The latest breakthrough in Quantum computing

LATEST BREAKTHROUGH IN QUANTUM COMPUTER

Researchers all over the world have been leaving no stone unturned to make quantum computing possible, as they believe that the traditional method of computing by embedding 10 billion transistors in a tiny chip can not more scalable. They visualize tremendous benefit to be unleashed a revolution in digital technology, improvement in various software and especially Artificial Intelligence in various fields, like, Finance, Healthcare, Insurance, Education, Industrial sectors through machine automation and much more. ,   

 Based on the enormous benefits accrue if the advancement of quantum computing reaches an implementation point to be utilized for the benefit of humankind globally. In this context, the recent breakthrough by researchers at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory significantly reduced this gap by using data compression techniques to fit a 61-qubit simulation of Grover's quantum search algorithm on a large supercomputer with 0.4 percent error. Quantum computation represents a fundamental shift that is now underway.  What is the most stirring is not what we perceive can do with a quantum computer today, but the concealed truths it will reveal tomorrow. Scientists from the University of Bath, working with a colleague at the Bulgarian  Academy of Sciences, have created an ingenious method of supervising the vapor by coating the interior of containers with nanoscopic gold particles 300,000 times smaller than a pinhead.

Significant technical and financial issues remain towards building a large, fault-tolerant quantum computer and one is unlikely to be built within the coming decade. Chemists at Friedrich Schiller University in Jena (Germany) have now synthesized a molecule that can perform the function of a computing unit in a quantum computer. The research team developed the first optical microchip to generate, manipulate and detect a particular state of light called a squeezed vacuum, which is necessary for quantum computation. Australian scientists have investigated new directions to scale up qubits utilizing the pin-orbit coupling of atom qubits. adding a new suite of tools to the armory. A team of international researchers led by engineers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have invented a new magnetic device to manipulate digital information 20 times more efficiently and with 10 times more stability than commercial spintronic digital memories.

Working in the lab of Mikhail Lukin, the George Vasmer Leverett Professor of Physics and co-director of the Quantum Science and Engineering Initiative, Evans is the lead author of a study, described in the journal Science, that demonstrates a method for engine The silicon nano-electronic device used to hold the quantum processor was built using methods compatible with industry standards for existing computer chips. (The authors demonstrated universal quantum logic operations using a pair of ion-implanted 31P nuclei in a silicon nanoelectronic device. The device is manufactured using methods compatible with the industry-standard processes used for all existing computer chips.) “When the errors are so rare, it becomes possible to detect them and correct them when they occur. This shows that it is possible to build quantum computers that have enough scale, and enough power, to handle meaningful computation.” This piece of research is an important milestone on the journey that will get us there.

Morello’s paper is one of three published today in Nature that independently confirm that robust, reliable quantum computing in silicon is now a reality. This breakthrough features on the front cover of the journal. Morello had in the past displayed that he could preserve quantum information in silicon for 35 seconds, due to the extreme isolation of nuclear spins from their environment.

The three qubits can be prepared in a quantum entangled state, which unlocks the exponential power of quantum computers. (Nuclear spins are exceptionally good qubits, because of their exceptional isolation from the environment. This same feature, however, makes it difficult for them to interact and perform quantum logic operations. The team’s breakthrough consists in using a common electron to mediate the interaction, leading to high-fidelity universal quantum logic operations. Furthermore, the electron itself is a high-quality qubit, and can be placed in a fully quantum-entangled state with the two nuclei.“ In the quantum world, 35 seconds is an eternity,” says Prof. Morello. “To give a comparison, in the famous Google and IBM superconducting quantum computers the lifetime is about a hundred microseconds – nearly a million times shorter.”But the trade-off was that isolating the qubits made it seemingly impossible for them to interact with each other, as necessary to perform actual computations.

 A visualization of UNSW’s three-qubit system, which can perform quantum logic operations with over 99% accuracy. (Quantum operation fidelities above 99% were obtained in a three-qubit silicon quantum processor. The first two qubits (Q1, Q2) are the nuclear spins of individually-implanted phosphorus atoms (red spheres). The third qubit (Q3) is the spin of an electron that wraps around both nuclei. The UNSW and Delft teams certified the performance of their quantum processors using a sophisticated method called gate set tomography, developed at Sandia National Laboratories in the U.S. and made openly available to the research community.

Nuclear spins learn to interact accurately

Today’s paper describes how his team overcame this problem by using an electron encompassing two nuclei of phosphorus atoms.

“If you have two nuclei that are connected to the same electron, you can make them do a quantum operation,” says Dr. Mateusz Madzik, one of the lead experimental authors. The three-qubit system paves the way to scaling up the quantum processor in the future because the electron can be easily entangled with other electrons or moved across the chip. (The three-qubit entangled state of nuclei and electrons paves the way to scaling up the quantum processor in the future. The electron can be easily entangled with other electrons, or physically moved across the chip.

“While you don’t operate the electron, those nuclei safely store their quantum information. But now you have the option of making them talk to each other via the electron, to realize universal quantum operations that can be adapted to any computational problem.This really is an unlocking technology, The nuclear spins are the core quantum processor. If you entangle them with the electron, then the electron can then be moved to another place and entangled with other qubit nuclei further afield, opening the way to making large arrays of qubits capable of robust and useful computations.”

David Jamieson, research leader at the University of Melbourne, adds: “The phosphorous atoms were introduced in the silicon chip using ion implantation, the same method used in all existing silicon computer chips. This ensures that our quantum breakthrough is compatible with the broader semiconductor industry.”All existing computers deploy some form of error correction and data redundancy, but the laws of quantum physics pose severe restrictions on how the correction takes place in a quantum computers. Prof. Morello explains: “You typically need error rates below 1 percent, to apply quantum error correction protocols. Having now achieved this goal, we can start designing silicon quantum processors that scale up and operate reliably for useful calculations.”

About the three papers:

Semiconductor spin qubits in silicon are well-placed to become the platform of choice for reliable quantum computers. They are stable enough to hold quantum information for long periods and can be scaled up using techniques familiar from existing advanced semiconductor manufacturing technology.“Until now, however, the challenge has been performing quantum logic operations with sufficiently high accuracy,” Prof. Morello says.

“Each of the three papers published recently  shows how this challenge can be overcome to such a degree that errors can be corrected faster than they appear.”

• The UNSW team led by Andrea Morello created two-qubit universal quantum logic operations between two nuclear spins formed by phosphorous donors, introduced in silicon via the industry-standard method of ion implantation. The quantum operations involved an electron, whose probability wave is spread across both nuclei. The individual nuclei operated with fidelities up to 99.95%, and two-qubit operations with 99.37% fidelity, as certified by gate set tomography (GST). The electron spin is itself a qubit, which can be entangled with the two nuclei to create a three-qubit quantum entangled state, with the fidelity of 92.5%. The Delft team led by Lieven Vandersypen created a two-qubit system in a material made from a carefully grown stack of silicon and silicon-germanium alloy (Si/SiGe). The quantum information is encoded in the spins of electrons confined in quantum dots. They applied gate set tomography not only to quantify but also to improve the accuracy of the quantum operations and reached 99.5 percent fidelity on the two-qubit logic gate. “Pushing the two-qubit gate fidelity well beyond 99 percent required improved materials and specially designed qubit control and calibration methods,” Xiao Xue, lead author of the publication in Nature, said.
• Collaborations and exchanges

.IBM unveiled its breakthrough ‘Eagle” 127-Qubit Quantum Processor which taps into the massive computing potential of devices based on quantum physics. The company also previewed plans for IBM Quantum System Two, the next generation of quantum systems, which will integrate the concept of modularity into quantum computing to allow the hardware to be flexible enough to scale. The new quantum processor was developed to contain more than 100 operational and connected qubits. It follows IBM’s 65-qubit ‘Hummingbird’ processor, which was revealed in 2020, as well as the 27-qubit ‘Falcon’ processor that IBM announced in 2019.

The increased qubit count will enable users to explore problems at a new level of complexity when undertaking experiments and running applications. It can be used to optimize machine learning or modeling new molecules and materials that can be used in a number of scenarios, including discovery of new drugs and innovations in the energy industry.“ The arrival of the ‘Eagle’ processor is a major step towards the day when quantum computers can outperform classical computers for useful applications,” said Dr. Darío Gil, senior vice president and director of research at IBM. “Quantum computing has the power to transform nearly every sector and help us tackle the biggest problems of our time. This is why IBM continues to rapidly innovate quantum hardware and software design, building ways for quantum and classical workloads to empower each other, and create a global ecosystem that is imperative to the growth of a quantum industry.”

RECENT QUANTUM COMPUTING ADVANCES POINT TO A BRIGHTER FUTURE

The past year realized a  few of breakthrough technologies from IBM and Honeywell, carrying the future promises of quantum computing closer to present-day reality. In spite in  2021 being just another year in the slo-mo progression of quantum computing, a key group of vendors rolled out offerings that promise to boost the technology into production IT environments soon.

 Since the last few years, technology experts and veterans including start-ups have assuredly promised the affected changes their quantum products would bring, but corporate IT pros are still waiting. However, the new warmth in hope recently is the introduction of foundational products that could make quantum computing a more practical and immediate contributor to solving pressing IT issues in the next year or two.

Just some months back, IBM launched its most powerful quantum system.   , code-named Eagle, with a 127-qubit processor -- the first to break the 100-qubit barrier. The system also contains new chip packaging and refrigeration technologies, including a new cryogenic platform, developed in concert with Bluefors' cryogenics, that keeps temperatures low, resulting in better system stability. These technologies will serve as first blocks for at least the next two IBM quantum systems: the 433-qubit Osprey due next year and the 1121 qubit Condor expected in 2023. IBM expects to have these systems with the new technologies up and running at IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., in 2023.

"The technological breakthrough is we now know how to add more qubits on the way to having sufficiently powerful machines fast enough to solve many more complex problems," said Bob Sutor, IBM's chief quantum exponent. "It's an important milestone pertaining to scalability."

Honeywell's quantum milestones

In addition to delivering a version of its H1 quantum system this year that achieved a quantum volume of 1,024 -- a metric measuring a quantum system's overall capability and performance -- Honeywell this week achieved another first, delivering a cryptographic key generation platform powered solely by a quantum computer. Called Quantum Quantum Origin, the offering will be delivered as a service and works with the infrastructure of existing classical systems.

"The technology itself is interesting," said Dan Newman, principal analyst and founding partner at Futurum Research. "But the broader implications of an as-a-service quantum software is the most noteworthy item. It's still early days, but an offering that can be run entirely on quantum is more than notable; it's a breakthrough."

Quantum Origin works with multiple existing algorithms, including RSA and AES, along with cryptography algorithms now being standardized by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). These latest products and services qualify both Honeywell and IBM as full-stack quantum suppliers, helping validate the technology in the eyes of hesitant corporate IT pros.

TECHTARGET

How traditional computing systems compare to quantum computing's capabilities.

Honeywell and IBM have server hardware based on their own processor technology, a software portfolio including compilers and software development kits, software and hardware for integrating quantum and classical environments, and now have, or are working on, exploitive applications. Being a full-stack supplier also enriches a company's competitive position against many companies specializing in just server hardware or quantum components serving niche markets

"The full-stack quantum providers with the software and cloud infrastructure will be survivors," said Doug Finke, publisher and managing editor of The Quantum Computing Report. "But it doesn't mean those companies that are specialists will get totally lost in the mix, either. For them, the strategy is to partner up with companies offering full stacks."

Quantum computing ecosystem growth

One consultant with an equally optimistic view believes the increased interest in quantum computing over the next few years leaves the door wide open for both full-stackers and niche players alike.

"There will be plenty of room for specialty companies to make things like lasers and vacuums and other necessary componentry that makes things work," said Frank Dzubeck, president of Communications Network Architects. "And there will be new materials introduced along the way that will make quantum computing more of a practical reality for IT organizations."

One example of a new quantum computation material came from IonQ Inc. this week. The company unveiled plans to use barium ions as qubits in its upcoming quantum systems that will lead the way to more advanced quantum architectures. Future systems will not only be faster because of this advance but also more easily interconnected to extend uptime for corporate users and set the stage for developing a broader array of applications, IonQ said.

Perhaps more importantly, barium ions will result in lower error rates, which ensure higher reliability and better state detection, according to IonQ.

"You're not going to get to 2,000 or 100,000 qubit systems until we figure out how to make significant progress with [error] correction. It's a big wall to climb over," said Paul Smith-Goodson, vice president and principal analyst of quantum and AI with Moor Insights & Strategy. "But I think you will see some breakthroughs in 2022 with IBM, Honeywell and others who working hard on this."

Cybersecurity is a good starting point in talking about killer apps. But there are other applications that could breakthrough in the same time frame, like simulation and financial applications. Paul Smith-GoodsonVice president, principal analyst of quantum and AI, Moor Insights & Strategy

What could ensure the economic viability of quantum computing development, especially for cash-hungry startups, is the sustained stream of venture capital flowing into the market. In a report released late last month, Constellation Research found that 241 companies in the quantum computing market spread across seven market segments drew some $8.5 billion and currently have a total market cap worth $174.2 billion.

Full-stack vendors are driving $14.6 billion of the total market cap, with quantum software makers accounting for $6.1 billion and communications vendors having a collective $5.8 billion market cap. Constellation Research expects a dozen full-stack companies to emerge over the next five years as "winners," along with five to seven specialists in each of the seven major categories.

Not surprisingly, the security segment has attracted the most funding so far: over $5 billion, according to the report. Given the increased focus on preventing cyber attacks, cloud-based security products and services could be the "killer apps" that lend credibility to quantum computing.

"Cybersecurity is a good starting point in talking about killer apps," Smith-Goodson said. "But there are other applications that could breakthrough around the same time frame, like simulation and financial applications. But we could be a couple of years away from that."

What could spur delivery of usable quantum-based security offerings soon is the US Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security's decision late last month to ban U.S. companies from doing business with eight high-tech companies in China that "dabble with quantum computing." The decision was based on those Chinese companies posing a "threat to national security," the agency said in a prepared statement.