TWO major research breakthroughs made by Shenzhen scientists have entered the list of China’s top 10 scientific advances of 2023. The list was unveiled by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) on Thursday.

Covering frontier fields such as life sciences, artificial intelligence, quantum science, astronomy, and energy, the list, in its 19th version this year, showcased the country’s leadership in global scientific innovation.

The Pangu AI model, developed by Shenzhen-based Huawei, stands out among the celebrated achievements with its capability to predict weather conditions at a speed 10,000 times faster than conventional methods.

The precise and accurate global AI weather forecast system was based on deep learning and trained with 39 years of global weather data. In seconds, the model can accurately predict detailed meteorological features including humidity, wind speed, temperature, and sea level pressure. This advancement could significantly enhance accuracy in weather forecasting, potentially saving lives during severe weather events.

The second breakthrough was made by a team of Shenzhen researchers from the Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering, the Southern University of Science and Technology,  led by Yu Dapeng,  an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.  The breakthrough was in the field of quantum error correction (QEC) based on superconducting quantum circuits, contributing to the development of quantum computing.

Similar to classical digital electronic computers, quantum computers also make errors. Once an error occurs during the operation of a quantum computer, the specific cause must be detected promptly and repaired quickly. This process is known as “quantum error correction.”

The Shenzhen team has extended the storage time of quantum information through real-time repetitive quantum error correction technology, surpassing the break-even point for the first time internationally, demonstrating the advantages of quantum error correction.

Quantum computing’s break-even point refers to the point at which the computational tasks or problems that can be solved using quantum computers surpass the capabilities of classical computers.

Currently, quantum computing technology is one of the strategic fields that the world’s major powers are vying for supremacy in. As China’s Silicon Valley, Shenzhen has great potential in the field of quantum technology, according to Yu.              (Li Jing)