Quantum Computing News and Discussions

[firestar464]

https://phys.org/news/2023-08-quantum-m ... imics.html

BrainOS?

[Powers]

https://phys.org/news/2023-08-quantum-m ... imics.html

BrainOS?

WetOS.

[weatheriscool]

Bigger and better quantum computers are possible with new ion trap dubbed the Enchilada
https://phys.org/news/2023-08-bigger-qu ... ilada.html
by Troy Rummler, Sandia National Laboratories

Sandia National Laboratories has produced its first lot of a new world-class ion trap, a central component for certain quantum computers. The new device, dubbed the Enchilada Trap, enables scientists to build more powerful machines to advance the experimental but potentially revolutionary field of quantum computing.

In addition to traps operated at Sandia, several traps were delivered to Duke University in July for analysis and testing. Duke and Sandia are research partners through the Quantum Systems Accelerator, one of five U.S. National Quantum Information Science Research Centers.

An ion trap is a type of microchip that holds electrically charged atoms, or ions. With more trapped ions, or qubits, a quantum computer can run more complex algorithms.

The Enchilada Trap can store and transport up to 200 qubits, an increase from the maximum of 32 in Sandia's previous version, the Roadrunner Trap. Both versions are produced at Sandia's Microsystems Engineering, Science and Applications fabrication facility.

[weatheriscool]

IonQ Announces 2nd Quarter 2023 Financial Results
https://www.hpcwire.com/off-the-wire/io ... l-results/
August 10, 2023

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Aug. 10, 2023 — IonQ (NYSE: IONQ), a leader in the quantum computing industry, today announced financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2023.

“This was another landmark quarter for IonQ, most notably with a record-setting $28 million in bookings, bringing the total to over $32 million in the first half,” said Peter Chapman, President and CEO of IonQ. “We are now well on our way to our revised, higher bookings expectations of $49 million to $56 million for the year. We are also within striking range of our goal of $100 million in cumulative bookings within the first three years of IonQ’s commercialization, starting in 2021.”

“Our impressive second quarter results come on the heels of us achieving our 2023 technical target of 29 algorithmic qubits (#AQ) seven months early. As our path to #AQ 64 and quantum advantage comes into clearer focus, we have seen both public and private institutions investing not just in our current Forte platform, but in IonQ’s technical roadmap. Our track record of success is beginning to speak for itself in the public markets, and we are relentlessly focused on bringing broad quantum advantage to all our customers.”

Second Quarter 2023 Financial Highlights

IonQ recognized revenue of $5.5 million for the second quarter, which is above the high end of the previously provided range, and represents 111% growth compared to $2.6 million in the prior year period. This reflects some progress for one of IonQ’s customer contracts taking place earlier than expected, shifting revenue into the second quarter.
IonQ achieved $28.0 million in new bookings for the second quarter, and $32.2 million year-to-date.
Cash, cash equivalents and investments were $509.2 million as of June 30, 2023.
Net loss was $43.7 million and Adjusted EBITDA loss was $19.4 million for the second quarter. Exclusions from Adjusted EBITDA include a non-cash loss of $15.5 million related to the change in the fair value of IonQ’s warrant liabilities.

Commercial Highlights

IonQ and QuantumBasel partnered to jointly establish a European quantum data center, which will be the future home of IonQ systems capable of up to #AQ 35 and #AQ 64.
IonQ signed a memorandum of understanding with South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT to become a core provider of education for Korean students, researchers, and industry professionals. IonQ also met with South Korea’s President, Yoon Suk Yeol, to discuss how IonQ quantum computing can help accelerate the nation’s economy.
IonQ Forte access was expanded to all IonQ direct access customers, offering the power of #AQ 29 to developers around the world. IonQ recently published benchmarks validating IonQ Forte’s #AQ 29 performance level.

[weatheriscool]

Revolutionary hardware unveils new quantum computing model
https://phys.org/news/2023-08-revolutio ... antum.html
by Los Alamos National Laboratory

A potentially game-changing theoretical approach to quantum computing hardware avoids much of the problematic complexity found in current quantum computers. The strategy implements an algorithm in natural quantum interactions to process a variety of real-world problems faster than classical computers or conventional gate-based quantum computers can.

"Our finding eliminates many challenging requirements for quantum hardware," said Nikolai Sinitsyn, a theoretical physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He is co-author of a paper on the approach in the journal Physical Review A. "Natural systems, such as the electronic spins of defects in diamond, have precisely the type of interactions needed for our computation process."

Sinitsyn said the team hopes to collaborate with experimental physicists also at Los Alamos to demonstrate their approach using ultracold atoms. Modern technologies in ultracold atoms are sufficiently advanced to demonstrate such computations with about 40 to 60 qubits, he said, which is enough to solve many problems not currently accessible by classical, or binary, computation. A qubit is the basic unit of quantum information, analogous to a bit in familiar classical computing.
Longer-lived qubits

Instead of setting up a complex system of logic gates among a number of qubits that must all share quantum entanglement, the new strategy uses a simple magnetic field to rotate the qubits, such as the spins of electrons, in a natural system. The precise evolution of the spin states is all that is needed to implement the algorithm. Sinitsyn said the approach could be used to solve many practical problems proposed for quantum computers.

[weatheriscool]

IBM makes major leap in quantum computing error-detection
https://phys.org/news/2023-08-ibm-major ... ction.html
by Peter Grad , Phys.org

Quantum computing is on the verge of catapulting the digital revolution to new heights.

Turbocharged processing holds the promise of instantaneously diagnosing health ailments and providing rapid development of new medicines; greatly speeding up response time in AI systems for such time-sensitive operations as autonomous driving and space travel; optimizing traffic control in congested cities; helping aircraft better navigate extreme turbulence; speeding up weather forecasting that better prepares localities facing potential disaster, and optimizing supply chain systems for more efficient delivery times and cost savings.

But we're not there yet. One of the greatest obstacles facing quantum operations is error-correction.

The price for speedier operations in quantum systems is a higher error rate. Quantum computers are highly susceptible to noise such as electromagnetic signals, temperature change and disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field. Such noise triggers errors.

Qubits, the components particular to quantum computing, themselves are prone to error. Faults in frequencies, energy levels and coupling strength can cause miscalculations.

Unlike standard computer bits that are copied reliably most of the time, qubits, by their very nature, cannot be cloned without errors being introduced. Bits store easily replicated binary digit states while qubits store data in a complex mathematical quantum state that can be disrupted during copying. Additionally, qubits age quickly and deterioration can introduce errors.

[wjfox]

Time to update this graph, I think.

[wjfox]

^ I've just done a blog, explaining this in layman's terms.

https://www.futuretimeline.net/blog/202 ... erence.htm

[Nanotechandmorefuture]

I'm more interested in how gaming will be when these can be easily made to home pc without thinking about whether those delicate looking photon chips will break or not. How many photons will it take to render highest graphics possible while keeping the computer chill?

[weatheriscool]

IBMs Progress to Practical Fault Tolerant Quantum Computers
September 26, 2023 by Brian Wang

Many experts predict that practical fault tolerant quantum computing (FTQC) will require millions of physical quantum bits (qubits) but in August, 2023 IBM scientists published the discovery of new error correction codes that work with ten times fewer qubits. Practical error correction is far from a solved problem. However, these new codes and other advances across the field are increasing our confidence that fault tolerant quantum computing isn’t just possible, but is possible without having to build an unreasonably large quantum computer.

https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2023/09/i ... uters.html

[weatheriscool]

Atom Computing is the first to announce a 1,000+ qubit quantum computer

Source: Ars Technica

Today, a startup called Atom Computing announced that it has been doing internal testing of a 1,180 qubit quantum computer and will be making it available to customers next year. The system represents a major step forward for the company, which had only built one prior system based on neutral atom qubits—a system that operated using only 100 qubits.

The error rate for individual qubit operations is high enough that it won't be possible to run an algorithm that relies on the full qubit count without it failing due to an error. But it does back up the company's claims that its technology can scale rapidly and provides a testbed for work on quantum error correction. And, for smaller algorithms, the company says it'll simply run multiple instances in parallel to boost the chance of returning the right answer.

Computing with atoms
Atom Computing, as its name implies, has chosen neutral atoms as its qubit of choice (there are other companies that are working with ions). These systems rely on a set of lasers that create a series of locations that are energetically favorable for atoms. Left on their own, atoms will tend to fall into these locations and stay there until a stray gas atom bumps into them and knocks them out.

Because the locations of atoms are set by the configuration of the lasers, it's possible to address each individually. Quantum information is stored in the nuclear spin, which is relatively impervious to the environment. While other types of qubits have coherence lifetimes that are just a fraction of a second, neutral atoms will often hold their state for tens of seconds. Because the nuclear spin doesn't readily interact with the environment, it's possible to pack the atoms closely together, allowing a relatively dense system.

Read more: https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/10 ... -computer/

[Vakanai]

I'm more interested in how gaming will be when these can be easily made to home pc without thinking about whether those delicate looking photon chips will break or not. How many photons will it take to render highest graphics possible while keeping the computer chill?

Gaming? We're talking about possibly the most powerful computers in the world some day, that will make our current supercomputers seem quaint in performance if all goes well. We don't need that kind of power for gaming, these things will have far more important uses first.

[wjfox]

Atom Computing is the first to announce a 1,000+ qubit quantum computer

Source: Ars Technica

Today, a startup called Atom Computing announced that it has been doing internal testing of a 1,180 qubit quantum computer and will be making it available to customers next year. The system represents a major step forward for the company, which had only built one prior system based on neutral atom qubits—a system that operated using only 100 qubits.

The error rate for individual qubit operations is high enough that it won't be possible to run an algorithm that relies on the full qubit count without it failing due to an error. But it does back up the company's claims that its technology can scale rapidly and provides a testbed for work on quantum error correction. And, for smaller algorithms, the company says it'll simply run multiple instances in parallel to boost the chance of returning the right answer.

Computing with atoms
Atom Computing, as its name implies, has chosen neutral atoms as its qubit of choice (there are other companies that are working with ions). These systems rely on a set of lasers that create a series of locations that are energetically favorable for atoms. Left on their own, atoms will tend to fall into these locations and stay there until a stray gas atom bumps into them and knocks them out.

Because the locations of atoms are set by the configuration of the lasers, it's possible to address each individually. Quantum information is stored in the nuclear spin, which is relatively impervious to the environment. While other types of qubits have coherence lifetimes that are just a fraction of a second, neutral atoms will often hold their state for tens of seconds. Because the nuclear spin doesn't readily interact with the environment, it's possible to pack the atoms closely together, allowing a relatively dense system.

Read more: https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/10 ... -computer/

Impressive!

Although it's due for release in 2024. IBM could still beat them if they release Condor before the end of this year.

For many years, we talked about machines in the tens of qubits range. Then suddenly in the last couple of years, there's been a leap into the hundreds and now very likely 1,000+ in the coming months. Quantum computing has clearly reached an inflection point.

[raklian]

Impressive!

Although it's due for release in 2024. IBM could still beat them if they release Condor before the end of this year.

For many years, we talked about machines in the tens of qubits range. Then suddenly in the last couple of years, there's been a leap into the hundreds and now very likely 1,000+ in the coming months. Quantum computing has clearly reached an inflection point.

This gate-based type of quantum computing is the real deal, unlike the quantum annealing method used by earlier quantum computers.

[weatheriscool]

Study observes strong noise correlations between silicon qubits
https://phys.org/news/2023-11-strong-no ... ubits.html
by Ingrid Fadelli , Phys.org

To build highly performing quantum computers, researchers should be able to reliably derive information about the noise inside them, while also identifying effective strategies to suppress this noise. In recent years, significant progress has been made in this direction, enabling operation errors below 1% in various quantum computing platforms.

A research team at Tokyo Institute of Technology and RIKEN recently set out to reliably quantify the correlations between the noise produced by pairs of semiconductor-based qubits, which are very appealing for the development of scalable quantum processors. Their paper, published in Nature Physics, unveiled strong interqubit noise correlations between a pair of neighboring silicon spin qubits.

"A useful quantum computer would practically require millions of densely packed, well-controlled qubits with errors not only small but also sufficiently uncorrelated," Jun Yoneda, one of the researchers who carried out the study, told Phys.org. "We set out to address the potentially serious issue of error correlation in silicon qubits, as they have become a compelling platform for large quantum computations otherwise."

[caltrek]

What is Quantum Advantage? A Quantum Computing Scientist Explains an Approaching Milestone Marking the Arrival of Extremely Powerful Computers
Daniel Lidar
November 17, 2023

Introduction:

(The Conversation) Quantum advantage is the milestone the field of quantum computing is fervently working toward, where a quantum computer can solve problems that are beyond the reach of the most powerful non-quantum, or classical, computers.

Quantum refers to the scale of atoms and molecules where the laws of physics as we experience them break down and a different, counterintuitive set of laws apply. Quantum computers take advantage of these strange behaviors to solve problems.

There are some types of problems that are impractical for classical computers to solve, such as cracking state-of-the-art encryption algorithms. Research in recent decades has shown that quantum computers have the potential to solve some of these problems. If a quantum computer can be built that actually does solve one of these problems, it will have demonstrated quantum advantage.

I am a physicist who studies quantum information processing and the control of quantum systems. I believe that this frontier of scientific and technological innovation not only promises groundbreaking advances in computation but also represents a broader surge in quantum technology, including significant advancements in quantum cryptography and quantum sensing.

Read more here: https://theconversation.com/what-is-q ... rs-213306

[wjfox]

Ministers plough £2bn into making quantum technology ‘Britain’s ChatGPT’

25 November 2023

Britain is investing £2.5 billion in quantum technologies in the hope it can provide a ChatGPT-style boost to the economy and protect against spies, the Science Minister has said.

‌[...]

Andrew Griffith, the newly appointed Science Minister, has outlined a ten-year goal piggybacking on the Autumn Statement, which will put quantum technology at the forefront of a plan to commercialise science.

Quantum has the ability to break current encryption and create incorruptible communication networks for defence purposes, while quantum clocks and sensors can revolutionise everyday applications like Sat Navs, mobile phones and healthcare screening.

‌The Government’s strategy aims to have quantum computers and networks running by 2035 – and it is also hoped the technology will provide the NHS with new-era tests by 2030.

[...]

“A big focus that I think we’re going to see a lot of pickup on over the next couple of years is quantum. It is one of the places the UK is world-leading,” he said.‌ “I suspect that in the next couple of years we’re going to be talking a lot more about quantum in a similar way to what happened with AI thanks to ChatGPT.”‌

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/1 ... s-chatgpt/

[unpaywalled]

[weatheriscool]

Diamond-stretching technique makes qubits more stable and controllable
By Loz Blain
November 30, 2023

Researchers are claiming a breakthrough in quantum communications, thanks to a new diamond-stretching technique they say greatly increases the temperatures at which qubits remain entangled, while also making them microwave-controllable.

Quantum networking is an emerging field that uses weird quantum phenomena to send and receive information. These networks will be impossible to hack, and will use quantum entanglement to cover large distances, creating pairs of qubits which mirror each other's quantum state without any physical connection.

Diamond-based qubits are capable of maintaining their state of entanglement for a decent length of time – but only provided they're kept incredibly cold – just a hair above absolute zero. That limits their usefulness, because it'd mean you'd need a giant, energy-intensive cooling apparatus at every node of your quantum network.

https://newatlas.com/quantum-computing/ ... ng-qubits/

[weatheriscool]

IBM Launches Quantum System Two Building Block Quantum-Centric Supercomputing
December 4, 2023 by Brian Wang

IBM Quantum System Two is the building block of quantum-centric supercomputing. IBM Quantum System Two is the bedrock for scalable quantum computation. It is now operational at IBMs lab in Yorktown Heights, NY. It is 22 feet wide, 12 feet high, and today features three IBM Quantum Heron processors. It combines cryogenic infrastructure with third-generation control electronics and classical runtime servers. IBM Quantum System Two is the modular-architecture quantum computing platform that they will use to realize parallel circuit executions for quantum-centric supercomputing.

Earlier in 2023, IBM published research that demonstrated that quantum computers could run circuits beyond the reach of brute-force classical simulations. For the first time, they have hardware and software capable of executing quantum circuits with no known a priori answer at a scale of 100 qubits and 3,000 gates. Quantum is now a computational tool, and what makes me most excited is that we can start to advance science in fields beyond quantum computing, itself.

https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2023/12/i ... uting.html

[weatheriscool]

QuEra CoFounder Vlad Vuletic Targets Useful Error Corrected Quantum Computers in 2025-2028

December 7, 2023 by Brian Wang

Vlad Vuletic (MIT Co-founder of QuEra) had a scientific and technical presentation at the 2023 Q2B conference today. The main part of the talk came on the last slide where Vlad laid out his projection for how QuEra and its research partners will be able to advance their breakthrough Quantum Error Correction work.

Vlad expects sometime in 2025, QuEra will be able to get 10,000 to 100,000 physical qubits.
They will be able to get 100 error corrected qubits with 1 in a million to 1 in 100 million error rates.
This will mean very robust error correction with more physical qubits per logical qubit.
If this target is met then there QuEra will be delivering rapid progress and before 2028 commercial quantum error corrected computer systems that will be delivering commercially valuable work.

https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2023/12/q ... -2028.html