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?
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Tomi Engdahl says:
New understanding has solved an ‘impossible’ maths problem.
243-Year-Old Impossible Puzzle Solved Using Quantum Entanglement
https://www.iflscience.com/physics/243yearold-impossible-puzzle-solved-using-quantum-entanglement/
Over 240 years ago, famous mathematician Leonhard Euler came up with a question: if six army regiments each have six officers of six different ranks, can they be arranged in a square formation such that no row or column repeats either a rank or regiment?
After searching in vain for a solution, Euler declared the problem impossible – and over a century later, the French mathematician Gaston Tarry proved him right. Then, 60 years after that, when the advent of computers removed the need for laboriously testing every possible combination by hand, the mathematicians Parker, Bose, and Shrikhande proved an even stronger result: not only is the six-by-six square impossible, but it’s the only size of square other than two-by-two that doesn’t have a solution at all.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iflscience.com/technology/quantum-computing-in-silicon-reaches-99-percent-accuracy-in-major-breakthrough/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/01/silicon-based-qubits-take-a-big-leap-forward/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Quantum computing is coming. Now is the right time to start getting ready
CIOs must start exploring potential use cases now or risk being left behind in the quantum race. They also need to be wary of technical and ethical concerns.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/quantum-computing-is-coming-now-is-the-right-time-to-start-getting-ready/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Towards compact quantum computers thanks to topology
https://phys.org/news/2022-01-compact-quantum-topology.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
European Milestone: Quantum Computer With More Than 5,000 Qubits Launched
https://scitechdaily.com/european-milestone-quantum-computer-with-more-than-5000-qubits-launched/
Tomi Engdahl says:
243-Year-Old Impossible Puzzle Solved Using Quantum Entanglement
https://www.iflscience.com/physics/243yearold-impossible-puzzle-solved-using-quantum-entanglement/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Researchers find new way of gaining quantum control from loss
https://phys.org/news/2022-01-gaining-quantum-loss.html
Researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have demonstrated a new way to control the quantum state through the loss of particles—a process that is usually avoided in the quantum device, offering a new way towards the realization of unprecedented quantum states.
Tomi Engdahl says:
This is gonna be some fun new stuff.
Twist: MIT’s New Programming Language for Quantum Computing
https://scitechdaily.com/twist-mits-new-programming-language-for-quantum-computing/
Time crystals. Microwaves. Diamonds. What do these three disparate things have in common?
Quantum computing. Unlike traditional computers that use bits, quantum computers use qubits to encode information as zeros or ones, or both at the same time. Coupled with a cocktail of forces from quantum physics, these refrigerator-sized machines can process a whole lot of information — but they’re far from flawless. Just like our regular computers, we need to have the right programming languages to properly compute on quantum computers.
Programming quantum computers requires awareness of something called “entanglement,” a computational multiplier for qubits of sorts, which translates to a lot of power. When two qubits are entangled, actions on one qubit can change the value of the other, even when they are physically separated, giving rise to Einstein’s characterization of “spooky action at a distance.” But that potency is equal parts a source of weakness. When programming, discarding one qubit without being mindful of its entanglement with another qubit can destroy the data stored in the other, jeopardizing the correctness of the program.
Scientists from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence (CSAIL) aimed to do some unraveling by creating their own programming language for quantum computing called Twist. Twist can describe and verify which pieces of data are entangled in a quantum program, through a language a classical programmer can understand. The language uses a concept called purity, which enforces the absence of entanglement and results in more intuitive programs, with ideally fewer bugs. For example, a programmer can use Twist to say that the temporary data generated as garbage by a program is not entangled with the program’s answer, making it safe to throw away.
“Our language Twist allows a developer to write safer quantum programs by explicitly stating when a qubit must not be entangled with another,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
For Quantum Computing, Is 99 Percent Accuracy Enough? Australian, Japanese, and Dutch researchers trim qubit error rates—and cross the “threshold for error correction”
https://spectrum.ieee.org/qubits-99-percent-accuracy?share_id=6884908
Tomi Engdahl says:
Quantum Computing in Silicon Just Made a Major Breakthrough. 99% Efficiency?
The breakthrough suggests the possibility of almost error-free quantum computing.
https://interestingengineering.com/quantum-computing-in-silicon-just-made-a-major-breakthrough-99-efficiency
Tomi Engdahl says:
Quantum Computer Technology Assessment
https://www.eetimes.com/quantum-computer-technology-assessment/#
Development of quantum computers has advanced steadily over the last decade, spurred by the promise of harnessing the unique properties of quantum physics: qubits, or quantum bits, exist as either 0s, 1s or simultaneously as a zero and one.
Multiple companies now offer quantum applications as a service via cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure.
Development is led by established companies and startups. An earlier column on quantum computing surveys the field. Here we provide an overview and perspectives on the status of quantum technologies.
For background, a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report examines the status and prospects for quantum computing. This post draws heavily on the GAO report.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Race to Build a Fault-Tolerant Superconducting Quantum Computer Amazon, Google, and IBM are all pursuing different strategies to reduce error rates
https://spectrum.ieee.org/fault-tolerant-quantum-computing?share_id=6890748
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Big Does Your Quantum Computer Need To Be To Break Bitcoin Encryption or Simulate Molecules?
https://scitechdaily.com/how-big-does-your-quantum-computer-need-to-be-to-break-bitcoin-encryption-or-simulate-molecules/
“Different hardware platforms will vary greatly on key hardware specifications, such as the rate of operations and the quality of control on the qubits (quantum bits).”
Quantum computers are exponentially more powerful at breaking many encryption techniques than classical computers. The world uses RSA encryption for most of its secure communication. RSA encryption and the one Bitcoin uses (elliptic curve digital signature algorithm) will one day be vulnerable to a quantum computing attack, but today, even the largest supercomputer could never pose a serious threat.
The researchers estimated the size a quantum computer needs to be to break the encryption of the Bitcoin network within the small window of time it would actually pose a threat to do so — in between its announcement and integration into the blockchain. The greater the fee paid on the transaction, the shorter this window will be, but it likely ranges from minutes to hours.
“State-of-the-art quantum computers today only have 50-100 qubits,” said Webber. “Our estimated requirement of 30 [million] to 300 million physical qubits suggests Bitcoin should be considered safe from a quantum attack for now, but devices of this size are generally considered achievable, and future advancements may bring the requirements down further.
“The Bitcoin network could perform a ‘hard-fork’ onto a quantum-secure encryption technique, but this may result in network scaling issues due to an increased memory requirement.”
“Four years ago, we estimated a trapped ion device would need a billion physical qubits to break RSA encryption, requiring a device with an area of 100-by-100 square meters,” said Webber. “Now, with improvements across the board, this could see a dramatic reduction to an area of just 2.5-by-2.5 square meters.”
A large-scale error-corrected quantum computer should be able to solve important problems classical computers cannot.
“Simulating molecules has applications for energy efficiency, batteries, improved catalysts, new materials, and the development of new medicines,” said Webber. “Further applications exist across the board — including for finance, big data analysis, fluid flow for airplane designs, and logistical optimizations.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Quantum Computing: Researchers Achieve 100 Million Quantum Operations
By Francisco Pires published 1 day ago
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/quantum-computing-researchers-achieve-100-million-quantum-operations
That’s a lot of processing power being used in five-second workloads.
Quantum Computing
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://scitechdaily.com/twist-mits-new-programming-language-for-quantum-computing/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.techradar.com/news/microsoft-and-nasa-are-partnering-on-quantum-computing
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/02/05/twist-promises-easier-quantum-programming/
Tomi Engdahl says:
A new Big Blue system uses classical computers to halve the number of quantum bits needed for simulations.
The 2x Gambit: IBM Tech Doubles Qubit Effectiveness Big Blue system uses classical computers to halve the number of quantum bits needed for simulations
https://spectrum.ieee.org/ibm-entanglement-forging?utm_campaign=RebelMouse&socialux=facebook&share_id=6899096&utm_medium=social&utm_content=IEEE+Spectrum&utm_source=facebook
Tomi Engdahl says:
Using a new technique known as “entanglement forging,” IBM researchers say they can halve the amount of quantum computing resources needed to run simulations, a new study finds.
The nearest-term applications for quantum computers may be chemistry and physics simulations—for instance, simulating molecules to investigate novel battery designs or discover new drugs. However, today’s quantum hardware is still low in qubits and error-prone, limiting its potential for practical use.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/ibm-entanglement-forging
Tomi Engdahl says:
IBM Eagle Has A Lot Of Qubits
https://hackaday.com/2022/02/08/ibm-eagle-has-a-lot-of-qubits/
How many qubits do you need in a quantum computer? Plenty, if you want to anything useful. However, today, we have to settle for a lot fewer than we would like. But IBM’s new Eagle has the most of its type of quantum computer: 127-qubits. Naturally, they plan to do even more work, and you can see a preview of “System Two” in the video below.
The 127 qubit number is both impressively large and depressingly small. Each qubit increases the amount of work a conventional computer has to do to simulate the machine by a factor of two. The hope is to one day produce quantum computers that would be impractical to simulate using conventional computers. That’s known as quantum supremacy and while several teams have claimed it, actually achieving it is a subject of debate.
IBM Quantum breaks the 100‑qubit processor barrier
https://research.ibm.com/blog/127-qubit-quantum-processor-eagle
IBM Quantum unveiled Eagle, a 127-qubit quantum processor. Eagle is leading quantum computers into a new era — we’ve launched a quantum processor that has pushed us beyond the 100-qubit barrier. We anticipate that, with Eagle, our users will be able to explore uncharted computational territory — and experience a key milestone on the path towards practical quantum computation.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IBM’s quantum computers: an optimal platform for condensed matter physics research
https://research.ibm.com/blog/condensed-matter-physics
While condensed matter physicists often must rely on large collaborations or costly hardware to run their experiments, our cloud-based quantum processors allow users to make groundbreaking advances in condensed matter physics with little more than their laptop and a user account with IBM Quantum.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://ionq.com/news/february-10-2022-duke-ionq-new-qc-gate
Tomi Engdahl says:
Race Not Over Between Classical and Quantum Computers
February 10, 2022• Physics 15, 19
A new classical algorithm reduces—by a factor of one billion—a recent claim of so-called quantum advantage.
https://physics.aps.org/articles/v15/19
In the race to achieve the coveted “advantage” of a quantum computer, those developing quantum algorithms are pitted against each other and against those working on classical algorithms. With each potential claim of such an advantage—the successful calculation on a quantum computer of something that is infeasible on a classical one—scientists have designed more efficient classical algorithms against which the quantum algorithms must then be compared. Now, by exactly that route, Jacob Bulmer of the University of Bristol, UK, Bryn Bell of Imperial College London, and colleagues have knocked down a peg a recent claim of quantum advantage using a method called Gaussian boson sampling. The team behind that advantage claim had asserted that a classical computation of Gaussian boson sampling would take 600 million years on the world’s fastest supercomputer. But Bulmer, Bell, and colleagues show that their classical algorithm can do it in just 73 days. This result, along with other recent improvements to classical algorithms, helps build the case that the quantum-advantage race is far from over.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Quantum leap: Has next-gen computing moved from hype to hope?
https://www.smh.com.au/national/quantum-leap-has-next-gen-computing-moved-from-hype-to-hope-20220209-p59ux6.html
Australian scientists believe they have taken a key step towards building a silicon quantum computer – a device that could take quantum computing from hype to mainstream.
Silicon quantum computers marry quantum technology with the same element – silicon – used in existing computer chips, so can hopefully be easily mass-produced. Australia leads the world in the technology, which competes with at least eight other types of quantum computer.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The 2x Gambit: IBM Tech Doubles Qubit Effectiveness Big Blue system uses classical computers to halve the number of quantum bits needed for simulations
https://spectrum.ieee.org/ibm-entanglement-forging
Using a new technique known as “entanglement forging,” IBM researchers say they can halve the amount of quantum-computing resources needed to run simulations, a new study finds.
The nearest-term applications for quantum computers may be chemistry and physics simulations—for instance, simulating molecules to investigate novel battery designs or discover new drugs. However, today’s quantum hardware is still low in qubits and error-prone, limiting its potential for practical use.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hello (Many Quantum) World(s)
https://hackaday.com/2022/02/17/hello-many-quantum-worlds/
Historically, the first program you write for a new computer language is “Hello World,” or, if you are in Texas, “Howdy World.” But with quantum computing on the horizon, you need something better. Like “Hello Many Worlds.” [IonQ] proposes what that looks like and then writes it in seven different quantum languages in a post you should check out.
None of the languages look too complex, but sometimes the setup to run them on remote quantum computers is a bit more code. Many of these could also be run on a simulator if you want the practice.
Hello Many Worlds in Seven Quantum Languages
https://ionq.com/posts/june-24-2021-hello-many-worlds
Tomi Engdahl says:
Israel’s Microsoft of quantum computing makes its move
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/article-696832
Israeli quantum computing company Classiq has raised $33M, as the Defense Ministry builds Israel’s first quantum computer.
Two days after the Defense Ministry announced an NIS 200 million commitment to building Israel’s first quantum computer, one of Israel’s leading quantum computing “software” companies, Classiq, announced an influx of $33 million in investment.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ampere, Rigetti to Accelerate Hybrid Quantum Computing in HPC Environments
By Francisco Pires published 3 days ago
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/ampere-rigetti-to-accelerate-hybrid-quantum-computing-in-hpc-environments
Accelerating cloud-based machine learning and quantum computing deployments.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Meet Twist: MIT’s Quantum Programming Language Keeping tabs on data entanglement keeps reins on buggy quantum code
https://spectrum.ieee.org/quantum-programming-language-twist
Tomi Engdahl says:
Traversing the Quantum Gate: Researchers Unlock Many-Qubit Operations
By Francisco Pires published 8 days ago
N-qubit Tofolli gates leave the theoretical field and are proven possible
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/traversing-the-quantum-gate-researchers-unlock-many-qubit-operations
Tomi Engdahl says:
Is Math the Key to Quantum Entanglement Protection? A new experiment reveals how powerfully topology can shelter delicate photonic quantum-computer states
https://spectrum.ieee.org/topological-photonics-entanglement-protection
Tomi Engdahl says:
QUANTUM COMPUTING IN DATA SCIENCE: THE WEIRD YET PROFITABLE DUO
https://www.analyticsinsight.net/quantum-computing-in-data-science-the-weird-yet-profitable-duo/
Tomi Engdahl says:
TOP GOVERNMENT’S BUDGET FOR QUANTUM COMPUTING IN 2022
https://www.analyticsinsight.net/top-governments-budget-for-quantum-computing-in-2022/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Breakthrough in quantum sensing provides new material to make qubits
https://phys.org/news/2022-03-breakthrough-quantum-material-qubits.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Researchers Unveil Hybrid 512-Qubit Quantum Array With Zero Downtime
By Francisco Pires published 4 days ago
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/hybrid-512-qubit-array-university-of-chicago
Building an array of two different qubit types can be key for quantum scaling.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Europium and light: An innovative platform for quantum computers and communications
https://phys.org/news/2022-03-europium-platform-quantum.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
QuantWare will build you a custom 25-qubit quantum processor in 30 days
https://techcrunch.com/2022/03/08/quantware-will-build-you-a-custom-25-qubit-quantum-processor-in-30-days/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Spooky Action Could Help Boost Quantum Machine Learning Mysterious quantum links could help lead to exponential scale-up
https://spectrum.ieee.org/quantum-machine-learning
Tomi Engdahl says:
Constructor-based irreversibility: Reconciling irreversibility with quantum mechanics
https://phys.org/news/2022-03-constructor-based-irreversibility-quantum-mechanics.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Record-setting hybrid atom array could power quantum computer RAM and CPU
https://newatlas.com/computers/quantum-computer-hybrid-atom-array/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Realization of a discrete time crystal on 57 qubits of a quantum computer
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abm7652
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tuhat kubittia ensi vuonna
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/13292-tuhat-kubittia-ensi-vuonna
Pariisilainen kvanttipiirejä kehittävä Pasqal on fuusioitunut kvanttialgoritmeja ja ohjelmistoja kehittävän Qu&Con kanssa. Yritykset kupaavat tuoda yhdessä ensi vuonna markkinoille tuhannen kubitin kvanttipiirin.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hollantilaisyritys tuo kvanttilaskennan useampien ulottuville
Julkaistu: 14.03.2022
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/13299-hollantilaisyritys-tuo-kvanttilaskennan-useampien-ulottuville
IBM:n kaltaiset jättiyritykset tarjoavat ehkä jo ensi vuonna kvanttilaskentakapasiteettia, jossa käytetään jopa tuhannen kubitin järjestelmiä. Nämä ovat väistämättä kalliita käyttää. Ranskalainen QuantWare haluaa tuoda kvanttilaskennan myös pienempien yritysten ulottuville. Uusi Contralto-prosessori pitää sisällään 25 kubittia.
QuantWaren mukaan suuren kapasiteetin kvanttikoneen rakentaminen maksaa noin 45 miljoonaa euroa. Contralto laskee kustannuksen kertaluokkaa pienemmäksi. Tämä käytännössä avaa kvanttilaskennalle uusia käyttäjiä ja uusia markkinoita.
Contralto on pitkälle kustomoitava piiri. QuantWare lupaa toimituksen asiakkaalle 30 päivässä tilauksesta.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://quantumcomputing.stackexchange.com/questions/24443/why-do-quantum-computers-have-more-qubits-than-classical-computers-have-bits
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://physicsworld.com/a/time-crystals-on-a-quantum-computer-reach-a-record-size/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Quantum Computers: Why They Are Hard To Build — And Worth The Effort
https://swarajyamag.com/science/quantum-computers-why-they-are-hard-to-build-and-worth-the-effort
Tomi Engdahl says:
Toward a quantum computer that calculates molecular energy
https://phys.org/news/2022-03-quantum-molecular-energy.html
Quantum computers are getting bigger, but there are still few practical ways to take advantage of their extra computing power. To get over this hurdle, researchers are designing algorithms to ease the transition from classical to quantum computers. In a new study in Nature, researchers unveil an algorithm that reduces the statistical errors, or noise, produced by quantum bits, or qubits, in crunching chemistry equations.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Key Elements Achieved for Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computation in Silicon Spin Qubits
https://scitechdaily.com/key-elements-achieved-for-fault-tolerant-quantum-computation-in-silicon-spin-qubits/
Researchers from RIKEN and QuTech—a collaboration between TU Delft and TNO— have achieved a key milestone toward the development of a fault-tolerant quantum computer. They were able to demonstrate a two-qubit gate fidelity of 99.5 percent—higher than the 99 percent considered to be the threshold for building fault-tolerant computers—using electron spin qubits in silicon, which are promising for large-scale quantum computers as the nanofabrication technology for building them already exists.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Researchers Perform Largest Quantum Computing Chemistry Simulations to Date A new hybrid quantum-classical approach could help avoid issues with noise in quantum circuits
https://spectrum.ieee.org/quantum-chemistry-largest?utm_campaign=RebelMouse&socialux=facebook&share_id=6962788&utm_medium=social&utm_content=IEEE+Spectrum&utm_source=facebook