Category Archives: Quantum Computer
IBM scientists demonstrate ballistic nanowire connections, a potential future key component for quantum computing – Phys.Org
May 19, 2017 by Chris Sciacca Johannes Gooth is a postdoctoral fellow in the Nanoscale Devices & Materials group of the Science & Technology department at IBM Research Zurich. His research is focused on nanoscale electronics and quantum physics. Credit: IBM Research
IBM scientists have achieved an important milestone toward creating sophisticated quantum devices that could become a key component of quantum computers. As detailed in the peer-review journal Nano Letters, the scientists have shot an electron through a III-V semiconductor nanowire integrated on silicon for the first time.
IBM scientists are driving multiple horizons in quantum computing, from the technology for the next decade based on superconducting qubits, towards novel quantum devices that could push the scaling limit of today's microwave technology down to the nanometer scale and that do not rely on superconducting components, opening a path towards room-temperature operation.
Now, IBM scientists in Zurich have made a crucial fundamental breakthrough in their paper Ballistic one-dimensional InAs nanowire cross-junction interconnects. Using their recently developed Template-Assisted-Selective-Epitaxy (TASE) technique to build ballistic cross-directional quantum communication links, they pioneered devices which can coherently link multiple functional nanowires for the reliable transfer of quantum information across nanowire networks. The nanowire acts as a perfect guide for the electrons, such that the full quantum information of the electron (energy, momentum, spin) can be transferred without losses.
By solving some major technical hurdles of controlling the size, shape, position and quality of III-V semiconductors integrated on Si, ballistic one-dimensional quantum transport has been demonstrated. While the experiments are still on a very fundamental level, such nanowire devices may pave the way towards fault-tolerant, scalable electronic quantum computing in the future.
The paper's lead author, IBM scientist Dr. Johannes Gooth, noted that the milestone has implications for the development of quantum computing. By enabling fully ballistic connections where particles are in flight at the nanoscale, the quantum system offers exponentially larger computational space.
Earlier this year, IBM launched an industry-first initiative to build commercially available universal quantum computing systems. The planned "IBM Q" quantum systems and services will be delivered via the IBM Cloud platform and will deliver solutions to important problems where patterns cannot be seen by classical computers because the data doesn't exist and the possibilities needed to explore to get to the answer are too enormous to ever be processed by classical systems.
Explore further: Five ways quantum computing will change the way we think about computing
More information: Johannes Gooth et al. Ballistic One-Dimensional InAs Nanowire Cross-Junction Interconnects, Nano Letters (2017). DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b00400
Journal reference: Nano Letters
Provided by: IBM
While technologies that currently run on classical computers, such as Watson, can help find patterns and insights buried in vast amounts of existing data, quantum computers will deliver solutions to important problems where ...
IBM announced today it has successfully built and tested its most powerful universal quantum computing processors. The first new prototype processor will be the core for the first IBM Q early-access commercial systems. The ...
The global race towards a functioning quantum computer is on. With future quantum computers, we will be able to solve previously impossible problems and develop, for example, complex medicines, fertilizers, or artificial ...
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IBM has announced its plans to begin offering the world's first commercial universal quantum-computing servicecalled IBM Q, the system will be made available to those who wish to use it for a fee sometime later this year. ...
What does the future hold for computing? Experts at the Networked Quantum Information Technologies Hub (NQIT), based at Oxford University, believe our next great technological leap lies in the development of quantum computing.
IBM scientists have achieved an important milestone toward creating sophisticated quantum devices that could become a key component of quantum computers. As detailed in the peer-review journal Nano Letters, the scientists ...
Researchers have developed the world's thinnest metallic nanowire, which could be used to miniaturise many of the electronic components we use every day.
Rice University scientists have created a rechargeable lithium metal battery with three times the capacity of commercial lithium-ion batteries by resolving something that has long stumped researchers: the dendrite problem.
In the race to produce a quantum computer, a number of projects are seeking a way to create quantum bitsor qubitsthat are stable, meaning they are not much affected by changes in their environment. This normally needs ...
Nanocrystals have diverse applications spanning biomedical imaging, light-emitting devices, and consumer electronics. Their unique optical properties result from the type of crystal from which they are composed. However, ...
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IBM scientists demonstrate ballistic nanowire connections, a potential future key component for quantum computing - Phys.Org
IBM makes a leap in quantum computing power – PCWorld
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IBM has some new options for businesses wanting to experiment with quantum computing.
Quantum computers, when they become commercially available, are expected to vastly outperform conventional computers in a number of domains, including machine learning, cryptography and the optimization of business problems in the fields of logistics and risk analysis.
Where conventional computers deal in ones and zeros (bits) the processors in quantum computers use qubits, which can simultaneously hold the values one and zero. Thisto grossly oversimplifyallows a quantum computer with a 5-qubit processor to perform a calculation for 32 different input values at the same time.
On Wednesday, IBM put a 16-qubit quantum computer online for IBM Cloud platform customers to experiment with, a big leap from the five-qubit machine it had previously made available. The company said that machine has already been used to conduct 300,000 quantum computing experiments by its cloud service users.
But thats not all: IBM now has a prototype 17-qubit system working in the labs, which it says offers twice the performance of the 16-qubit machine.
Quantum computing performance is hard to compare. Much depends on the quality of the qubits in the processor, which rely on shortlived atomic-level quantum phenomena and are thus somewhat unstable.
IBM is proposing a new measure of quantum computing performance that it calls quantum volume, which takes into account the interconnections between the cubits and the reliability of the calculations they perform.
The companys quantum computing division, IBM Q, has set its sights on producing a commercial 50-qubit quantum computer in the coming years.
Peter Sayer covers European public policy, artificial intelligence, the blockchain, and other technology breaking news for the IDG News Service.
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IBM makes a leap in quantum computing power - PCWorld
Quantum Computers Sound Great, But Who’s Going to Program Them? – TrendinTech
While everyones in a rush to get to the end of the quantum computer race, has anyone really given a moment thought as to who will actually program these machines? The idea of achieving quantum supremacy came after Google unveiled its new quantum chip design and is all about creating a device that can perform calculation impossible for a conventional computer to carry out.
Quantum computers should have no trouble in outperforming conventional computers as they work on the basis of qubits. Unlike bits that run conventional computers and either a 0 or a 1, qubits can be both at the same time. This is a phenomenon known as superposition. But in order to demonstrate that thousands of qubits would be needed, and right now, thats just not possible. So instead of Google is planning to compare the computers ability to simulate the behavior of a random arrangement of quantum circuits and estimate it will take around 50 qubits to outdo the most powerful of computers.
IBM is getting ready to release the worlds first commercial universe quantum computing service later this year that will give users the chance to connect to one of its quantum computers via the cloud for a fee. But, there are still many hurdles to overcome before this technology becomes mainstream. One of these problems is that programming a quantum computer is much harder than programming a conventional computer. So, whos going to program them?
There are a number of quantum simulators available now that will help users get familiar with quantum computing, but its not the real thing and is likely to behave very differently. MIT physicist, Isaac Chuang, said, The real challenge is whether you can make your algorithm work on real hardware that has imperfections. It will take time for any computer programmer to learn the skills needed for quantum computing, but until the systems have been developed, what will they learn on?
This is one of the reasons for the push in making quantum devices more accessible. D-wave made available their Qbsoly and Qmasm tools earlier this year in an attempt to get more people into the realms of quantum computing. If the tools are available, more people will be tempted to have a go and budding quantum computer scientists will be born. And as Googles researchers wrote in a statement, If early quantum-computing devices can offer even a modest increase in computing speed or power, early adopters will reap the rewards.
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Quantum Computers Sound Great, But Who's Going to Program Them? - TrendinTech
IBM builds two new Quantum Computing processors – Enterprise Times
IBM has successfully built and tested two new universal quantum computing processors. The first one is aimed at developers, researchers and programmers. Many of these have been working with the APIs IBM released for the IBM Quantum Experience in March. They will now be able to move from testing their applications on a five quantum computing (qubit) processor to one with 16 qubits. This is a significant jump forward and it will be interesting to see if this leads to an acceleration in academic papers on the benefits from quantum computing.
The second processor is arguably far more interesting. IBM delivered a roadmap for its quantum computing journey that would see 50 qubit systems by 2020. It said that early access IBM Q commercial partners would get a new quantum chip this year and it is delivering them the prototype of that chip. It will have 17 qubits and a number of other technologies. At present IBM is talking about its current quantum computers as being accelerators to classical computers.
The delivery of this chip raises two questions. The first is what level of performance are early access customers getting from using a 17 qubits accelerator? Secondly, is the 17 qubit system capable of being a standalone solution and, if so, what level of classical computing is it comparable to?
According to Arvind Krishna, senior vice president and director of IBM Research and Hybrid Cloud: The significant engineering improvements announced today will allow IBM to scale future processors to include 50 or more qubits, and demonstrate computational capabilities beyond todays classical computing systems. These powerful upgrades to our quantum systems, delivered via the IBM Cloud, allow us to imagine new applications and new frontiers for discovery that are virtually unattainable using classical computers alone.
Interestingly this has changed since the March announcement. Back then IBM was targeting five areas, all of which it has invested a lot of money in solving with existing computer technology. The five were:
The latest list compresses this into four areas with Business Optimisation showing that this is more than just a research project. The four areas listed in this release are:
What is not known is how many of the 300,000 experiments already run on the IBM Quantum Experience are aimed at these target areas. It would be useful to know how quickly current researchers and business partners are testing the limits of quantum computing.
IBM set out its roadmap to say that by 2020 it expected to deliver commercial scale quantum computing through the IBM Cloud. It is adopting the same model for this as it has with IBM Watson. Pick key industry areas and then use the cloud to deliver it. Customers dont have to justify hardware costs while research teams will be quick to experiment with the technology.
So far there has been limited feedback from the early adopter customers who took to the platform in March. That they have had a significant upgrade since then will no doubt please many of them. However, there is a need to understand just how much quantum computing is delivered as an accelerator. IBM is about to deliver IBM POWER 9 to the market and all the public presentations show that the key focus of that processor is the accelerator technology.
The biggest indicator of where we are in terms of a commercial deployment will only arrive when we get details of how well a 17 qubit system compares with current technology. Until there is a clear indication of where it sits in terms of performance it is hard to assess how close we are to IBM reaching its target of delivering a quantum computer that is more powerful than any other computer.
IBM is heading into a large number of launches this year. IBM Power Systems will launch the POWER9 processor. There is also a refresh due for the z Systems mainframes with the likelihood that this will not just focus on z14 but also on a new generation of LinuxONE boxes. In the background IBM is making blockchain announcements at an almost weekly rate. There is a danger that some of the questions over quantum computing will get lost in the noise which could be why IBM has made this announcement now.
Whatever the reason, we are moving faster and faster towards a whole new computing paradigm.
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IBM builds two new Quantum Computing processors - Enterprise Times
Refrigerator for quantum computers discovered – Science Daily
Science Daily | Refrigerator for quantum computers discovered Science Daily Just like ordinary processors, a quantum computer also needs a cooling mechanism. In the future, thousands or even millions of logical qubits may be simultaneously used in computation, and in order to obtain the correct result, every qubit has to be ... Quantum Refrigerator Breakthrough Might Be Crucial For Future Of Computing |
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Refrigerator for quantum computers discovered - Science Daily
Scientists Invent Nanoscale Refrigerator For Quantum Computers – Wall Street Pit
Centimetre-sized chip with nanoscale refrigeration. Credit: Kuan Yen Tan
Quantum computers have been hailed as the computers of the future because of their potential to solve the most complex of problems within a reasonable time frame. What differentiates a quantum computer from a traditional electronic computer is its use of quantum bits (qubits for short) instead of regular bits. A bit can only represent one of two states, either 0 or 1. In contrast, a qubit can represent more than one state 0, or 1, or both 0 and 1. And this is made possible through the quantum quirks known as superpositioning and entanglement. It is this bizarre ability to be in two states at once that makes a quantum computers computational power exceptional, extraordinary and virtually elusive up to now.
In spite of their differences in terms of functioning capabilities, one thing that a conventional computer and a quantum computer have in common is the need to keep both cool enough so their components do not overheat and malfunction or shut down completely. Traditional computers have their cooling fans. For quantum computers, its not as simple.
For starters, qubits must be protected from any kind of external disturbance because a slight interference will mess up the superpositioning state, resulting in errors and negating what a qubit is supposed to be for in the first place. Also, because qubits heat up while performing calculations, theres a need to reset them to their low temperature state or ground state before the next round of calculations can be done. For a quantum computer to be useful at all, it needs a cooling mechanism that can do this job (referred to as initializing) quickly.
This is where the work of Mikko Mttnen and his colleagues comes in. They are claiming that they have built a cooling device specifically designed for a quantum circuit that is capable of quickly initializing quantum devices, thus minimizing the incidence of errors when doing quantum computing.
The nanoscale refrigerator the team invented involves the use of voltage-controllable electron tunnelling to cool a qubit-like superconducting resonator through a two-nanometer-thick insulator. To make it work, current from an external voltage source is applied to electrons, giving them an amount of energy insufficient for direct tunnelling. This forces the electrons to capture the remaining amount of energy needed for tunnelling from the nearby quantum device, thus making the quantum device lose energy and cool down.
To turn off cooling, the external voltage simply needs to be adjusted to zero. In that condition, the electrons wont have enough energy (even if they capture energy from the quantum device) to move through the insulator.
As Mikko Mttnen aptly describes it their refrigerator keeps quanta in order.
Going forward, the team is planning to cool actual qubits, instead of just resonators. They will also work on lowering the minimum achievable temperature and speeding up the on/off switch.
The research was recently published in the journal Nature Communications.
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Scientists Invent Nanoscale Refrigerator For Quantum Computers - Wall Street Pit
Quantum Computing Demands a Whole New Kind of Programmer – Singularity Hub
Quantum computers finally seem to be coming of age with promises of quantum supremacy by the end of the year. But theres a problemvery few people know how to work them.
The bold claim ofachieving "quantum supremacy"came on the back of Google unveiling a new quantum chip design. The hyperbolic phrase essentially means building a quantum device that can perform a calculation impossible for any conventional computer.
In theory, quantum computers can crush conventional ones at important tasks like factoring large numbers. Thats because unlike normal computers, whose bits can either be represented as 0 or 1, a quantum bitor qubitcan be simultaneously 0 and 1 thanks to a phenomenon known as superposition.
Demonstrating this would require thousands of qubits, though, which is well beyond current capabilities. So instead Google plans to compare the computers ability to simulate the behavior of a random arrangement of quantum circuits. They predict it should take 50 qubits to outdo the most powerful supercomputers, a goal they feel they can reach this year.
Clearly the nature of the experiment tips the balance in favor of their chip, but the result would be impressive nonetheless, and could act as a catalyst to spur commercialization of the technology.
This year should also see the first commercial universal quantum computing service go live, with IBM giving customers access to one of its quantum computers over the cloud for a fee. Canadian company D-Wave already provides cloud access to one of its machines, but its quantum computers are not universal, as they can only solve certain optimization problems.
But despite this apparent impetus, the technology has a major challenge to overcome. Programming these devices is much harder than programming conventional computers.
For a start, building algorithms for these machines requires a certain level of understanding about the quantum physics that gives qubits their special properties. While you dont need an advanced physics degree to get your head around it, it is a big departure from traditional computer programming.
Writing in ReadWrite, Dan Rowinski points out, Writing apps that can be translated into some form of qubit-relatable code may require some very different approaches, since among other things, the underlying logic for digital programs may not translate precisely (or at all) to the quantum-computing realm.
And while there are a number of quantum simulators that can run on a laptop for those who want to dip their toes in the water, real quantum computers are likely to behave quite differently. The real challenge is whether you can make your algorithm work on real hardware that has imperfections, Isaac Chuang, an MIT physicist, told Nature.
Convincing programmers to invest the time necessary to learn these skills is going to be tricky until commercial systems are delivering tangible benefits and securing customers, but thats going to be tough if theres no software to run on them.
The companies building these machines recognize this chicken and egg problem, and it is why there is an increasing drive to broaden access to these machines. Before the announcement of the commercial IBMQ service, the company had already released the free Quantum Experience service last year.
Earlier this year, D-Wave open sourced their Qbsolv and Qmasm tools to allow people to start getting to grips with programming its devices, while a pair of Google engineers built a Quantum Computing Playground for people to start investigating the basics of the technology. The company plans to provide access to its devices over the cloud just like IBM.
We dont just want to build these machines, Jerry Chow, the manager of IBMs Experimental Quantum Computing team told Wired. We want to build a framework that allows people to use them.
How easy it will be to translate the skills learned in one of these companies proprietary quantum computing ecosystems to another also remains to be seen, not least because the technology at the heart of them can be dramatically different. This could be a further stumbling block to developing a solid pool of quantum programmers.
Ultimately, the kinds of large-scale quantum computers powerful enough to be usefully put to work on real-world problems are still some years away, so theres no need to panic yet. But as the researchers behind Googles quantum effort note in an article in Nature, this scarcity of programming talent also presents an opportunity for those who move quickly.
If early quantum-computing devices can offer even a modest increase in computing speed or power, early adopters will reap the rewards, they write. Rival companies would face high entry barriers to match the same quality of services and products, because few experts can write quantum algorithms, and businesses need time to tailor new algorithms.
Image Credit: Shutterstock
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Quantum Computing Demands a Whole New Kind of Programmer - Singularity Hub
Home News Computer Europe Takes Quantum Computing to the Next Level With this Billion Euro… – TrendinTech
The race on quantum technologies is on in a big way. Weve already seen big investments coming from both China and the United States, and now Europe is jumping in on the action too. Last year the European Commission announced its plans to invest 1 billion Euros ($1.1 billion) into quantum mechanic research. However, experts are concerned that partners are reluctant to invest.
A meeting was held by an advisory group steering the Quantum Technology Flagship project on 7 April at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture in London. Here the group gave details of how the project will work which includes exploiting the behavior shown by quantum systems in order to develop new technologies such as ultra-accurate sensors and super-secure communication systems. But is it too little too late? Various other countries are already developing these technologies, including China and the U.S.
Europe cannot afford to miss this train, says Vladmir Buzek, a member of the steering group and physicist at the Research Center for Quantum Information of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava. The industry here is really waiting too long. Launched just last year, this quantum project is a decade-long initiative that will work differently to previous efforts, operating with open calls throughout to ensure flexibility in funding the best researchers. The focus of the European Flagship will be on four distinct areas of quantum technologies: communication, sensing, computing, and simulation.
China is clearly in the lead currently when it comes to quantum communication. They hold the most patents globally in this field with the United States leading to patents involving quantum computers and ultrasensitive sensors. One of the big problems Europe face is the loss of the United Kingdom following the Brexit vote. The project is due to kick off the same year as the United Kingdom are due to exit the European Union (2019). But experts suggest the timing may actually be a good thing and are hopeful the United Kingdom can still participate in some form.
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Home News Computer Europe Takes Quantum Computing to the Next Level With this Billion Euro... - TrendinTech
Nanofridge could keep quantum computers cool enough to calculate – New Scientist
This centimetre-sized chip has nanoscale refrigeration
Kuan Yen Tan
By Jennifer Ouellette
Even quantum computers need to keep their cool. Now, researchers have built a tiny nanoscale refrigerator to keep qubits cold enough to function.
Classical computers require built-in fans and other ways to dissipate heat, and quantum computers are no different. Instead of working with bits of information that can be either 0 or 1, as in a classical machine, a quantum computer relies on qubits, which can be in both states simultaneously called a superposition thanks to the quirks of quantum mechanics. Those qubits must be shielded from all external noise, since the slightest interference will destroy the superposition, resulting in calculation errors. Well-isolated qubits heat up easily, so keeping them cool is a challenge.
Also, unlike in a classical computer, qubits must start in their low-temperature ground states to run an algorithm. Qubits heat up during calculations, so if you want to run several quantum algorithms one after the other, any cooling mechanism must be able to do its job quickly. A standard fan just wont cut it.
Now, Mikko Mttnen at Aalto University in Finland and his colleagues have built the first standalone cooling device for a quantum circuit. It could eventually be integrated into many kinds of quantum electronic devices including a computer.
The team built a circuit with an energy gap dividing two channels: a superconducting fast lane, where electrons can zip along with zero resistance, and a slow resistive (non-superconducting) lane. Only electrons with sufficient energy to jump across that gap can get to the superconductor highway; the rest are stuck in the slow lane.
If some poor electron falls just short of having enough energy to make the jump, it can get a boost by capturing a photon from a nearby resonator a device that can function as a qubit. As a result, the resonator gradually cools down.
Over time this has a selective chilling effect on the electrons as well: the hotter electrons jump the gap, while the cooler ones are left behind. The process removes heat from the system, much like how a refrigerator functions.
Spiros Michalakis at the California Institute of Technology draws a loose analogy with the famous thought experiment known as Maxwells Demon, in which an intelligent being presides over a box of gas atoms divided into two chambers. The demon allows only the hottest, or most energetic, atoms to pass through an opening in the wall dividing the two chambers, resulting in a sharp difference in temperature between the two.
There is no demon in the quantum fridge, but it works in a similar way, Michalakis says. Its kind of like a gate similar to Maxwells Demon, where you only allow electrons with energy above a certain threshold to cross, he said.
The next step will be to build the device and cool actual qubits with it, being careful not to accidentally destroy the superposition when the fridge is shut down. Mttnen is confident enough in eventual success that he has applied for a patent for the device.
Maybe in 10 to 15 years, this might be commercially useful, he said. Its going to take some time, but Im pretty sure well get there.
Journal reference: Nature Communications, DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15189
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Nanofridge could keep quantum computers cool enough to calculate - New Scientist
Researchers seek to advance quantum computing – The Stanford Daily
Researchers in Professor of Engineering Jelena Vuckovics lab are pursuing smaller, faster computers with work in the cutting-edgefield of quantum computing.
Most currentcomputing is based on a binary system of ones and zeros generated by electricity. Instead of using electricity and digits, quantum computing analyzes particles of light called quanta, emitted by lasers striking single electrons. The light particles indicate the way each electron is spinning; they allow transmission of more complicated information than would be possible with just binary numbers.
That greater range of possibilities forms the basis for more complex computing, Marina Radulaski, a postdoctoral fellow in Vuckovics lab, toldStanford News.
According to Vuckovic, whose research is at theforefront of quantum computing, the technology is applicable to a wide variety of problems involving many variables for example, issues in fields like cryptography and data mining.
When people talk about finding a needle in a haystack, thats where quantum computing comes in, Vuckovic said.
For the last two decades, Vuckovic has sought to develop new kinds of quantum computer chips. Recently, she has joined forces with others around the globe to test out three different ways of isolating electronsfor interaction with lasers.
Each of the three strategies leverages semiconductor crystals, a material whose lattice of atoms can be modified subtly to hold electrons.
Many companies tackling quantum computing seek to cool materials almost to absolute zero, the temperature at which atoms stop moving. But one of the materials Vuckovic and her colleagues have been exploring could function at standard room temperatures. This normal-temperature optioncould help quantum computing become more widespread.
To fully realize the promise of quantum computing we will have to develop technologies that can operate in normal environments, Vuckovic said. The materials we are exploring bring us closer toward finding tomorrows quantum processor.
We dont know yet which approach is best, so we continue to experiment, she added.
Contact Hannah Knowles at hknowles at stanford.edu.
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Researchers seek to advance quantum computing - The Stanford Daily