Today's most advanced quantum computers use around five qubits, which may sound underwhelming. But 100 qubits can do around 1.3 nonillion (1 followed by 30 zeros) calculations - over 10 quadrillion times larger than the global GDP in 2014.

Quantum computers also use a fraction of the energy that supercomputers use because only a few dozen qubits are required to unleash enormous computing powers, Zhu said. In addition, Chinese scientists have discovered new, energy efficient ways to keep the computer at temperatures needed to operate, further reducing costs.

Due to the potential of quantum computing, the United States, the United Kingdom and other European nations are in a race for quantum supremacy.

High-tech companies, such as IBM, Google, Microsoft and Intel, also are developing quantum computers using different subatomic particles, such as electronics or superconducting elements.

What makes China's photon quantum computer special is its resistance to interference and ability to scale up, said Lu Chaoyang, a quantum physicist at the University of Science and Technology of China.

"Unlike electrons or protons found in other quantum computers, photons do not generally react with the environment, so photon quantum computers are more stable," he said.

"China is also the world leader in optics technology, so we have the resources and expertise to quickly increase the size of our computers."

Apart from increasing the hardware, Chinese scientists also are developing software and a new programming language to fully utilize the power of quantum computing, he added.