Telecommunications operator China Mobile has signed a deal with startup Origin Quantum to explore whether quantum computing could help overcome the computational demand associated with 5G and 6G networks.

China Mobile is the world’s largest mobile carrier, with over 900 million subscribers. The company’s research institute will work with Origin Quantum to develop algorithms using its superconducting quantum computer, OriginQ Wuyuan.

"This is the first cross-sector cooperation between quantum computing and the telecom industry in China, which has big value in exploring potential applications of quantum computing in big data as well as complex network construction and optimization in the field of mobile communication," said Origin Quantum chief scientist Guo Guoping.

The 5G era saw a huge surge in computing power demands for tasks including signal processing, network optimization, big data analysis and image processing. This is expected to increase further as the industry ramps up for the introduction of 6G in around 2030, as well as the growing challenges of autonomation, network security and the metaverse.

Quantum computing and quantum communication are integral to China’s 2021 Five-Year Plan of social and economic development initiatives.