Quantum computers could revolutionize the way we tackle problems that stump even the best classical computers.
Single atom transistor recently introduced has been seen as a tool that could lead the way to building a quantum computer. For general introduction how quantum computer work, read A tale of two qubits: how quantum computers work article.
D-Wave Announces Commercially Available Quantum Computer article tells that computing company D-Wave has announced that they’re selling a quantum computing system commercially, which they’re calling the D-Wave One. D-Wave system comes equipped with a 128-qubit processor that’s designed to perform discrete optimization operations. The processor uses quantum annealing to perform these operations.
D-Wave is advertisting a number of different applications for its quantum computing system, primarily in the field of artificial intelligence. According to the company, its system can handle virtually any AI application that can be translated to a Markov random field.
Learning to program the D-Wave One blog article tells that the processor in the D-Wave One – codenamed Rainier – is designed to perform a single mathematical operation called discrete optimization. It is a special purpose processor. When writing applications the D-Wave One is used only for the steps in your task that involve solving optimization problems. All the other parts of your code still run on your conventional systems of choice. Rainier solves optimization problems using quantum annealing (QA), which is a class of problem solving approaches that use quantum effects to help get better solutions, faster. Learning to program the D-Wave One is the first in a series of blog posts describing the algorithms we have run on D-Wave quantum computers, and how to use these to build interesting applications.
But is this the start of the quantum computers era? Maybe not. D-Wave Announces Commercially Available Quantum Computer article comments tell a story that this computer might not be the quantum computer you might be waiting for. It seem that the name “quantum computer” is a bit misleading for this product. There are serious controversies around the working and “quantumness” of the machine. D-Wave has been heavily criticized by some scientists in the quantum computing field. First sale for quantum computing article tells that uncertainty persists around how the impressive black monolith known as D-Wave One actually works. Computer scientists have long questioned whether D-Wave’s systems truly exploit quantum physics on their products.
Slashdot article D-Wave Announces Commercially Available Quantum Computer comments tell that this has the same central problem as before. D-Wave’s computers haven’t demonstrated that their commercial bits are entangled. There’s no way to really distinguish what they are doing from essentially classical simulated annealing. Recommended reading that is skeptical of D-Wave’s claims is much of what Scott Aaronson has wrote about them. See for example http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=639, http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=198 although interestingly after he visited D-Wave’s labs in person his views changed slightly and became slightly more sympathetic to them http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=954.
So it is hard to say if the “128 qubits” part is snake oil or for real. If the 128 “qubits” aren’t entangled at all, which means it is useless for any of the quantum algorithms that one generally thinks of. It seem that this device simply has 128 separate “qubits” that are queried individually, and is, essentially an augmented classical computer that gains a few minor advantages in some very specific algorithms (i.e. the quantum annealing algorithm) due to this qubit querying, but is otherwise indistinguishable from a really expensive classical computer for any other purpose. This has the same central problem as before: D-Wave’s computers haven’t demonstrated that their commercial bits are entangled.
Rather than constantly adding more qubits and issuing more hard-to-evaluate announcements, while leaving the scientific characterization of its devices in a state of limbo, why doesn’t D-Wave just focus all its efforts on demonstrating entanglement, or otherwise getting stronger evidence for a quantum role in the apparent speedup? There’s a reason why academic quantum computing groups focus on pushing down decoherence and demonstrating entanglement in 2, 3, or 4 qubits: because that way, at least you know that the qubits are qubits! Suppose D-Wave were marketing a classical, special-purpose, $10-million computer designed to perform simulated annealing, for 90-bit Ising spin glass problems with a certain fixed topology, somewhat better than an off-the-shelf computing cluster. Would there be even 5% of the public interest that there is now?
1,130 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
IonQ’s roadmap: Quantum machine learning by 2023, broad quantum advantage by 2025
https://venturebeat.com/2020/12/09/ionq-roadmap-quantum-machine-learning-2023-broad-quantum-advantage-2025/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Fragments Of Energy – Not Waves Or Particles – May Be The Fundamental Building Blocks Of The Universe
https://www.iflscience.com/physics/fragments-of-energy-not-waves-or-particles-may-be-the-fundamental-building-blocks-of-the-universe/
Tomi Engdahl says:
DRDO successfully demonstrates quantum communication between two labs
https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/drdo-successfully-demonstrates-quantum-communication-between-two-labs/article33292632.ece
Tomi Engdahl says:
Simulating subatomic physics on a quantum computer
12/10/20 By Sarah Charley
Scientists show how quantum computing could be a game-changer in our understanding of quantum processes.
https://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/simulating-subatomic-physics-on-a-quantum-computer
Tomi Engdahl says:
Myth vs. reality: a practical perspective on quantum computing
https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/quantum/2020/12/09/microsoft-practical-quantum-computing-q2b/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/computing/hardware/photonic-quantum-computer-shows-advantage-over-supercomputer
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/computing/hardware/commercial-iontrap-quantum-computers-showing-rapid-scaleup
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Executive Director Is Leading Verizon Into the Future Through Quantum Computing
https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-institute/ieee-member-news/this-executive-director-is-leading-verizon-into-the-future-through-quantum-computing
Tomi Engdahl says:
Quantum Computing: Boehringer Ingelheim Pioneers with Google for Pharma R&D
https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/digital-health/pioneers/cooperation-with-google-in-quantum-computing?fbclid=IwAR0HAFrL0eWay9GqSQPW0cpMKGRVb9N2AimwFvF7-ryquK3TvUAw6mcNkys
Research and development are at the heart of our work as a research-driven pharmaceutical company. As such, almost all processes in pharmaceutical research and development (R&D) are computer-driven – from drug discovery to launch. Computers have led us to numerous groundbreaking medical solutions. Over the years, we have become experts in computer-based drug design and process modelling.
Quantum computers have a far greater level of performance compared to classical computers. By being able to take more variables into account and thus deliver a more comprehensive data analysis, the predictions of quantum computers are also more accurate compared to classical computers. They can resolve tasks exponentially faster than classical machines. According to estimations, a quantum computer could be able to complete a task in 200 seconds while a classical computer would need the enormous timespan of 10,000 years.*
Tomi Engdahl says:
Important Milestone in the Creation of a Quantum Computer That Uses Transistors As Qubits
https://scitechdaily.com/important-milestone-in-the-creation-of-a-quantum-computer-that-uses-transistors-as-qubits/
One of the obstacles for progress in the quest for a working quantum computer has been that the working devices that go into a quantum computer and perform the actual calculations, the qubits, have hitherto been made by universities and in small numbers. But in recent years, a pan-European collaboration, in partnership with French microelectronics leader CEA-Leti, has been exploring everyday transistors — that are present in billions in all our mobile phones — for their use as qubits.
The French company Leti makes giant wafers full of devices, and, after measuring, researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, have found these industrially produced devices to be suitable as a qubit platform capable of moving to the second dimension, a significant step for a working quantum computer. The result is now published in Nature Communications.
Quantum dots in two dimensional array is a leap ahead
One of the key features of the devices is the two-dimensional array of quantum dot. Or more precisely, a two by two lattice of quantum dots. “What we have shown is that we can realize single electron control in every single one of these quantum dots. This is very important for the development of a qubit, because one of the possible ways of making qubits is to use the spin of a single electron. So reaching this goal of controlling the single electrons and doing it in a 2D array of quantum dots was very important for us,” says Fabio Ansaloni, former PhD student, now postdoc at center for Quantum Devices, NBI.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Physicists Find New State of Matter in a One-Dimensional Quantum Gas – “Beyond My Wildest Conception”
https://scitechdaily.com/physicists-find-new-state-of-matter-in-a-one-dimensional-quantum-gas-beyond-my-wildest-conception/
By adding some magnetic flair to an exotic quantum experiment, physicists produced an ultra-stable one-dimensional quantum gas with never-before-seen “scar” states – a feature that could someday be useful for securing quantum information.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Transforming quantum computing’s promise into practice
Electrical engineer William Oliver develops technology to enable reliable quantum computing at scale.
https://news.mit.edu/2021/william-oliver-quantum-computing-0119
Tomi Engdahl says:
In the near-term, Oliver thinks quantum and classical computers could work as partners. The classical machine would churn through an algorithm, dispatching specific calculations for the quantum computer to run before its qubits decohere. In the longer term, Oliver says that error-correcting codes could enable quantum computers to function indefinitely, even as some individual components remain faulty. “And that’s when quantum computers will basically be universal,” says Oliver. “They’ll be able to run any quantum algorithm at large scale.” That could enable vastly improved simulations of complex systems in fields like molecular biology, quantum chemistry, and climatology.
Oliver will continue to push quantum computing toward that reality. “There are real accomplishments that have been happening,” he says. “At the same time, on the theoretical side, there are real problems we could solve if we just had a quantum computer big enough.”
https://news.mit.edu/2021/william-oliver-quantum-computing-0119
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/01/the-curious-observers-guide-to-quantum-mechanics/
Tomi Engdahl says:
BMW takes first steps into the quantum computing revolution
A radically different type of computation is gradually maturing.
https://www.cnet.com/news/bmw-takes-first-steps-into-the-quantum-computing-revolution/
Tomi Engdahl says:
How complex oscillations in a quantum system simplify with time
https://phys.org/news/2021-01-complex-oscillations-quantum.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Frankenstein of Order and Chaos: Researchers Discover a Hybrid Quantum System
https://scitechdaily.com/a-frankenstein-of-order-and-chaos-researchers-discover-a-hybrid-quantum-system/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Using the unpredictable nature of quantum mechanics to generate truly random numbers
https://phys.org/news/2021-01-unpredictable-nature-quantum-mechanics-random.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Quantum Computer Breakthrough: New Blueprint for Better, Faster Qubits
https://scitechdaily.com/quantum-computer-breakthrough-new-blueprint-for-better-faster-qubits/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Less is more: IBM achieves quantum computing simulation for new materials with fewer qubits
https://www.zdnet.com/article/less-is-more-ibm-achieves-quantum-computing-simulation-for-new-materials-with-fewer-qubits/
IBM researchers achieved better simulation of molecules that could be used to design new materials, without the need for more qubits.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Three Frosty Innovations for Better Quantum Computers
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/computing/hardware/three-super-cold-devices-quantum-computers
Tomi Engdahl says:
Quantum systems learn joint computing
https://phys.org/news/2021-02-quantum-joint.html
Today’s quantum computers contain up to several dozen memory and processing units, the so-called qubits. Severin Daiss, Stefan Langenfeld, and colleagues from the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Garching have successfully interconnected two such qubits located in different labs to a distributed quantum computer by linking the qubits with a 60-meter-long optical fiber. Over such a distance they realized a quantum-logic gate—the basic building block of a quantum computer. It makes the system the worldwide first prototype of a distributed quantum computer.
Tomi Engdahl says:
New quantum receiver the first to detect entire radio frequency spectrum
https://phys.org/news/2021-02-quantum-entire-radio-frequency-spectrum.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/11752-ibm-haluaa-kvanttikoneet-pikavauhdilla-kaikkien-kehittajien-kayttoon
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Microsoft Could Redefine the Power Industry with Quantum Computing
https://spectrum.ieee.org/news-from-around-ieee/the-institute/ieee-member-news/how-microsoft-could-redefine-the-power-industry-with-quantum-computing
Governments and tech companies have been investing heavily in quantum computing in the hopes that it will revolutionize cryptography, machine learning, chemistry, communication, and other fields. But it surprised me to learn that the much-talked-about technology also could have a great impact on energy, leading to cleaner fuel, lower emissions, and more efficient electrical power systems.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft’s Big Win in Quantum Computing Was an ‘Error’ After All
https://www.wired.com/story/microsoft-win-quantum-computing-error/?utm_brand=wired&utm_medium=social&mbid=social_facebook&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=facebook
In a 2018 paper, researchers said they found evidence of an elusive theorized particle. A closer look now suggests otherwise.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tom Simonite / Wired:
Microsoft’s quantum computing ambitions suffer a setback after its researcher, who claimed to have found the Majorana particle, prepares to retract his findings — In a 2018 paper, researchers said they found evidence of an elusive theorized particle. A closer look now suggests otherwise.
Microsoft’s Big Win in Quantum Computing Was an ‘Error’ After All
In a 2018 paper, researchers said they found evidence of an elusive theorized particle. A closer look now suggests otherwise.
https://www.wired.com/story/microsoft-win-quantum-computing-error/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Quantum computing is transitioning from scientific curiosity to technical reality. There’s so much hype around it because it comes with a promise to solve problems that were previously unsolvable.
The hype around quantum computing: it’s not too early to get in
https://cybernews.com/editorial/the-hype-around-quantum-computing-its-not-too-early-to-get-in/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=rm&utm_content=hype_quantum&fbclid=IwAR1jvhhgOKC8IVVyLZfMaOoYQpu5VduqWsolB90SoCqyZi0AJLNi7VMx-MM
Quantum computing is transitioning from scientific curiosity to technical reality. There’s so much hype around it because it comes with a promise to solve problems that were previously unsolvable.
It may take years before we will be able to take advantage of a quantum computer. Nonetheless, it’s not too early to get in and start seeing what the roadmap looks like, MIT professor William Oliver said during the MIT Tech Review conference Future Compute.
“We have the first small-scale quantum computers available in the cloud to be used by people worldwide. And also Google’s recent demonstration of quantum advantage. Quantum computing is transitioning from scientific curiosity to technical reality. That’s happening around us right now,” he said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IBM quantum computers now finish some tasks in hours, not months
The systems have a little help from conventional computers.
https://www.engadget.com/ibm-quantum-computing-speedup-050134678.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Desktop Quantum Computer for Just $5,000
A cheap, portable quantum computer, aimed at schools and colleges will be launched later this year.
https://www.discovermagazine.com/technology/a-desktop-quantum-computer-for-just-usd5-000
Tomi Engdahl says:
A curious observer’s guide to quantum mechanics, pt 7: The quantum century
Manipulating quantum devices has been like getting an intoxicating new superpower for society.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/02/a-curious-observers-guide-to-quantum-mechanics-pt-7-the-quantum-century/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iflscience.com/technology/breakthrough-in-quantum-computing-as-scientists-create-cryogenic-quantum-chip/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Quantum logic at a distance
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/371/6529/576.full
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hyperchaos Phenomenon Used to Model Complex Quantum Systems at a Fraction of the Computing Power
https://scitechdaily.com/hyperchaos-phenomenon-used-to-model-complex-quantum-systems-at-a-fraction-of-the-computing-power/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Australian invention will see ‘transformational’ scaling up of quantum computers, experts say
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2021-02-02/quantum-computing-heat-qubits-control-chip-microsoft-sydney/13109148
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2021/02/25/kvanttitietokoneen-rakentajista-vuoden-nuoria-tutkijayrittajia/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Quantum Computer Error Correction Is Getting Practical
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/computing/hardware/quantum-computer-error-correction-is-getting-practical
Quantum computers are gaining traction across fields from logistics to finance. But as most users know, they remain research experiments, limited by imperfections in hardware. Today’s machines tend to suffer hardware failures—errors in the underlying quantum information carriers called qubits—in times much shorter than a second. Compare that with the approximately one billion years of continuous operation before a transistor in a conventional computer fails, and it becomes obvious that we have a long way to go.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Quantum computing may have found its “fight off the killers” app: the advanced chemistry needed to produce new drugs.
Quantum Computing Makes Inroads Towards Pharma
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/biomedical/diagnostics/quantum-drug
Theoretically, quantum computers can prove more powerful than any supercomputer. And recent moves from computer giants such as Google and pharmaceutical titans such as Roche now suggest drug discovery might prove to be quantum computing’s first killer app.
Whereas classical computers switch transistors either on or off to symbolize data as ones or zeroes, quantum computers use quantum bits, or qubits, that, because of the surreal nature of quantum physics, can be in a state of superposition where they are both 1 and 0 simultaneously.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The quantum computing market is projected to reach $64.98 billion by 2030, and companies like Microsoft, Google, and Intel are racing to build the tools necessary to compete.
Here’s how quantum computing could transform the future
https://trib.al/bPgQQeX
Quantum computers are able to process information millions of times faster than classic computers.
The quantum computing market is projected to reach $64.98 billion by 2030.
Companies like Microsoft, Google, and Intel are racing to build quantum computing tools.
This article is part of a series about cloud technology called At Cloud Speed.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Quantum computers with cryogenics are hard to get to 100s of qubits. But Canadian startup XanaduAI says their photon-based quantum machine is room temperature, cloud-accessible, Python programmable, and ready to scale.
In the Race to Hundreds of Qubits, Photons May Have “Quantum Advantage”
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/computing/hardware/race-to-hundreds-of-photonic-qubits-xanadu-scalable-photon
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intriguing. https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/computing/hardware/new-superconductor-microprocessor-yields-a-substantial-boost-in-efficiency seems that there’s an overlap with quantum processors using superconducting chips directly for lower heat production.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://cybernews.com/editorial/scientists-are-excited-about-taking-the-quantum-leap/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Interconnected single atoms could make a ‘quantum brain’
https://physicsworld.com/interconnected-single-atoms-could-make-a-quantum-brain/
A network of interconnected atoms could be used to construct a “quantum brain” that mimics how a real brain learns. The new system consists of an array of cobalt atoms on a substrate of black phosphorous, and its developers at Radboud University in the Netherlands say that it could have applications in artificial intelligence.
The human brain contains some 100 billion neurons in connected networks. Whenever we perform a task, these neurons receive electrical signals from other neurons in their network via tiny junction-like structures known as synapses.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kvantin pääkäyttötarkoitus saattaa löytyä aivan muualta kuin kvanttitietokoneista
3.3.202110:48|päivitetty3.3.202110:48
Mitä jos kvantti on kuin 2000-luvun transistori, jonka tulevaisuutta ei aikoinaan lainkaan osattu ennustaa?
https://www.mikrobitti.fi/uutiset/kvantin-paakayttotarkoitus-saattaa-loytya-aivan-muualta-kuin-kvanttitietokoneista/750aa9f9-38f6-465b-af57-c3352b005529
Tomi Engdahl says:
Scientists create single-atom devices to supercharge computers
Researchers devise groundbreaking new methods to create and duplicate single-atom transistors for quantum computers.
https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/scientists-create-single-atom-devices-to-supercharge-computers
Tomi Engdahl says:
Not all #QuantumComputers carry the promise of the tech of tomorrow. One 2018 paper – from a Microsoft-backed project published in Nature – was recently retracted. Does this stumble set back Redmond’s quantum aspirations?
Major(ana) Backpedaling: Microsoft-Backed Quantum Computer Research Retracted
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/computing/hardware/majorana-microsoft-backed-quantum-computer-research-retracted
Controversial Microsoft-backed research on elusive theoretical particles that could have proved a major advance in quantum computing has now been retracted after other scientists pointed out critical flaws in the work.
The original research focused on Majorana fermions, long-theorized particles that are their own antiparticles. First predicted more than 80 years ago by Italian physicist Ettore Majorana, scientists have yet to detect these self-annihilating particles inside particle accelerators.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Desktop Quantum Computer for Just $5,000
A cheap, portable quantum computer, aimed at schools and colleges will be launched later this year.
https://www.discovermagazine.com/technology/a-desktop-quantum-computer-for-just-usd5-000?utm_source=dscfb&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=dscfb
A Chinese start-up has unveiled plans to sell a desktop quantum computer costing less than $5,000. The new portable device is one of a range called SpinQ, aimed at schools and colleges. It is made by the Shenzhen SpinQ Technology, based in Shenzhen, China.
This is not the company’s first quantum computer. Last year, it started selling a desktop quantum computer for around $50,000. The desk in question would need to be sturdy given that the device weighs a hefty 55kg (121 lbs)—about the weight of a small adult.
But the new machine will be simpler, more portable and cheaper. “This simplified version is expected to be released in the fourth quarter of 2021, such that it can be more affordable for most K-12 schools around the world,” say the team behind the device.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sweden’s Quantum Computer Project Shifts up a Gear and Sets Higher Goals
https://scitechdaily.com/swedens-quantum-computer-project-shifts-up-a-gear-and-sets-higher-goals/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Programmable optical quantum computer arrives late, steals the show
New optical quantum computer overcomes previous limits, looks like a winner.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/03/programmable-optical-quantum-computer-arrives-late-steals-the-show/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/11924-tutkijat-kehittivat-kvanttitietokoneen-lampomittarin