Oct. 28, 2021 What if by harnessing the properties of quantum mechanics we could model and simulate the behavior of matter at its most fundamental level, down to how molecules interact? The machine that would make that possible would be transformative, changing what we know about science and how we probe nature for answers.

Quantum computers have the potential to be this machine: The scientific community has known for some time now that certain computational tasks can be solved more efficiently when qubits (quantum bits) are used to perform the calculations, and that quantum computers promise to solve some problems that are currently beyond the reach of classical computers. But many unknowns remain: How should we build such a machine so that it can handle big problems, useful problems of practical importance? How can we scale it to thousands and millions of qubits while maintaining precise control over fragile quantum states and protecting them from their environment? And what customer problems should we design it to tackle first? These are some of the big questions that motivate us at the AWS Center for Quantum Computing.

The Home of AWS Quantum Technologies

In this post I am excited to announce the opening of the new home of the AWS Center for Quantum Computing, a state-of-the-art facility in Pasadena, California, where we are embarking on a journey to build a fault-tolerant quantum computer. This new building is dedicated to our quantum computing efforts, and includes office space to house our quantum research teams, and laboratories comprising the scientific equipment and specialized tools for designing and running quantum devices. Here our team of hardware engineers, quantum theorists, and software developers work side by side totackle the many challengesof building better quantum computers. Our new facility includes everything we need to push the boundaries of quantum R&D, from making, testing, and operating quantum processors, to innovating the processes for controlling quantum computers and scaling the technologies needed to support bigger quantum devices, like cryogenic cooling systems and wiring.

From Research to Reality

A bold goal like building a fault-tolerant quantum computer naturally means that there will be significant scientific and engineering challenges along the way, andsupportingfundamental research and making a commitment to the scientific community working on these problems is essential for accelerating progress. Our Center is located on the Caltech campus, which enables us to interact with students and faculty from leading research groups in physics and engineering just a few buildings away. We chose topartner with Caltechin part due to the universitys rich history of contributions to computing both classical and quantum from pioneers like Richard Feynman, whose vision 40 years ago can be credited with kick-starting the field of quantum computing, to the current technical leads of the AWS Center for Quantum Computing: Oskar Painter (John G Braun Professor of Applied Physics, Head of Quantum Hardware), and Fernando Brandao (Bren Professor of Theoretical Physics, Head of Quantum Algorithms). Through this partnership were also supporting the next generation of quantum scientists, by providing scholarships and training opportunities for students and young faculty members.

But our connections to the research community dont end here. Our relationships with a diverse group of researchers help us stay at the cutting edge of quantum information sciences research. For example, several experts in quantum related fields are contributing to our efforts asAmazon Scholarsand Amazon Visiting Academics, includingLiang Jiang(University of Chicago), Alexey Gorshkov (University of Maryland),John Preskill(Caltech), Gil Refael (Caltech), Amir Safavi-Naeimi (Stanford), Dave Schuster (University of Chicago), andJames Whitfield(Dartmouth). These experts help us innovate and overcome technical challenges even as they continue to teach and conduct research at their universities. I believe such collaborations at this early stage of the field will be critical to fully understand the potential applications and societal impact of quantum technologies.

Building a Better Qubit

There are many ways to physically realize a quantum computer: quantum information can, for example, be encoded in particles found in nature, such as photons or atoms, but at the AWS Center for Quantum Computing we are focusing on superconducting qubits electrical circuit elements constructed from superconducting materials. We chose this approach partly because the ability to manufacture these qubits using well-understood microelectronic fabrication techniques makes it possible to make many qubits in a repeatable way, and gives us more control as we start scaling up the number of qubits. There is more to building a useful quantum computer than increasing the number of qubits, however. Another important metric is the computers clock speed, or the time required to perform quantum gate operations. Faster clock speeds means solving problems faster, and here again superconducting qubits have an edge over other modalities, as they provide very fast quantum gates.

The ultimate measure of the quality of our qubits will be the error rate, or how accurately we can perform quantum gates. Quantum devices available today are noisy and are as a result limited in the size of circuits that they can handle (a few thousands of gates is the best we can hope for withNoisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) devices). This in turn severely limits their computational power. There are two ways that we are approaching making better qubits at the AWS Center for Quantum Computing: the first is by improving error rates at the physical level, for example by investing in material improvements that reduce noise. The second is through innovative qubit architectures, including using Quantum Error Correction (QEC) to reduce quantum gate errors by redundantly encoding information into a protected qubit, called a logical qubit. This allows for the detection and correction of gate errors, and for the implementation of gate operations on the encoded qubits in a fault-tolerant way.

Innovating Error Correction

Typical QEC requires a large number of physical qubits to encode every qubit of logical information. At the AWS Center for Quantum Computing, we have been researching ways toreduce this overheadthrough the use of qubit architectures that allow us to implement error correction more efficiently in quantum hardware. In particular, we are optimistic about approaches that make use of linear harmonic oscillators such asGottesman-Kitaev-Preskill (GKP) qubitsand Schrdinger cat qubits, and recently proposed atheoretical designfor a fault-tolerant quantum computer based on hardware-efficient architecture leveraging the latter.

One thing that differentiatesthis approachis that we take advantage of a technique called error-biasing. There are two types of errors that can affect quantum computation: bit-flip (flips between the 0 and 1 state due to noise) and phase-flips (the reversal of parity in the superposition of 0 and 1). In error-biasing, we use physical qubits that allow us to suppress bit-flips exponentially, while only increasing phase-flips linearly. We then combine this error-biasing with an outer repetition code consisting of a linear chain of cat qubits to detect and correct for the remaining phase-flip errors. The result is a fault-tolerant logical qubit that has a lower error rate for storing and manipulating the encoded quantum information. Not having to correct for bit-flip errors is the reason this architecture is hardware efficient and shows tremendous potential for scaling.

Building the Future for Our Customers

The journey to an error-corrected quantum computer starts with a few logical qubits. A key milestone for our team and the quantum computing field will be demonstrating the breakeven point with a logical qubit, where the accuracy of the logical qubit surpasses the accuracy of the physical qubits that constitute its building blocks. Our ultimate goal is to deliver an error-corrected quantum computer that can perform reliable computations not just beyond what any classical computing technology is capable of, but at the scale needed to solve customer problems of practical importance.

Why set such an ambitious goal? The quantum algorithms that have the most potential for significant impact, for example in industries like manufacturing or pharmaceuticals, cant be solved by simply expanding todays quantum technologies. Pursuing breakthrough innovations rather than incremental improvements always takes longer, but I believe a bold approach that fundamentally reconsiders what makes a good qubit is the best way to deliver the ultimate computational tool: a machine that can execute algorithms requiring hundreds of thousands to billions of quantum gate operations on each qubit with at most one error over the total number of gates, a level of accuracy needed to solve the most complex computational problems that have societal and commercial value.

In talking to our AWS quantum customers over the last couple years Ive found that those that are most excited about the potential for quantum are also realistic about the challenges of realizing the full potential of this technology, and are eager tocollaboratewith us to make it a reality even as they build up their own internal expertise in quantum. At the AWS Center for Quantum computing, we have assembled a fantastic team that is committed to this exciting journey toward fault-tolerant quantum computing. Stay tuned, andjoin us.

Source: Nadia Carlsten, AWS

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The changing landscape of cyber security and Facebook experiences more pushback

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On this weeks show we look at the cyber security landscape and the emerging technologies like quantum computing that will reshape it with CyberHive head of product Gareth Lockwood.

In other news Cisco brings holograms to conference calls, Facebook is in the bad books, again, and its competitors try to convince US lawmakers to leave them alone.

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CyberHive's Gareth Lockwood on how quantum computing changes the rules of threat protection - TechCentral.ie

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sumitomo Corporation Quantum Transformation Project (hereinafter referred to as "QX PJ"), which aims to revolutionize society with the power of quantum computers, is collaborating with OneSky, a provider of unmanned traffic management (UTM) solutions, and Tohoku University, which has extensive research experience in quantum annealing, a method specializing in optimization among quantum computing. The QX PJ has conducted a demonstration of the use of quantum computing to develop a real-time three-dimensional traffic control system for the era when hundreds of thousands of air mobility vehicles will be flying in the sky, and has improved the number of flying vehicles that can fly simultaneously by about 70%. We have also demonstrated that quantum computing is about 10 times faster than conventional computers in certain problems. In the future, we believe that quantum computers will be able to increase the number of flying cars by further improving their performance, and that air mobility will be able to create new value by providing the shortest and best route for emergency flights that should be prioritized.

Air mobility is a next generation means of transportation that is expected to shorten travel time in urban areas, improve convenience of travel in remote islands and mountainous areas, and speed up emergency transport and goods transportation. To ensure the safety and security of air traffic in the age of air mobility, it is necessary to determine the optimal flight operation considering the ever-changing weather, radio wave conditions, and the situation of other air mobiles. However, it may be difficult for conventional computers to find the answer in real time from an exponentially increasing number of combinations. To solve this problem, QX PJ has started a quantum technology demonstration to control a large number of air mobilities in real time.

The results of the demonstration experiment are now available on video. Please see the video.URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv5viYQQ8Lw

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Sumitomo Corporation Quantum Transformation (QX) Project - Quantum Computer Improves Performance of Traffic Control for Flying Cars, One Step Closer...

Oct. 19, 2021 Three Chicago Quantum Exchange Members have received distinguished awards from the American PhysicalSociety (APS)for their work in quantum science, including work in spin transport, theoretical quantum information science, and theoretical methods to compute and engineer the electronic and structural properties of molecules and materials.

Axel Hoffmann, at member instituteUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, received the 2022 David Adler Lectureship Award in the Field of Material Physics for his work advancing the understanding of spin transport and magnetization dynamics in magnetic multilayers.He is also being recognized for his inspiring lectures and engaging discussions.

AtThe University of Chicago,Liang Jiangreceived the 2022 Rolf Landauer and Charles H. Bennett Award in Quantum Computing for his contributions tothe field of theoretical quantum information science. His research focusses on exploiting novel error correction strategies to enhance performance in a manner compatible with state-of-the-art experimental platforms, and for helping establish new foundations for fault-tolerant and practical quantum communication, computing, and sensing.

The third CQE recipient to win an award from APS isGiulia Galli,aLiew Family professorof Electronic Structure and Simulations in thePritzker School of Molecular EngineeringandProfessor of Chemistryat the University of Chicago. Giulia Galli is also a Senior Scientist atArgonne National Lab(ANL). Galli received the 2022 Aneesur Rahman Prize for Computational Physics for her work to develop theoretical methods to compute and engineer the electronic and structural properties of molecules and materials. Her work broadens the applicability of first-principles computational approaches to multiple disciplines.

About the American PhysicalSociety (APS) Awards:

TheAPS Prizes and Awardsrecognize outstanding achievements in research, education, and public service. With few exceptions, they are open to all members of the scientific community in the US and abroad. The nomination and selection procedure, involving APS-appointed selection committees, guarantees high standards and prestige.

APS announced the Societys Spring 2022 prize and award recipients, including those for the 2021 LeRoy Apker Award for undergraduate research, the 2021 Dwight Nicholson Medal for Outreach, and the 2021 Stanford R. Ovshinsky Sustainable Energy Fellowship, on October 15, 2021.

View the story on UIUCs website

View the story on PMEs website

View the full list of recipients

Source: Chicago Quantum Exchange

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3 CQE members Receive Awards from the American Physical Society - HPCwire

While it could be many years before quantum computing becomes a common presence in daily life, the technology already has been recruited to help search for life in deep space.

Quantum software company Zapata Computing is partnering with the U.K.-based University of Hull on research to evaluate Zapatas Orquestra quantum workflow platform, to enhance a quantum application designed to detect signatures of life in deep space.

Dr David Benoit, Senior Lecturer in Molecular Physics and Astrochemistry at the University of Hull, said the evaluation is not a controlled demonstration of features, but rather a project involving real-world data. We are looking at how Orquestra performs in actual workflows that use quantum computing to provide typical real-life data, he told Fierce Electronics via email. In this project, we are really aiming for real useful data rather than a demo of capabilities.

The evaluation will run for eight weeks before the team publishes an analysis of the research. It is expected to be the first of several collaborations between Zapata and the University of Hull for quantum astrophysics applications, the parties said. The news comes as several giants in quantum computing, including Google, IBM, Amazon and Honeywell, among others, were set to attend a White House forum hosted by the Biden administration to discuss evolving uses for quantum computing.

In some cases, researchers have turned to quantum computing to tackle projects that classical computers would take too long to complete, and the University of Hull is in a similar situation, Benoit said.

He further explained, The tests envisioned are still something that a classical computer can do, however the computational time required to obtain the solution has a factorial scaling, meaning that larger size applications are likely to take days/months/years to complete (along with a very large amount of memory). The quantum counterpart is able to solve those problems in a sub-factorial manner (potentially quartic scaling), but this doesnt necessarily mean its faster for all systems, just that the computational effort is much reduced for large systems. In this application, we are aiming for a scalable way of performing accurate calculations, and this is exactly what we can obtain using quantum computers.

Just how big is the task at hand? A statement from Zapata noted that in 2016 MIT researchers suggested a list of more than 14,000 molecules that could indicate signs of life in atmospheres of far-away exoplanets. However, little is currently known about how these molecules vibrate and rotate in response to infrared radiation generated by nearby stars. The University of Hull is trying to build a database of detectable biological signatures using new computational models of molecular rotations and vibrations.

Though fault tolerance and error correction remain a challenge for quantum computing models, Benoit said researchers are not concerned with the performance of such so-called Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) devices.

Our method actually uses the statistical nature of the noise/errors to try and obtain an accurate answer, so we take the fact that the results will be noisy as a useful thing, he said. Obviously, the better the error correction or the less noisy the device, the better the outcome. However, using Orquestra enables us to potentially switch platforms without having to re-implement large parts of the code, which means that as better hardware comes along, we can readily compute with it.

Benoit added that Orquestra will help researchers generate valuable insights from NISQ devices, and that researchers can build applications that use these NISQ devices today with the capacity to leverage the more powerful quantum devices of the future. The result should be extremely accurate calculations of the key variable defining atom-atom interactions electronic correlation and thus could improve scientists ability to detect the building blocks of life in space. This is particularly important because even simple molecules, such as oxygen or nitrogen, have complex interactions that require very accurate calculations.

RELATED: Even noisy quantum systems are revolutionary: Classiq CEO

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Zapata, University of Hull researchers take quantum computing to deep space - FierceElectronics