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256-qubit quantum computer unveiled
24th November 2021
The first 256-qubit quantum computer has been announced by startup company QuEra, founded by MIT and Harvard scientists.
QuEra Computing Inc. – a new Boston, Massachusetts-based company – has emerged from stealth mode with $17 million in funding and has completed the assembly of a 256-qubit device. Its funders include Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten, Day One Ventures, Frontiers Capital, and the leading tech investors Serguei Beloussov and Paul Maritz. The company recently received a DARPA award, and has already generated $11 million in revenue.
QuEra Computing recently achieved ground-breaking research on neutral atoms, developed at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which is being used as the basis for a highly scalable, programmable quantum computer solution. The QuEra team is aiming to build the world's most powerful quantum computers to take on computational tasks that are currently deemed impossibly hard.
Qubits are the quantum computer equivalent of the "bits" used in classical machines. Unlike the latter – which are limited to binary values – qubits can have multiple values simultaneously. This means that even a relatively small number of qubits can handle very, very, very large numbers. This has become apparent in recent years with qubit counts enabling quantum computers to exceed the capabilities of classical machines for the first time. In the future, quantum computers may be powerful enough to solve extraordinarily difficult and complex problems, accelerating the progress of science and technology.
Barely a week ago, IBM revealed a new 127-qubit processor called 'Eagle'. QuEra has more than doubled that number with its machine and already has plans for a 1,024-qubit, fully programmable device by 2024.
Read more:
https://www.futuretimeline.net/blog/202 ... meline.htm
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