Despite being at the forefront of scientific research technology globally, 80% is still dependent on imports. A professor from the Chinese Academy of Sciences finally breaks the overseas monopoly on high-end time-frequency instruments | Exclusive Interview by Yingke

Author | Zhao Siqi

Editor | Peng Xiaoqiu

There is a high - end scientific research technology in which China has ranked among the world's top, but its commercial market is restricted by others. 80% of the components are imported, and under the embargo, some components "can't be bought even with money".

This is the high - end time - frequency instrument. In fact, as early as the 1970s, China developed its first rubidium atomic clock. Subsequently, Tiangong 2 carried the world's first on - orbit cold atomic clock, which ran continuously for three years with an accuracy of one second of error in 42 million years.

As the core time - frequency device with the highest measurement accuracy in the world at present, the atomic clock is the "space - time heart" of modern society, supporting the operation basis of various industries, from information transmission within nanoseconds in 6G communication, centimeter - level positioning of the GNSS global navigation system, microsecond - level synchronization of the power grid, to the collaborative scheduling of AI computing power in supercomputing centers.

It was with the ambition to change this difficult situation that Qu Qiuzhi chose to start a business in 2020 and founded Kaisers Technology (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Kaisers"). Before starting the business, he led the development of projects such as the cold atomic clock on Tiangong 2, the Chinese Space Station, and Beidou satellites, and was also a researcher at the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

(Image source/CCTV13 News Channel)

After five years of development, Kaisers has built the first production line for commercial cold atomic clocks and beam chip atomic clocks, and the product performance has exceeded that of imported competitors by two orders of magnitude. Since then, Kaisers has become the first domestic enterprise to industrialize commercial cold atomic clocks.

Against this background, Kaisers completed a pre - A round of financing last year, led by Zhongying Venture Capital.

Behind Qu Qiuzhi's entrepreneurship lies the biggest challenge for entrepreneurs in the cutting - edge technology field: how to commercialize an industry that is little - known but in daily demand.

Specifically, how to break the deadlock in the industrialization of atomic clocks? What is the commercial plan? With these questions in mind, Yingke recently had an in - depth dialogue with Qu Qiuzhi, trying to uncover the "race against time" behind the commercialization of atomic clocks.

The following is the transcript of the dialogue, with the content edited:

Transformation of scientific research is the only way out

Yingke: As an expert in space cold atom technology, you have participated in major national projects such as Tiangong 2, and your scientific research future is bright. Why did you choose to start a business?

Qu Qiuzhi: The decision to start a business stemmed from years of experiences and inspirations. Twenty years ago, I studied under Academician Wang Yuzhu, the "Father of Cold Atoms" at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Academician Wang developed China's first applied rubidium atomic clock in the 1970s and later founded the first key laboratory of quantum optics in China.

In 2010, we built the first prototype of a space cold atomic clock in China. In the following ten years, we completed the development tasks of the cold atomic clocks on Tiangong 2, the Chinese Space Station, and Beidou satellites.

However, as China's scientific research level in this field continued to improve, application problems became increasingly prominent. When I saw the packing boxes of imported instruments piled up at the laboratory door, I often wondered why we had done all the basic functions of these devices but still couldn't manufacture them independently and had to rely on high - priced imports.

The cold atomic clock has been in orbit since 2016, nearly ten years have passed, but the relevant technologies and processes cannot be further solidified for mass production and still cannot enter the market. The gap between atomic clock technology and industrialization makes it impossible to solve the most fundamental commercial problems.

Before starting the business, I tried to cooperate with enterprises for technology transformation, but the results were not feasible. The atomic clock is a systematic project integrating cutting - edge technologies, involving complex aspects such as atomic physics, quantum lasers, and precision electronic control. No non - scientific research enterprise can undertake the mass production of cold atomic clocks from scratch.

For example, the stability of the optical system and laser - cooled atoms is a key difficulty. The ability to control dozens of types of noise to the extreme requires more than ten years of technical and engineering accumulation. Another example is that only with a deep understanding of quantum properties and application essence can one effectively optimize standard products for complex application scenarios. Finally, I concluded that scientific researchers must get involved personally and connect with the industry in detail to break through the industrialization barriers. Otherwise, the commercialization of cold atomic clocks will still be an empty talk in the next ten years.

This is the original intention of my founding Kaisers in 2020: to liberate the cold atomic clock from the laboratory, turn it into a market - usable product, and let the cutting - edge quantum technology truly serve society.

Yingke: Compared with ordinary entrepreneurs, what do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of scientists turning into entrepreneurs?

Qu Qiuzhi: A real problem is that scientists are prone to fall into the trap of "extreme technology" and have no experience in the market and production.

The more difficult part is that the market demand for atomic clocks is in a stage of increasing but unfamiliar positioning. Therefore, when I first started the business, I spent five years researching the global market to identify market demand. Generally speaking, the commercial value of atomic clocks permeates more than 160 industries, and its core lies in high - precision synchronization.

For example, in 5G/6G communication, nanosecond - level time sources and picosecond - level time transfer systems are needed for support; in the field of AI computing power, supercomputing centers need to rely on atomic clocks to achieve nanosecond - level remote collaboration; in deep - sea exploration, AUV unmanned submersibles rely on atomic clocks to keep time autonomously in the absence of GPS to ensure the accuracy of long - duration missions. As the requirements for collaborative accuracy in various industries are getting higher and higher, the atomic clock, as the infrastructure of the time - service system, will face huge opportunities.

In terms of advantages, entrepreneurship in the cutting - edge technology field often requires in - depth technical knowledge. With 20 years of scientific research experience, our team can choose and implement the most suitable technical route for industrialization. For example, the diffuse - reflection laser cooling scheme creatively solves the problems of application scenario limitations and costs of atomic clocks.

More importantly, scientists can see through the essence of the industry ahead of the business logic - time accuracy is the new infrastructure in the digital age. We are not just selling equipment but reverse - incubating products and services based on future industrial application scenarios, which determines the forward - looking and subversive nature of our strategy.

Breaking out of the "valley of death" in industrialization

Yingke: Why is industrialization the biggest "tough nut to crack" in the process of scientific research transformation of atomic clocks?

Qu Qiuzhi: Because the industrialization of atomic clocks involves the triple challenges of engineering, mass production, and cost.

First, the engineering difficulty is high. The optical system of the cold atomic clock is extremely fragile. In the laboratory, it is manually adjusted, but mass production requires modularization and strong stability. For example, the laser cooling components need to be resistant to vibration and temperature changes; otherwise, they are prone to failure in vehicle - mounted or deep - sea environments.

Second, it is difficult to achieve standardized mass production. On the one hand, the supply chain is lacking, and the required components rely on imports; on the other hand, the production of traditional atomic clocks relies on craftsmanship, and the yield rate is low. Even if batch delivery is achieved, the performance indicators are relatively backward.

Third, the cost is high and the application scenarios are limited. For example, the short - term stability index of the traditional hydrogen atomic clock is very good, but it is extremely sensitive to the environment. Therefore, a million - level clock room needs to be built to ensure its normal operation. This is the "valley of death" in industrialization - no matter how good the technology is, if it can't cross the mass - production threshold, it is just a castle in the air.

Yingke: So what are the key factors for achieving industrialization? How did Kaisers break the deadlock?

Qu Qiuzhi: Breaking the deadlock depends on three key factors: technical route selection, process solidification, and industrial chain collaboration.

First, our laser - cooled atom technology has revolutionized the environmental adaptability of atomic clocks. The biggest limitation of traditional hot atomic clocks is that they are affected by environmental temperature, and the thermal motion of atoms causes frequency drift. The laser - cooled atom technology isolates atoms from the environment, eliminating the thermal motion of atoms at the source and thus breaking the environmental limitations. More importantly, the diffuse - reflection laser cooling technology requires far less laser power than other types of atomic clocks, so the cost is controlled, and the mass - production feasibility is further improved.

Second, standardize the manufacturing process and solidify the technology. High - tech thresholds often bring about great manufacturing difficulties. The key to breaking the deadlock lies in a complete, standard, and replicable manufacturing process. At the same time, we recruited expert talents. Our scientific researchers and front - line production personnel worked together for a long time to build the first production line with an annual output of 100 commercial cold atomic clocks and 10,000 beam chip atomic clocks.

Finally, industrial chain collaboration. In the past 20 years, we have cultivated and cooperated with more than 5,000 suppliers. Some laser manufacturers even moved near our factory to jointly build the industrial chain. Therefore, we have achieved self - control in the ecosystem.

Yingke: Compared with traditional atomic clocks, what original breakthroughs do our cold atomic clocks and beam chip atomic clocks have?

Qu Qiuzhi: The core of the cold atomic clock product is based on the diffuse - reflection laser cooling technology route. Combining 20 years of engineering experience, we have condensed the huge atomic clock device into a plug - and - play device. Take the first - generation commercial cold atomic clock as an example. We have eliminated 99.7% of the thermal motion of atoms, with an accuracy of 6E - 15 (less than 0.2 seconds of error in one million years), exceeding imported cesium clocks by two orders of magnitude and imported hydrogen atomic clocks by one order of magnitude. At the same time, it breaks the dependence on a fixed clock room environment and supports operation under shock - resistant and wide - temperature conditions.

Even more subversive is the beam chip atomic clock, which pioneered a "quasi - cold atom" structure. The short - term stability index of the first - generation product has reached 6.02E - 11, better than the 7.2E - 11 index of American imported products. Through CMOS/MEMS process integration, we have gradually reduced the volume of the chip atomic clock from the size of a matchbox to nearly one cubic centimeter, making it suitable for miniature sensors and platforms with limited space. In addition, its characteristics of low power consumption, resistance to extreme temperatures, and vibration environments meet the long - term deployment requirements in special environments such as the deep sea, deep space, and deep underground.

(Image source/Enterprise)

Yingke: What advantages has the industrialization breakthrough brought to Kaisers for the commercialization of atomic clocks?

Qu Qiuzhi: In terms of application scenarios, the cold atomic clock has got rid of the dependence on a constant - temperature clock room, making it possible to be used in rigid - demand scenarios in environments such as the deep sea and deep space. The beam chip clock can be applied in scenarios such as vehicle - mounted, airborne, and consumer electronics due to its improved integration.

At the same time, industrialization has also brought about significant cost reduction. For example, we use self - developed VCSEL laser chips to replace imports. Through the CMOS process and automated precision manufacturing, we have reduced the unit price of the chip clock from tens of thousands of yuan to thousands of yuan. These advantages have helped Kaisers turn the atomic clock from a "luxury item" into "infrastructure", which is the most crucial step in commercialization.

The next piece of the commercialization puzzle

Yingke: What is Kaisers' overall positioning and development strategy?

Qu Qiuzhi: Our development strategy is to standardize, productize, and chipize the underlying technologies of quantum precision measurement through the industrialization of cutting - edge atomic clocks, and ultimately build a flexible manufacturing platform for quantum technology. The atomic clock is just the starting point. In the future, our core technologies, supply chain, and automated production lines can be reused in more fields of quantum precision sensing such as quantum gravimeters and atomic magnetometers, and can also provide core equipment support for cutting - edge technology industries such as future neutral cold atom quantum computing.

Currently, we are in the first stage of industrialization, that is, building the basic production lines for cold atomic clocks and beam chip atomic clocks. In the second stage, while achieving large - scale delivery through production line automation, we will deepen the commercial design of products and truly enter the consumer - grade market. In the third stage, we will build a quantum flexible production platform and flexibly launch more modular products according to market demand.

Yingke: I heard that Kaisers is about to hold a new product launch. What are the iteration points of the new products? What is the next - step commercialization plan?

Qu Qiuzhi: Our new products focus on miniaturization and cost breakthroughs. The Cold Atomic Clock 2.0 adopts a fully integrated architecture, with a 40% reduction in volume. It is expected that the 3.0 product with half the volume will be launched next year