Chinese tech giant Baidu is developing its own quantum computer to compete with the United States in the race toward next-generation information processing. The computer does not outperform rivals currently being developed in America but, according to one expert, signals dire competition over the future of data security.

Arthur Herman, a senior fellow at the conservative think tank Hudson Institute, said that Baidu's recently announced quantum effort fell short of similar efforts being made by companies like Google and IBM.

"This quantum computer that they're touting has only 10 qubits, and that's a pretty small number," Herman said during an Aug. 29 interview on the "China in Focus" program on NTD, a sister media outlet of The Epoch Times.

"Google's Sycamore quantum computer has 60 Plus qubits. IBM's is upwards of 70 qubits."

A quantum bit, or qubit, is a basic unit of quantum information used by quantum computers. Whereas traditional processors use regular bits, which can be turned on or off to create binary code, qubits can be turned on, off, or both on and off simultaneously in a phenomenon known as superposition.