The schematic diagram of the 2D superconducting quantum processor. [Photo/Website of the University of Science and Technology of China]

China's top 10 scientific breakthroughs in 2021 were unveiled on Feb 28 by the Ministry of Science and Technology's High Technology Research and Development Center.

The top 10 included quantum advancements from a research team at the Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences at the University of Science and Technology of China.

The researchers created a 62-quantum-bit programmable superconducting quantum computer prototype and demonstrated two-dimensional programmable quantum walks on the system, which is a significant achievement in the field.

The study, led by renowned Chinese quantum physicist Pan Jianwei, was published in the top scientific journal Science last year. The computer prototype was named Zu Chongzhi after the noted 5th century Chinese mathematician and astronomer.