Rebirth 08: Rise from copycat phones

Chapter 645 Superconducting Quantum Computer Launch Event
At the Shenzhen Qianshan International Convention Center, Xu Shenxue walked slowly across the stage as he spoke: "Our human history has never stopped pursuing computing power, and the development of computing power is directly related to the productivity progress of many industries!"

"In ancient times, people used various calculating boards, and then the abacus."

"In the 19th century, people began to use mechanical computers for complex mathematical calculations!"

"Then people started using electronic computers, and after World War II they began using vacuum tube computers and transistor computers!"

"Next up is the integrated transistor computer, the very large-scale integrated transistor computer!"

"Based on semiconductor technology, electronic computers have gradually developed into the modern electronic computer system that we are all very familiar with today, and which can be seen almost everywhere in our daily lives. There are large supercomputers used for scientific research, and workstations or personal computers used for daily office work, study, and entertainment!"

"Chips for all kinds of purposes are used in almost every corner of modern industry and life... You can even find chips in the simplest, cheapest electronic toys!"

"Electronic computer systems are undoubtedly an important support for modern civilization, but our human demand for computing power has been increasing significantly, especially after the emergence and large-scale application of modern artificial intelligence technology, our society's demand for computing power has increased dramatically!"

"And our Zhiyun Group's pursuit of technology and computing power is endless!"

"So, is there a computing device that can significantly improve computing power? The answer is definitely yes... The concept of quantum computers was proposed many years ago, and many science fiction works have described quantum computers!"

"However, many research teams in reality are still developing quantum computers in the early stages. The number of qubits in those quantum computers ranges from a few dozen to a few hundred, and their performance is extremely limited. They are very limited and can only be used in a very limited number of specific fields. They are still a long way from large-scale practical application!"

"Our Zhiyun Group started research on quantum computers very early on. Thanks to having the world's top and most professional quantum computer R&D team, we finally broke through a series of technical difficulties and finally developed the first quantum computer in human history that can be put into large-scale practical use!"

"Now, please allow me to introduce to you the most significant product in the history of human civilization, which brings together a large number of the most advanced and cutting-edge technologies of human civilization, breaks through the limitations of electronic computer computing power, and overcomes countless impossibilities: the YCL-52 superconducting quantum computer!"

"We have once again created a miracle in the history of human civilization, turning the fantasy of science fiction into reality, thus taking our human civilization a step further!"

As Xu Shenxue spoke, a CG image of the YCL-52 superconducting quantum computer began to appear on the large screen behind him!
The first thing you see is a slowly rotating 3D animation. The exterior is a large black server rack with blue side lights, and the front features the silver-white logo of Zhiyun Group!

The overall appearance isn't really that great; it's just a big cabinet... somewhat like a lithography machine. On the surface, it's just a big cabinet.

However, as the animation slowly rotates, the outer cabinet shell begins to disappear, revealing a very complex internal structure that is completely different from that of an electronic computer.

At this moment, Xu Shenxue continued, "Before this YCL-52 superconducting quantum computer, we had already gone through four generations of superconducting quantum computers. It wasn't until the fifth generation of superconducting quantum computers that the YCL-52 we see today appeared. It is no longer a small-scale, specific research product of the past, but a superconducting quantum computer that can truly be used for large-scale computing power applications, especially artificial intelligence computing power applications!"
"Our fifth-generation superconducting quantum computer uses TK120, the most advanced and best-performing superconducting material currently available to mankind. It is a low-temperature, ambient-pressure superconductor that our Zhiyun Group has painstakingly developed over many years!"

"Under normal pressure, its superconducting temperature only needs to be minus 120 degrees Celsius!"

"Compared to other superconducting materials, its performance improvement is unimaginable!"

Currently, in the superconducting industry, the superconducting temperature of superconductors under normal pressure is generally around -230 degrees Celsius... Further improvements based on this have stumped countless scientists around the world.

The materials scientists at Zhiyun Group used artificial intelligence materials science, leveraging their powerful AI technology to develop materials, and thus created the TK120 superconducting material.

This material is not new; it has been the subject of much discussion in the scientific community for several years, and TK120 superconducting material has already been used in the commercial field.

Galaxy Precision Technology, a subsidiary of Galaxy Biotechnology under Xu Shenxue, uses this superconducting material in a series of nuclear magnetic resonance scanning devices.

Furthermore, because TK120 superconducting material has lower cooling requirements and lower daily use and maintenance costs, the market share of nuclear magnetic resonance scanning equipment under Galaxy Precision Technology has soared significantly. It now occupies more than 90% of the domestic market share and is also exported on a large scale, occupying a considerable share of the international market!

Today, Galaxy Precision Technology, relying on the low operating and maintenance costs of its nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMR) devices brought about by its TK120 superconducting material, as well as the low-cost advantage brought by its well-established supply chain, is frantically seizing the global NMR scanning equipment market. Its global market share has already reached more than 50% and is still growing rapidly... It's just that this market is relatively niche and not very large, so ordinary people don't know much about it!

However, those in the medical industry know that Galaxy Bio is making rapid progress in the field of high-end medical equipment, especially its MRI scanning equipment, which has become a global leader... with the most advanced technology, the largest market share, and the highest revenue!
However, this business doesn't make much money. Galaxy Bio's annual revenue from selling the broad-spectrum anticancer drug Xelocta alone reaches 80 billion US dollars... It's quite exaggerated.

The HT197 neuroimmune enhancer, launched a few years ago, is a bestseller worldwide. When you are sick, you can take this drug to enhance your own immunity and speed up your recovery. You can also take one pill when you are working or living in a high-risk area to temporarily boost your immunity and prevent the invasion of infectious diseases. Since its launch, the annual sales of this drug have reached more than seven billion US dollars.

Many middle-class and above families keep this medicine at home and take it directly as a health supplement.

Many people are obsessed with drugs, foods, and health supplements that boost immunity... Of course, almost all of these health supplements on the market that claim to increase immunity and improve resistance are scams.

Currently, the only over-the-counter immune-enhancing drug that is officially recognized by the medical community and recommended by doctors is HT197 neuroimmune enhancer.

For example, if someone in the family gets a viral cold, other family members, especially children and the elderly, can take HT197 to temporarily boost their immunity and avoid infection to some extent.

Galaxy Bio's main business is Xiluokeda, and its secondary business is HT197. These two businesses account for more than 90% of its revenue and profit.

Then there are a whole bunch of other generic drug businesses acquired or developed in-house, as well as medical equipment and consumables businesses... but compared to a behemoth like Galaxy Bio, none of them are actually that big.

In addition, it has brought a very practical benefit to the Chinese people: with the strength of domestically produced MRI scanning equipment and its low-cost advantage, a large number of small grassroots hospitals can also use it, and the price of MRI examinations has also decreased.

In the past, importing an MRI machine would easily cost tens of millions of yuan, and examining a single area would cost one or two thousand or even several thousand yuan. Now, Galaxy Precision's domestically produced ordinary MRI scanner can be purchased for three or four million yuan, and its operating costs are even lower. This has led to lower prices for patients undergoing MRI examinations.

That's how the high-tech industry works; the emergence of a new technology or a new material can change the entire industry landscape!

Technological breakthroughs in some industries can bring tangible benefits to ordinary people... especially in the medical field.

The TK120 superconducting material is so excellent that it's only natural to use it in the YCL-52 superconducting quantum computer... We can't just release the MMK34 superconducting material, can we?

After giving a lengthy introduction to the TK120 superconducting material, Xu Shenxue then began to introduce the most crucial component of the YCL-52 superconducting quantum computer: the L52 superconducting quantum chip!

"Superconducting quantum chips play a very similar role to semiconductor chips in superconducting quantum computers, but their structure and technological principles are different!"

"In this L52 superconducting quantum chip, we have integrated a massive number of three-dimensional components, supporting up to six thousand controllable qubits!"

"Six thousand controllable qubits are sufficient to achieve large-scale parallel computing, such as for training and operation in the field of artificial intelligence!"

"In order to manufacture this L52 superconducting quantum chip, we specially designed and developed a complete set of production equipment and built a superconducting quantum chip factory that breaks through the limits of human technology!"

"It is only with the support of a large number of top-of-the-line devices that the most advanced human technology at present can we manufacture chips with alignment accuracy deviations controlled within forty nanometers!"

Xu Shenxue then went on to introduce some aspects of the chip's research and development and manufacturing process... Of course, the purpose was not to tell people the specific technical principles or processes, but to emphasize the advanced nature of the technology... In short, he kept boasting about how amazing this quantum chip was and how amazing the production line that manufactured it was!
While Xu Shenxue was boasting, many senior managers from various companies in the audience, who came from technical backgrounds, were secretly pondering what was going on.

This so-called fifth-generation superconducting quantum chip seems to be too difficult to manufacture. The precision required for alignment deviation is too high, and some existing equipment simply cannot produce it.

Moreover, it wasn't made using traditional semiconductor equipment... After all, everyone knows that Zhiyun Group has the world's most advanced semiconductor equipment. Since they didn't use this semiconductor equipment to process the fifth-generation quantum chip, there must be a reason!

And that makes things even more difficult!
Damn, these lunatics at Zhiyun Group actually built an entire production line just to manufacture quantum chips, creating top-tier equipment that didn't exist before.

How are they supposed to imitate or plagiarize this? They don't even know what equipment they need... and even if they did, it would be very difficult to replicate it.

If it were easy, Xu Shenxue wouldn't have been bragging on stage... He was only exaggerating because he was certain you couldn't do it in a short time. While many in the audience were preoccupied with their own thoughts, Xu Shenxue continued explaining on stage.

At this point, he had already moved on to the software level and started introducing the more core LX algorithm architecture... However, Xu Shenxue did not provide much information about this most core technology in the entire quantum computer technology, and he did not even explain the principles.

Simply put, based on their unique LX algorithm architecture, they are able to significantly increase the number of controllable qubits.

It only mentioned its function, but not its technical principles, let alone its detailed technical features...

This left many people confused.

Having discussed the LX architecture, we've covered most of the YCL-52 superconducting quantum computer itself, but there's still a lot more to introduce.

After all, this is a superconducting quantum computer that can be applied on a large scale in practice. You have to get customers to use it and realize its commercial value.

Therefore, he also needs to introduce the supporting electronic computer system...

The YCL series superconducting quantum computer developed by Zhiyun Group cannot be used as a standalone computing system; it needs to be used in conjunction with a traditional electronic computer.

Zhiyun Group's Zhiyun Cloud Computing has specially developed and matched GTL series servers. These servers use Zhiyun Group's self-developed server CPUs, APO series graphics cards, enterprise-grade memory, and flash memory.

The combination of these two is actually the second-generation integrated computing center system that Zhiyun Group has been using for several years!

Normally, a YCL-51 superconducting quantum computer is often paired with a large number of GTL computing servers to form a basic computing unit.

Zhiyun Group will use dozens or even hundreds of computing power units to form a large-scale second-generation integrated artificial intelligence computing power center.

Of course, this is for internal use only. If it's for export, it depends on the customer's financial situation!
If the customer doesn't have much money, setting up a separate computing unit is also an option.

However... the YCL-52 superconducting quantum computer is not sold separately!
This isn't about bundling sales to make more money; if it were sold separately, this thing wouldn't be usable... Without the GTL server developed by Zhiyun Cloud Computing to support it, the YCL-52 quantum computer simply cannot unleash its powerful performance.

Therefore, in the second half of the presentation, Xu Shenxue focused on introducing the integrated system named 'Zhiyun Quantum Integrated Computing Power System'.

From operating systems to the accompanying computer servers, to dedicated operating systems, and dedicated supporting application software and development software, etc.

What he's going to introduce today isn't a single quantum computer product, but a complete quantum computing system, which includes not only the hardware products but also various supporting software!
This quantum computing system, which combines hardware and software ecosystem, is unprecedented. Everything in it was developed or specially customized by Zhiyun Group.

As Xu Shenxue on stage eloquently introduced this comprehensive computing power system, many executives from large companies in the audience were already feeling a bit uneasy.

Especially Google, Microsoft and other large companies that are also developing quantum computers. They originally thought they would copy and imitate it and create a superconducting quantum computer themselves.

But I never expected it to be so complicated!
Superconducting quantum computers are inherently very difficult to develop. Superconducting materials are relatively good, and other superconducting materials can be substituted. They may be slightly inferior, but at worst, the power consumption will be higher.

But quantum chips are not easy to develop... Of course, even if they are not easy, at least we can see the technological direction. If all else fails, we can gather a group of suppliers to continue research and development, and eventually we will be able to develop them.

However, the LX algorithm architecture, which Xu Shenxue didn't elaborate on, was quite frustrating. Just by listening to it, you could tell it was based on artificial intelligence technology, and in the field of artificial intelligence technology, they were far behind Zhiyun Group.

It's impossible to imitate!
Besides the superconducting quantum computer itself, the supporting electronic computer system is also incredibly complex... The server CPUs, GPUs, memory, and flash memory are all relatively good, and they can get some inferior alternatives. However, how to make them work together with the superconducting quantum computer is a huge challenge.

This also involves many subsystems that Xu Shenxue didn't explain in much detail... and they don't even know what the function of many of these subsystems is. When they looked at the pictures, they also saw that these subsystems contain many specialized chips!

Since Zhiyun Group doesn't say anything, who knows what these chips are used for or how they were designed?

The entire system was so complex that it left them feeling hopeless!

Trying to imitate or plagiarize is extremely difficult!

However, what excited many company representatives present was that, according to Xu Shenxue on stage, this quantum computing integrated computing power system has very high computing power and lower computing power cost!
High total computing power means the ability to break limits and support the training and operation of better algorithms.

The electricity cost of computing power is lower, needless to say... In the field of artificial intelligence, the electricity cost required for computing power is the most important operating cost, which is also very important.

According to Xu Shenxue, the energy consumption per unit of computing power of the quantum computing system is only 50% of that of the latest APO6000 graphics card-based electronic computer system.

The computing power has a significant advantage in terms of electricity cost!
The question now is how much the hardware of this 'Zhiyun Quantum Integrated Computing Power System' will cost. If the hardware is too expensive, then the low electricity cost will not be very meaningful. The only advantage is that it breaks through the computing power limit and can obtain double the computing power with the same amount of electricity.

Therefore, many people are now worried about the price of this quantum computing system!

At the end of the press conference, Xu Shenxue finally announced the price of the system.

According to the standard configuration recommended by engineers from Zhiyun Group, a computing unit consists of one YCL-52 superconducting quantum computer paired with one hundred GTL servers with APO6000 graphics cards as the core, as well as corresponding switches and other subsystem supporting equipment.

The price of the 4,000-qubit version: 520 million yuan
The price of the 5,000-qubit version is 560 million yuan.

The price of the 6,000-qubit version is 590 million yuan.

In fact, if customers have special requirements, a single YCL-52 superconducting quantum computer can be paired with fewer or more GTL servers. The recommended range is between fifty and two hundred servers, depending on the customer's specific needs.

Based on the recommended configuration of 6,000 qubits, one computing unit costs 590 million. If you were to build 100 computing units, the cost of purchasing these units alone would be 59 billion.

Upon hearing this price and calculating the investment cost of the quantum computing center, many business leaders in the audience couldn't help but swallow hard... It's damn expensive.

But... I really want it!
Based on this price, and considering the subsequent reduction in power operating costs, it still has a significant cost advantage compared to current mainstream GT series servers used in computing centers. This is especially true for large-scale computing centers, where the overall computing cost remains highly competitive.

The large companies in the audience are already figuring out how to grab production capacity... Xu Shenxue just said that the current production capacity of superconducting quantum computers is limited.

Looking at their competitors, they were all envious and couldn't wait to place an order.

This production capacity is too good to pass up!

Some ordinary companies that were unable to attend the press conference but were also interested in this superconducting quantum computer and wanted to deploy GTAI were hesitant after hearing the price... Many companies have not invested more than 500 million yuan in the field of artificial intelligence.

Many companies simply invest a few million or tens of millions of dollars to set up a few GT series servers and then deploy a local GTAI application.

The superconducting quantum computer released today, with its Zhiyun quantum integrated computing power system, has a starting price of over 500 million yuan for a single computing unit... If that's too expensive, we'll just stick to using Zhiyun's GT series GPU servers!

We're better off without this superconducting quantum computer!
It's normal for ordinary small and medium-sized enterprises to think this way, but it's different for large enterprises, especially those in the internet and high-tech industries. Their investments in artificial intelligence are often in the tens of billions, or even hundreds of billions or trillions.

A superconducting quantum computer costing over 500 million is not considered expensive, and the entire superconducting computing center has a significant overall cost-performance advantage compared to a computing center composed of GT servers!
This is a must-buy!
(End of this chapter)