other trending news.

Not everyone pays attention to national affairs, the latest developments in the technology industry, or the future impact... Most people are more concerned with their daily meals, their family and friends, and at most, they just watch the excitement and leave a comment on the big events outside!
Then they turned around and forgot about it.

Even so, the news that Zhiyun Group had developed and was using superconducting quantum computers on a large scale still swept the globe like a whirlwind, making headlines in numerous media outlets around the world.

This is true not only abroad, but also domestically!
Numerous news reports reprinted from abroad also made Chinese people aware: Wow, Zhiyun Group has actually developed such cutting-edge technology as a superconducting quantum computer? Is it true?
Previously, it was said that Zhiyun Group's superconducting quantum computer was still at the stage of several hundred qubits. Moreover, there were rumors that Zhiyun Group's technological research and development in the field of superconducting quantum computers was not going smoothly, and that they had already begun to switch to the photonic quantum computer technology route.

In April of this year, Zhiyun Group released a briefing stating that it had achieved a technological breakthrough in the development of photonic quantum computers, with the number of controllable qubits reaching more than 500.

But even a quantum computer with 500 qubits is unusable... At best, it can only be used in a very few specific computing fields, and has little commercial value.

Now, a large number of foreign news media outlets are saying that Zhiyun Group has developed a practical superconducting quantum computer, and some foreign media outlets are even confidently stating that Zhiyun Group's superconducting quantum computer has more than 5,000 qubits and may even reach 10,000.

That's really strange!

While many netizens found it strange, a large number of them also felt proud... We Chinese have developed a practical quantum computer, that's awesome!

As expected of Zhiyun Group, a leading company in the global high-tech industry, they don't make a move unless they're absolutely sure of it, and when they do, they come up with some cutting-edge technology.

Amidst a flurry of speculation and reports about superconducting quantum computers, countless media outlets contacted the public relations department of Zhiyun Group, seeking accurate information. However, Zhiyun Group's public relations department was not authorized and, in fact, unaware of the relevant information, was unable to provide any answers.

At first, there was silence, then they said I knew nothing about it and could not provide any relevant information.

In short, no official response has been given! While the outside world is in an uproar, the senior management of Zhiyun Group has held several meetings to discuss follow-up strategies... The superconducting quantum computer has been exposed, so the next step is to formulate a corresponding strategy: whether to continue to keep it hidden or to selectively release some information.

Meanwhile, senior executives of Zhiyun Group have also received inquiries from large companies such as Google and Microsoft, asking about the authenticity of the superconducting quantum computer, its performance, and whether it is for sale!

At the same time, Xu Shenxue himself also received secret phone calls from consortia in the United States and Europe... They were asking about the authenticity of the superconducting quantum computer and the possibility of cooperation in the field of superconducting quantum computers... In short, they were asking Xu Shenxue if he would sell this superconducting quantum computer.

If you're willing to sell, the price is negotiable!
They also said that we had a very pleasant collaboration on APO graphics cards. I spent money selling graphics cards to support the advancement of artificial intelligence technology, while you made a lot of money selling graphics cards... and we could also work together to promote the overall global development of the artificial intelligence industry. Although you took the lion's share, we could also take a small share, and everyone would make a profit.

It is said that similar collaborative cases can be emulated in the field of superconducting quantum computing!
Of course, it also implies... Now that you, Xu Shenxue, have a superconducting quantum computer, you already have a huge advantage in artificial intelligence, so it's not good for us to keep up... But you can't take all the benefits. We've also contributed a lot to the overall development of the artificial intelligence industry, so we should share the profits. I have no objection to you taking the lion's share, but you have to leave me with the smaller share!
We're all eating from the same pot of artificial intelligence; you can't just take the pot away!
If you want to take all the benefits, we can just part ways and go our separate ways...

Because of the leak of information about the superconducting quantum computer, Xu Shenxue has received a lot of phone calls in the past few days, and he is hesitant for a while.

So these past few days I've been having continuous meetings with senior management from the group, not just from Zhiyun Group, but also from Liuhe Investment and Fairy Mountain Holdings.

The main discussion revolves around the various impacts of the exposure of superconducting quantum computers, including the effects of selling or not selling them.

We must always discuss the pros and cons and choose the most advantageous solution!
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Chen Qulin, head of the security department of Zhiyun Group, also took the initiative to apologize to Xu Shenxue for this.

However, Xu Shenxue did not scold Chen Qulin too much, because he also knew that it was already very difficult for the superconducting quantum computer project to be kept secret until now.

At the beginning, superconducting quantum computers were naturally a top-secret project, known to very few people, making security work easy.

However, with the large-scale application of the YCL-51 superconducting quantum computer, and with the presence of YCL-51 superconducting quantum computers in artificial intelligence computing centers built in recent years, more and more people are aware of the existence of this project.

On one hand, there are technical and production personnel involved in the research and development and production of superconducting quantum computers, which is no small number.

Then, during the transportation, installation, debugging, and subsequent operation of the artificial intelligence computing center, a large number of technical personnel will inevitably be involved.

Within the Zhiyun Group alone, there are several hundred people who know the details of the YCL-51 project, and several thousand more who know only a portion of the information.

It's really difficult to keep so many people from leaking information... It's already quite an achievement that the superconducting quantum computer project has been kept secret until now, especially since the superconducting quantum computer is not a military project, but a commercial project that has been gradually applied on a large scale.

It's actually very difficult to keep any information from outsiders, but Xu Shenxue still warned the head of the security department that if people find out about the superconducting quantum computer project, they will find out, but the core technology of the superconducting quantum computer must be kept strictly confidential, especially the room-temperature superconducting material MMK34 and the more core quantum manipulation algorithm, which must be kept completely confidential!

As long as these two core secrets are not leaked, there shouldn't be a big problem.

Hmph, so what if outsiders know I have a superconducting quantum computer? They still don't know how I made it!

Furthermore, we must find the source of this leak and resolve it!
Otherwise, who knows what secrets might be leaked next, and there's a lot of confidential information in the Zhiyun Group.

It has a large number of defense projects, especially the extremely core 'Project X'.

Then there are the numerous top-notch research achievements from the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute. These research achievements are related to the core algorithms of artificial intelligence. Their level of confidentiality is so strict that even the project code name cannot be exposed, and not a single punctuation mark of the related technology can be leaked!
Furthermore, the underlying core technologies of core new businesses such as intelligent robots and virtual devices must also be kept strictly confidential.

Then there are various core technologies related to computing chips, advanced semiconductor manufacturing technologies, such as the core technologies of advanced processes like 5nm and 3nm, the core technologies of high-bandwidth memory, and so on.

The Zhiyun Group has a plethora of advanced technologies, and many of the core technologies of these advanced technologies are top secret and absolutely cannot be leaked.

Security departments must ensure that these cutting-edge technologies are not leaked!

Chen Qulin, the head of the security department, also spoke fiercely to Xu Shenxue, saying that he would give him three more days and he would definitely find the mole.

It was also stated that the security department will soon launch a large-scale internal review to eliminate security risks within the department and conduct a security review of the entire group!

Before long, the security department of Zhiyun Group launched a large-scale internal security audit, using the security artificial intelligence model deployed within the group to conduct a detailed review of any employee who could access the company's core secrets.

Furthermore, they received special permission from relevant law enforcement agencies to access sensitive information such as bank accounts and spending records of some employees involved in confidential projects.

We use big data analytics to identify anomalies and eliminate potential security risks!
The security and counter-espionage methods of the Zhiyun Group also employ high technology... but they are very different from the investigative activities that people see in movies and TV dramas.

They're playing with big data... Under big data, any slight anomaly, especially anomalies in funds or travel patterns, will be flagged by the system and then further investigated manually.

In fact, it's not just the security department within Zhiyun Group that's conducting a large-scale security risk investigation; domestic security agencies are also investigating... Many of Zhiyun Group's secrets are not just trade secrets, but also state secrets.

The security of many of the core secrets of the Zhiyun Group has always been carried out in cooperation between the Zhiyun Group's security department and security agencies.

However, even the security department within the Zhiyun Group can't handle it... There are many things that are difficult to manage, and they don't have the authority.

While Chen Qulin from the security department was conducting an internal audit, Xu Shenxue was continuously discussing countermeasures with the company's senior management!
A few days later, Xu Shenxue flew to Beijing for a meeting.

After the meeting, they returned to headquarters and held another senior management meeting. The participants were the group's senior vice president and a few group vice presidents related to the superconducting quantum computer project.

The purpose of the meeting was simple: to decide whether to sell superconducting quantum computers to other companies, especially overseas companies!
At the start of the meeting, Xu Shenxue asked the chief scientist of the superconducting quantum computer project to analyze: If we sell the superconducting quantum computer, can we prevent our competitors from conducting reverse engineering? Can the technology be kept secret?
In response to this question, the scientist explained: "Most of the subsystems and components of our superconducting quantum computer project are not classified information, and many competitors can do the same. The real core technologies are two: one is the MMK34 material, which significantly reduces energy consumption, but this material is an absolute secret and cannot be disclosed under any circumstances, let alone exported!"

"Project MMK34, even its project codename is top secret!"

"However, while MMK34 superconducting material is important in our superconducting quantum computer system, it is not irreplaceable. We can completely replace it with conventional superconducting materials. Our group also has other very good low-temperature superconducting materials that can replace it, namely TK120 superconducting material."

"TK120 material has been widely used in equipment such as nuclear magnetic resonance and has been publicly commercialized. However, using this material will increase the power consumption of our superconducting quantum computer many times over."

"What truly determines the performance of our superconducting quantum computer is the 'LX algorithm architecture,' an algorithm that uses artificial intelligence technology to predict and intervene in qubits. It is the LX algorithm architecture that enables us to achieve breakthroughs from hundreds of qubits to tens of thousands of qubits!"

"We've done a pretty good job of keeping the algorithm secure. After encryption, the algorithm is directly encapsulated in a specially customized chip, and multiple self-destruct programs are set up. Currently, there is no technology in the world that can crack our algorithm sealing technology!"

"We have previously applied similar technical methods to intelligent robots, virtual equipment projects, and even the confidentiality of autonomous driving technology at Hailan Auto, which also uses similar algorithm encryption and encapsulation technology!"

"Theoretically speaking, we are capable of keeping it secret. Not to mention our competitors, even if we ourselves wanted to try to crack it, we couldn't!"

"As long as we can keep the core LX algorithm a secret and use TK120 superconducting material, we are not afraid of our competitors reverse engineering it... At most, they can only imitate it, but the difficulty of imitation will be extremely high. At least at this stage, and even for many years to come, they will not be able to imitate it... This is because it involves the core underlying algorithm of artificial intelligence, and they are far behind us in this aspect!"

"To put it another way, if they could mimic our LX architecture, then the technical level of their core AI algorithms should be comparable to ours about three years ago, which is impossible... If they had that level of technology, they could have achieved huge technological breakthroughs in many fields such as intelligent robots, virtual devices, and autonomous driving, instead of being unable to do anything as they are now!"

"Overall, the risk of technology leakage from selling superconducting quantum computers is theoretically non-existent at present!"

"In addition, if we want to maintain our technological advantage, we can also sell a reduced-performance version of the superconducting quantum computer, keeping the number of qubits to five thousand. Such a superconducting quantum computer can still be used for artificial intelligence training and operation."

At this time, Professor Lin Andong, chief scientist of the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, also said: "Selling superconducting quantum computers will not have a significant impact on our leading advantage in artificial intelligence technology, because the core of our advanced artificial intelligence technology lies in the underlying core algorithms and more advanced mathematical theories... rather than just hardware leadership."

At this moment, Professor Lin Andong smiled and said, "It's not that I look down on them, but even if I showed them my paper directly, they wouldn't understand it without my personal explanation!"

"When it comes to math, if you don't know it, you just don't know it. There's no way to cheat!"

Although Xu Shenxue already knew this, he nodded slightly upon hearing Professor Lin Andong's words. Since there was no issue of technology leakage, he would use the superconducting quantum computer as leverage to exchange for sufficient benefits with the other party.

A few days ago, after repeated meetings with his senior management team and another trip to Beijing, he has basically decided, after comprehensive consideration, that the weakened version of the superconducting quantum computer can be sold, and that they should continue to pursue the dumping route to suppress the other party's motivation for independent research and development.

But we must also reap sufficient benefits in return!
This time, he must take a big bite out of the good stuff!

After the meeting, Xu Shenxue made a phone call to the American consortium. During the call, he acknowledged the authenticity of the superconducting quantum computer technology and also indicated that it was available for sale!

But you must show enough sincerity!

(End of this chapter)