Hefei's Quantum Trio at 2026 World Manufacturing Convention: Origin Wukong-180 and a 100 kg Satellite Ground Station

Forum topic · 小凯 · 2026-09-22

Summary

At the 2026 World Manufacturing Convention, which opened on September 20 in Hefei, three representative quantum companies showcased the city's full quantum industry chain. Origin Quantum presented the Origin Wukong-180 superconducting quantum processor, launched May 12, 2026, featuring 180 computational qubits plus 251 coupling qubits on a single chip, 99.9% single-qubit gate fidelity, and 99% two-qubit gate fidelity, driven by the Tianji 4.0 control system. QuantumCTek displayed a miniaturized quantum satellite ground station reduced from 13 tons to 100 kg, cutting deployment time from months to 3–5 hours, complementing the Micius satellite and the 2022 Jinan-1 microsatellite, which achieved real-time satellite-to-ground key distribution published in Nature in March 2025. CIQTEK exhibited a post-quantum cryptography machine aligned with NIST's 2024 standards. Hefei now hosts over 100 quantum companies with 6 billion yuan in cumulative chain revenue, ranked first in China and second globally.

The 2026 World Manufacturing Convention, which opened on September 20, put three flagship companies of Hefei's quantum industry chain in the spotlight. Origin Quantum unveiled the Origin Wukong-180 superconducting quantum processor, QuantumCTek brought a miniaturized quantum satellite ground station, and CIQTEK showed a post-quantum cryptography machine. The three exhibits span quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum security — but share the same Hefei foundation: USTC, Hefei National Laboratory, and a decade of industry-chain revenue totaling 6 billion yuan (~USD 840M).

What Makes the 180-Qubit Chip Notable

"Origin Wukong-180" is the core processing unit of the fourth-generation domestic superconducting quantum computer, which went online on May 12, 2026. Three key numbers:

180 computational qubits (single chip), plus 251 coupling qubits for connectivity
Single-qubit gate fidelity: 99.9%
Two-qubit gate fidelity: 99%

Only a handful of institutions worldwide can deliver 100+ qubit superconducting quantum computers, and Origin Quantum is the only Chinese company among them. The "Tianji 4.0" measurement and control system (released May 6, 2025) handles signal generation, acquisition, and control, supporting 500+ qubit scale.

The third-generation "Origin Wukong" (72-qubit Wukong chip) went online in January 2024 and, as of September, has served users in 192 countries and regions, completing over 1.3 million quantum computing tasks. While the third generation was still running, the fourth generation was already on the exhibition floor — an unbroken "deploy one, build the next" cadence.

Satellite Ground Station: From 13 Tons to 100 kg

The miniaturized ground station is the exhibit with the most dramatic scale change. Weight dropped from 13 tons to 100 kg, and deployment time compressed from months to 3–5 hours. Previously, such equipment was truck-sized and required a dedicated machine room; now it can be carried by one person and installed on mountainsides or city rooftops.

Combined with the Micius quantum science satellite (launched 2016, 600+ kg) and the 2022 Jinan-1 quantum microsatellite (98 kg), China has pushed satellite-to-ground quantum key distribution to the level of 1 million bits of secure key per satellite pass — a result published in *Nature* in March 2025.

Why the "Three Horses" Gathered in Hefei

Hefei's quantum industry rests on four pillars:

USTC (Pan Jianwei, Du Jiangfeng teams, etc.)
Hefei National Laboratory (quantum science and technology direction)
Quantum Industry Science and Technology Park (under construction, with pilot-testing and cryptography inspection platforms)
A dedicated quantum industry fund (patient capital)

Hefei now hosts 100+ quantum-related companies with 6 billion yuan in total industry-chain revenue — first in China, second globally. Micius, Zuchongzhi 3.0, and the world's first quantum microsatellite all came from here.

The Chinese Quantum Path Behind the Exhibits

Read together, the three exhibits sketch a coherent path: computing provides the hardware base for "quantum advantage," communication provides infrastructure for a "quantum internet," and security provides alternatives when quantum computing threatens classical cryptography.

The post-quantum line deserves special attention. Origin's "Panshi" post-quantum server cryptography machine is already deployed in government document encryption, financial transaction protection, and cloud data storage. Quantum computing does not yet truly threaten RSA, but the threat is already in the rules: NIST's 2024 post-quantum standards (ML-KEM, ML-DSA, SLH-DSA) are driving a global migration, and Chinese vendors showcasing such products are betting on the next five to ten years of compliance cycles.

What to Watch

Fourth-gen Wukong's open access: external task throughput on the 180-qubit system is the primary indicator, given the third generation's 1.3M+ tasks.
Ground station replication: from prototype to scaled procurement likely takes another 12–18 months.
Post-quantum standards adoption: entry into financial and government procurement lists is key to commercialization.
Zuchongzhi 3.0 follow-up: the relationship between the Hefei National Laboratory superconducting prototype and Origin Wukong-180 still needs clarification.

Sources

1. Sina / Hefei Evening News, "Quantum 'Three Horses' Shine at the Manufacturing Convention" (Sep 22): exhibit details, Hefei industry data, 6B yuan chain revenue. 2. China Workers' Network, "2026 World Manufacturing Convention Opens in Hefei" (Sep 21): convention scale, exhibition zones, Sep 20–23 schedule. 3. People's Daily Online Anhui, "Inside the 2026 World Manufacturing Convention" (Sep 21): Origin Wukong-180 alongside iFlytek Spark platform, BEST device. 4. Toutiao, "China's Quantum Computers Start Taking Orders: 180 Qubits on Display Today" (Sep 21): third-gen historical data (139 countries / 20M visits / 339K tasks), fourth-gen fidelities and rollout cadence.