Chinese scientists claim to have created the world’s first light-based quantum computer which can solve problems faster than a classical supercomputer.

Experts hailed the advance as a “major achievement” that provides a fundamentally different approach to designing such powerful machines, the official media reported on Saturday.

Jiuzhang, the quantum computer, can reliably demonstrate “quantum computational advantage”, a milestone in computing, the state-run, China Daily, quoted a study published in the journal Science.

Quantum computers excel at running simulations that are impossible for conventional computers, leading to breakthroughs in materials science, artificial intelligence and medicine. Jiuzhang takes its name from an ancient Chinese mathematical text.

It can perform an extremely esoteric calculation, called Gaussian boson sampling, in 200 seconds. The same task would take the world’s fastest classical supercomputer Fugaku around 600 million years, the report said.

It is the second such milestone after Google declared its 53-qubit quantum computer had achieved such a breakthrough last year.

Jiuzhang used a new method of manipulating 76 photons to do calculations instead of Google’s.Experts hailed China’s quantum computer as a “state-of-the-art experiment” and a “major achievement” in quantum computing, as it proves the feasibility of photonic quantum computation, thus providing a fundamentally different approach to designing such powerful machines.

China has been investing heavily in mastering the quantum technology. In 2017, China had launched quantum communication satellite boosting hack proof and ultra-high security features.