Quantinuum scientists making adjustments to a beam line array used to deliver laser pulses in H-Series quantum computers. Photo courtesy of Quantinuum.

Today signifies a major achievement for the entire quantum ecosystem: Microsoft and Quantinuum demonstrated the most reliable logical qubits on record. By applying Microsofts breakthrough qubit-virtualization system, with error diagnostics and correction, to Quantinuums ion-trap hardware, we ran more than 14,000 individual experiments without a single error. Furthermore, we demonstrated more reliable quantum computation by performing error diagnostics and corrections on logical qubits without destroying them. This finally moves us out of the current noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) level to Level 2 Resilient quantum computing.

This is a crucial milestone on our path to building a hybrid supercomputing system that can transform research and innovation across many industries. It is made possible by the collective advancement of quantum hardware, qubit virtualization and correction, and hybrid applications that take advantage of the best of AI, supercomputing, and quantum capabilities. With a hybrid supercomputer powered by 100 reliable logical qubits, organizations would start to see scientific advantage, while scaling closer to 1,000 reliable logical qubits would unlock commercial advantage.

Advanced capabilities based on these logical qubits will be available in private preview for Azure Quantum Elements customers in the coming months.

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Many of the hardest problems facing society, such as reversing climate change, addressing food insecurity and solving the energy crisis, are chemistry and materials science problems. However, the number of possible stable molecules and materials may surpass the number of atoms in the observable universe. Even a billion years of classical computing would be insufficient to explore and evaluate them all.

Thats why the promise of quantum is so appealing. Scaled quantum computers would offer the ability to simulate the interactions of molecules and atoms at the quantum level beyond the reach of classical computers, unlocking solutions that can be a catalyst for positive change in our world. But quantum computing is just one layer for driving these breakthrough insights.

Whether its to supercharge pharma productivity or pioneer the next sustainable battery, accelerating scientific discovery requires a purpose-built, hybrid compute platform. Researchers need access to the right tool at the right stage of their discovery pipeline to efficiently solve every layer of their scientific problem and drive insights into where they matter most. This is what we built with Azure Quantum Elements, empowering organizations to transform research and development with capabilities including screening massive data sets with AI, narrowing down options with high-performance computing (HPC) or improving model accuracy with the power of scaled quantum computing in the future.

We continue to advance the state-of-the-art across all these hybrid technologies for our customers, with todays quantum milestone laying the foundation for useful, reliable and scalable simulations of quantum mechanics.

In an article I wrote on LinkedIn, I used a leaky boat analogy to explain why fidelity and error correction are so important to quantum computing. In short, fidelity is the value we use to measure how reliably a quantum computer can produce a meaningful result. Only with good fidelity will we have a solid foundation to reliably scale a quantum machine that can solve practical, real-world problems.

For years, one approach used to fix this leaky boat has been to increase the number of noisy physical qubits together with techniques to compensate for that noise but falling short of real logical qubits with superior error correction rates. The main shortcoming of most of todays NISQ machines is that the physical qubits are too noisy and error-prone to make robust quantum error correction possible. Our industrys foundational components are not good enough for quantum error correction to work, and its why even larger NISQ systems are not practical for real-world applications.

The task at hand for the entire quantum ecosystem is to increase the fidelity of qubits and enable fault-tolerant quantum computing so that we can use a quantum machine to unlock solutions to previously intractable problems. In short, we need to transition to reliable logical qubits created by combining multiple physical qubits together into logical ones to protect against noise and sustain a long (i.e., resilient) computation. We can only obtain this with careful hardware and software co-design. By having high-quality hardware components and breakthrough error-handling capabilities designed for that machine, we can get better results than any individual component could give us. Today, weve done just that.

Breakthroughs in quantum error correction and fault tolerance are important for realizing the long-term value of quantum computing for scientific discovery and energy security. Results like these enable continued development of quantum computing systems for research and development. Dr. Travis Humble, Director, Quantum Science Center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Thats why today is such a historic moment: for the first time on record as an industry, were advancing from Level 1 Foundational to Level 2 Resilient quantum computing. Were now entering the next phase for solving meaningful problems with reliable quantum computers. Our qubit-virtualization system, which filters and corrects errors, combined with Quantinuums hardware demonstrates the largest gap between physical and logical error rates reported to date. This is the first demonstrated system with four logical qubits that improves the logical over the physical error rate by such a large order of magnitude.

As importantly, were also now able to diagnose and correct errors in the logical qubits without destroying them referred to as active syndrome extraction. This represents a huge step forward for the industry as it enables more reliable quantum computation.

With this system, we ran more than 14,000 individual experiments without a single error. You can read more about these results here.

Quantum error correction often seems very theoretical. Whats striking here is the massive contribution Microsofts midstack software for qubit optimization is making to the improved step-down in error rates. Microsoft really is putting theory into practice. Dr. David Shaw, Chief Analyst, Global Quantum Intelligence

Since 2019, Microsoft has been collaborating with Quantinuum to enable quantum developers to write and run their own quantum code on ion-trap qubit technology which includes high-fidelity, full connectivity and mid-circuit measurements. Multiple published benchmark tests recognize Quantinuum as having the best quantum volumes, making them well-positioned to enter Level 2.

Todays results mark a historic achievement and are a wonderful reflection of how this collaboration continues to push the boundaries for the quantum ecosystem. With Microsofts state-of-the-art error correction aligned with the worlds most powerful quantum computer and a fully integrated approach, we are so excited for the next evolution in quantum applications and cant wait to see how our customers and partners will benefit from our solutions especially as we move towards quantum processors at scale. Ilyas Khan, Founder and Chief Product Officer, Quantinuum

Quantinuums hardware performs at physical two-qubit fidelity of 99.8%. This fidelity enables application of our qubit-virtualization system, with diagnostics and error correction, and makes todays announcement possible. This quantum system, with co-innovation from Microsoft and Quantinuum, ushers us into Level 2 Resilient.

At Microsoft, our mission is to empower every individual and organization to achieve more. Weve brought the worlds best NISQ hardware to the cloud with our Azure Quantum platform so our customers can embark on their quantum journey. This is why weve integrated artificial intelligence with quantum computing and cloud HPC in the private preview of Azure Quantum Elements. We used this platform to design and demonstrate an end-to-end workflow that integrates Copilot, Azure compute and a quantum algorithm running on Quantinuum processors to train an AI model for property prediction.

Todays announcement continues this commitment by advancing quantum hardware to Level 2. Advanced capabilities based on these logical qubits will be available in private preview for Azure Quantum Elements in the coming months.

Lastly, we continue to invest heavily in progressing beyond Level 2, scaling to the level of quantum supercomputing. This is why weve been advocating for our topological approach, the feasibility of which our Azure Quantum team has demonstrated. At Level 3, we expect to be able to solve some of our most challenging problems, particularly in fields like chemistry and materials science, unlocking new applications that bring quantum at scale together with the best of classical supercomputing and AI all connected in the Azure Quantum cloud.

We are excited to empower the collective genius and make these breakthroughs accessible to our customers. For more details on how we achieved todays results, explore our technical blog, and register for the upcoming Quantum Innovator Series with Quantinuum.

Tags: AI, Azure Quantum Elements, quantum computing

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Advancing science: Microsoft and Quantinuum demonstrate the most reliable logical qubits on record with an error rate ... - Microsoft

Practical quantum computing tools are about 3 to 5 years out from workforce use and will likely be accessed through cloud based environments, a top National Security Agency official predicted at a Tuesday Palo Alto Networks public sector cybersecurity event.

Neal Ziring, the NSAs cybersecurity directorates technical director, said that quantum computing systems which use the laws of quantum mechanics to solve problems at an exponentially faster rate than traditional computers and are still largely theoretical will likely be accessed via cloud computing platforms rather than on-premise installs, due to cost and practicality considerations.

Even if a government agency would be willing to have one quantum computer on-prem I don't think theyre going to be willing to have multiple, he said.

The intelligence community faces many of the same data processing challenges as the civilian world, he said, noting that the NSA is very wary of adding complexity where its not needed.

The cloud aspect would help users mesh together uses for both quantum computers and classical computers, known as hybrid computing, in which the computational elements of both systems are combined for problem solving.

In the long term, I think we really need to move as a community towards using the quantum algorithms on their own to avoid the complexity and performance overhead, said Ziring, who will soon be transitioning to a management position at the NSAs Research directorate.

Some steps will still be needed to make his prediction come to fruition, Ziring noted. Those will include further research into quantum circuits, which determine the optimal pathways that quantum particles need to follow to successfully execute operations.

Quantum computing, while a nascent technology in practical terms, is viewed as an emerging paradigm that will likely help the intelligence community and Department of Defense enhance their cybersecurity and logistics capabilities. The White House and intelligence partners have been working to bolster government network defenses that aim to prevent systems from being vulnerable to advanced techniques enabled by the creation of practical quantum computers in the near future.

The NSA, in particular, has set a 2035 deadline for IC systems to be locked into these new standards, known as post-quantum cryptography.

Thought leaders in the federal government are trying to prevent quantum-powered cyber incidents like record now, decrypt later attacks where an adversary will hoover up encrypted data streams, store them, and with the eventual existence of a powerful enough quantum device decrypt that data to use for theft or exploitation.

President Joe Biden in 2022 signed a National Security Memorandum directing the U.S. to maintain global leadership in quantum research.

A quantum computer of sufficient size and sophistication will be capable of breaking much of the public-key cryptography used on digital systems across the United States and the world, an NSA readout said at the time of the signing.

The 2024 defense policy bill has a provision that requires a report on the feasibility of establishing a quantum computing innovation center within the Department of Defense.

For now, the U.S. is still in a good spot to take advantage of quantum, but better partnerships between government, industry and academia will be needed to reap the full benefits of the nascent technology, Ziring said.

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Practical quantum computing is coming in 3 to 5 years, but will be cloud based, NSA official predicts - Nextgov/FCW

Scientists have created a set of "logical qubits" that have error rates 800 times lower than physical qubits paving the way for useful, fault-tolerant quantum computers in the near future.

Quantum bits, or qubits, are inherently prone to error this susceptibility is described as being "noisy." Creating logical qubits is one way of solving this. These are a collection of physical qubits that are tied through quantum entanglement and they reduce errors by storing the same information in different places. This spreads out the possible points of failure while a calculation is underway.

In a new paper published April 2 to the preprint server arXiv, scientists demonstrated they could perform experiments on four logical qubits made using 30 of the 32 physical qubits in the H2 quantum processor made by Quantinuum, a quantum computing company.

The team, made up of researchers from Quantinuum and Microsoft, ran 14,000 experiments on a basic quantum circuit made up of the logical qubits without generating any errors that weren't detected and corrected.

They hope this technology can be integrated into a future hybrid supercomputer powered by 100 reliable logical qubits which would be enough to provide organizations with a scientific advantage, Microsoft's EVP for strategic missions and technologies said April 3 in a blog entry.

Related: World's 1st fault-tolerant quantum computer launching this year ahead of a 10,000-qubit machine in 2026

One of the biggest problems with scaling quantum computers, beyond the hardware required to run them, is the extremely high error rates of qubits. Bits in conventional computing have an error rate of 1 in 1 billion billion.

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When running experiments on a quantum circuit, however, physical qubits have an error rate of approximately 1 in 100, according to Microsoft. The new logical qubits, by comparison, have an error rate of just 1 in 100,000.

The researchers achieved this improvement by applying a technique called "active syndrome extraction" to Quantinuum's ion-trap qubits and quantum computing architecture, Quantinuum representatives said in a statement.

This technique involves diagnosing and correcting errors while calculations are underway without destroying logical qubits. Because qubits process calculations while they're in a state of quantum superposition between two binary states (representing the 1 and 0 of computing data), you cannot view them without causing decoherence, in which the superposition collapses.

Active syndrome extraction is a process derived from a paper published in September 2018 and works because of the way this kind of logical qubit was composed. A logical qubit includes a small number of physical qubits referred to as the ancillary code block that store no data for calculations, but into which the logical qubit's information is temporarily stored, so it can be seen. By applying this technique, the scientists were able to peek within the block then identify and correct errors as they appeared, without disrupting calculations.

Breakthroughs in quantum error correction and fault tolerance are important for realizing the long-term value of quantum computing for scientific discovery and energy security," Travis Humble, director of the Quantum Science Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, who was not involved in the current research, said in a statement. "Results like these enable continued development of quantum computing systems for research and development.

Microsoft representatives argue this research represented a shift to what they call "Level 2" quantum computing, in which scientists have low-error quantum hardware that can be scaled up to solve problems reliably. Quantum computers today are, by comparison, described as "noisy intermediate-scale quantum" (NISQ) machines.

The aim is to get to Level 3 machines and to achieve so-called quantum supremacy that is, to reach the point at which quantum computers will be more powerful and capable than the fastest supercomputers.

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Error-corrected qubits 800 times more reliable after breakthrough, paving the way for 'next level' of quantum computing - Livescience.com

World Quantum Day is coming up in a little over a week, on April 14. But the international event aimed at promoting public awareness and understanding of quantum science isnt the infamous Quantum Day that has kept security experts worried since the turn of the century.

That particular day, colloquially known in the cybersecurity space as Q-Day, is the day when quantum technology has advanced to the point where its commercial applications and availability could be used to compromise and fundamentally undermine the encryption protocols that corporations, banks and national governments around the world have relied on for decades to protect sensitive data and information.

The threat is a very real and existential one, as the unraveling of traditional encryption could shatter the world of privacy and security as we know it.

This, asMicrosoftandQuantinuumon Wednesday (April 3) announced that theyvereacheda new quantum computing milestone, one that has made the next phase for solving meaningful problems with reliable quantum computers a reality.

What that means is that Q-Day is already that much closer to becoming its own reality, which will fundamentally transform the finance and payments industries.

Read also:Quantum Computing Could Change Everything

As PYMNTS haswritten, quantum computers are superpowered computers that use principles of quantum mechanics, quite literally phase shifts among subatomic particles, to perform incredibly sophisticated operations using parallel processing capabilities. Long the realm of science fiction, these powerful machines will be here and commercially viable within the next decade, if not sooner.

The fundamental problem is that most of todays encryption relies on the difficulty of certain mathematical problems, such as factoring large numbers or computing discrete logarithms.

Quantum computers will be able to efficiently solve these mathematical problems many of which would have previously taken billions of years of computing time in the metaphorical blink of an eye, rendering many widely used encryption algorithms such as RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman, the surnames of computer scientists who created the program) and ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography) vulnerable.

What that means, is that in a post-Q-Day landscape, digital transactions, even entire stock exchanges, could be overrun by fraudsters along with the security of other critical financial infrastructure.

Already, in a move toimprove the securityof its iMessage app,Appleannounced in February that it is upgrading its encryption system to fend off potential quantum computing attacks.

The danger is not just tied to the future. In true quantum form, past data breaches also represent new opportunities in a post-quantum landscape. Thats because bad actors who are sitting on troves of illicitly obtained encrypted data will be able to unlock them using quantum computing methods.

AsMichael Jabbara, global head of fraud services atVisa, told PYMNTS last March, bad actors are already starting to steal and hold onto encrypted data in preparation for quantum computing tools to enter the market and allow them to decrypt the information.

Read more:Seizing Quantum Computings Opportunities Within Payments and Finance

But while the threat of quantum computing is real, so are the opportunities.

For those taking a rosier view of Q-Day, todays world is already increasingly under attack via digital channels from bad actors. Just look at last months cyberattack on Change Healthcare and the far-flung ripple effects that had. Using quantum computing for illicit means is just a more expensive way for bad actors to do what they have always done: probe vulnerabilities and look for easy targets.

When it comes to ensuring the security and encryption of future transactions and payments, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a federal agency, has already made a selection ofpost-quantum compute algorithmswhich it recommends for wider use.

If large-scale quantum computers are ever built, they will be able to break many of the public-key cryptosystems currently in use. This would seriously compromise the confidentiality and integrity of digital communications on the Internet and elsewhere. The goal ofpost-quantum cryptography (also called quantum-resistant cryptography) is to develop cryptographic systems that are secure against both quantum and classical computers, and can interoperate with existing communications protocols and networks, the agency said.

The physical world isdefined by quantum mechanics. The more effectively we can understand those interactions and then model those interactions, the more efficiently and effectively you can build predictive models, Chris Hume, senior director of business operations forSandboxAQ, told PYMNTS.

With the algorithms that were developing combined with the classical computer hardware thats available today, you can build better predictive models, and thats the exciting part. And thats the opportunity at hand, Hume added.

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Making Sense of the Post-Quantum Payments Landscape - PYMNTS.com

CHICAGO, April 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Quantum Computing market size is valued at USD 1.3 billion in 2024 and is anticipated to be USD 5.3 billion by 2029; growing at a CAGR of 32.7% from 2024 to 2029 according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets.The key factors contributing to the growth of the quantum computing market include quantum computers, which have the potential to outperform classical computers vastly for certain types of problems. Tasks that are computationally intensive or classical computers face challenges when tackling certain types of issues, such as factoring large numbers or accurately simulating quantum systems. This increased computational power drives demand from industries seeking solutions to complex problems.

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Browse in-depth TOC on "Quantum Computing Market" 155 Tables 70 Figures 250 Pages

Quantum Computing Market ReportScope:

Report Coverage

Details

Market Revenue in 2024

$ 1.3 billion

Estimated Value by 2029

$ 5.3 billion

Growth Rate

Poised to grow at a CAGR of 32.7%

Market Size Available for

20202029

Forecast Period

20242029

Forecast Units

Value (USD Million/Billion)

Report Coverage

Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends

Segments Covered

By Offering, Deployment, Application, Technology, End User and Region

Geographies Covered

North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of World

Key Market Challenge

Shortage of quantum computing technology skilled working professional

Key Market Opportunities

Technological advancement in quantum computing technology

Key Market Drivers

Rising investments in quantum computing technology

Based on technology Superconductingqubits has the largest share in 2023.

A superconducting qubit is a type of qubit that is used in quantum computing. It is based on superconducting materials with zero electrical resistance when cooled to low temperatures. Superconducting qubits can be fabricated using well-established semiconductor manufacturing techniques, allowing for the creation of large-scale quantum computing systems. This scalability is crucial for building practical quantum computers capable of solving complex problems. The QCaaS sub-segment of the quantum computing market for the superconducting qubit segment is projected to grow at a higher CAGR than the consulting services sub-segment during the forecast period.

The health and pharmaceutical segment to grow with the highest CAGR of the quantum computing market during the forecast period.

The healthcare and pharmaceutical industry is one of the flourishing industries in the world. Governments of various countries have increased their healthcare and pharmaceutical spending. Companies in this industry focus on adopting emerging technologies, such as quantum computing. Quantum computing technology helps scientists to develop medical and diagnostics tools that are helps to personalized.

On-premises deployment is expected to grow significantly during the forecast period.

On-premises quantum computing is a type of quantum computing hosted on a company's hardware. This type of computing is ideal for companies that want to leverage the power of quantum computing but do not want to rely on cloud computing providers. On-premises quantum computing allows companies to keep their data and processes within their infrastructure and maintain ownership and control of their own data. On-premises quantum computing offers greater security because the hardware and software remain under the organization's control.

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North America holds largest market size of the quantum computing market during the forecast period.

The US and Canada are the major contributors to the rapid increase of the quantum computing industry in North American region. This region is a major market for quantum computing systems and services as it is home to several key players, such as D-Wave Systems, 1QB Information Technologies, IBM, and Amazon. Many leading players in the quantum computing market are based in this region.

The key players in the quantum computing companies are IBM (US), D-Wave Quantum Inc. (Canada), Microsoft (US), Amazon Web Services (US), Rigetti Computing (US), Fujitsu (Japan), Hitachi (Japan), Toshiba (Japan), Google (US), Intel (US), Quantinuum (US), Huawei (China), NEC (Japan), Accenture (Ireland), Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (Japan), Bosch (Germany), Quantum Computing Inc (US), IonQ (US), QC Ware (US), PsiQuantum (US), Alpine Quantum Technologies GmbH (Tyrol), Xanadu (Canada), Zapata Computing (US), and Northrop Grumman (US). The players in this market have adopted various strategies to expand their global presence and increase their market shares.

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MarketsandMarkets is a blue ocean alternative in growth consulting and program management, leveraging a man-machine offering to drive supernormal growth for progressive organizations in the B2B space. We have the widest lens on emerging technologies, making us proficient in co-creating supernormal growth for clients.

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Quantum Computing Market worth $5.3 billion by 2029 - Exclusive Report by MarketsandMarkets - PR Newswire

Summary: Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on D-Wave Quantum, Inc., setting a positive tone with a buy rating and suggesting a $2.50 price target. Other research analysts echo this sentiment, suggesting increased price targets and maintaining buy ratings, fostering investor confidence in the quantum computing firm as it shows steady trading patterns and significant institutional interest.

Investment analysts are showing a strong vote of confidence in D-Wave Quantum (QBTS), a leader in the development of quantum computing systems. Needham & Company LLC recently launched coverage on the companys shares, accompanying their favorable outlook with a bullish $2.50 target price.

The optimism surrounding D-Wave Quantum extends beyond this single analysis. In recent reports, Craig Hallum adjusted its price target upwards to match Needhams $2.50 with an affirmative buy direction. Similarly, Roth Mkm and Benchmark have identified the potential of the stock, with Roth Mkm signaling a $3.00 price goal and Benchmark doubling its own expectation to $4.00.

Such endorsements are buttressed by institutional investors showing active interest in D-Wave. Firms like Procyon Advisors LLC and Blair William & Co. IL established positions in the stock, while Arete Wealth Advisors LLC significantly expanded its holding. These movements illustrate a growing institutional conviction in the companys offerings including the Advantage quantum computer, the Leap cloud-based service, and the Ocean software suite.

As it stands, D-Wave Quantum is showing resilience in the market with stock values maintaining above its historical low despite a slight downturn in recent trading. With a robust backing by both analysts and institutional investors, D-Wave appears well-positioned within the rapidly advancing field of quantum computing.

Quantum Computing Industry Overview

The quantum computing industry is recognized for its revolutionary potential in solving complex computational problems that are intractable for classical computers. Companies within this space, like D-Wave Quantum, Inc., are pioneering the development of quantum computers, which leverage quantum mechanics to process information in fundamentally new ways.

Market Forecasts

The market for quantum computing is projected to grow significantly. Reports suggest that the global quantum computing market size is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 30% over the next decade. This growth is driven by the potential applications of quantum computing in drug discovery, optimization problems, financial modeling, machine learning, and cryptography, among others.

Challenges and Issues

Despite the optimistic outlook, the quantum computing industry faces several challenges. Achieving and maintaining quantum coherence over longer periods, error correction, and the development of effective quantum algorithms are some of the technical hurdles. Moreover, theres also a talent gap in the quantum workforce that needs addressing to sustain the industrys growth.

Additionally, as quantum computing is an emerging technology, there is currently a lack of standardization in the industry which may pose integration issues with existing classical systems. There is also the potential for disruptive impacts on security infrastructure, given that quantum computers could theoretically break many current encryption schemes.

Institutional Investment and Market Potential

The institutional interest in D-Wave and similarly positioned companies reflects the financial markets belief in the transformative potential of quantum technologies. As more firms invest in quantum initiatives, the aggregate funding could help mitigate some of the challenges mentioned earlier, by accelerating research and development efforts.

D-Waves current portfolio, such as its Advantage quantum computer and Leap cloud service, positions it well within this high-growth market. By maintaining a stable market presence and attracting institutional investment, the company demonstrates its potential to be a key player in propelling quantum computing into mainstream applications.

Conclusion

Amidst a complex landscape fraught with challenges, the steady endorsement by investment analysts and the strategic engagements by institutional investors point towards a vote of confidence in the enduring value proposition offered by quantum computing firms like D-Wave. The high expectations set forth by market analysts suggest that D-Wave may not only contribute significantly to the evolution of quantum technologies but could also offer substantial returns for its stakeholders as the industry matures.

Leokadia Gogulska is an emerging figure in the field of environmental technology, known for her groundbreaking work in developing sustainable urban infrastructure solutions. Her research focuses on integrating green technologies in urban planning, aiming to reduce environmental impact while enhancing livability in cities. Gogulskas innovative approaches to renewable energy usage, waste management, and eco-friendly transportation systems have garnered attention for their practicality and effectiveness. Her contributions are increasingly influential in shaping policies and practices towards more sustainable and resilient urban environments.

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Analysts Show Confidence in D-Wave Quantum with Positive Ratings and Increased Price Targets - yTech

The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York, has unveiled a new campus-based quantum computer that can be used for scientific discovery rather than one that's just used to run proof-of-concept trials.

The new IBM System One quantum computer is powered by a processor called "Eagle" that has 127 quantum bits, or qubits, IBM representatives said April 5 in a statement. This quantum processing unit (QPU) was first announced in 2021 and debuted in a System One machine in November last year that is used by the University of Tokyo. This quantum computer is not based on campus.

The company described the machine as "utility-scale" because it's powerful enough to serve as a scientific tool and help solve problems scientists would struggle with otherwise using conventional supercomputers alone.

RPI staff and students will be able to utilize the quantum computer to explore problems in chemistry, physics, material science and other fields, IBM said in the statement.

"When we describe utility-scale, were specifically referring to how quantum computers can now serve as scientific tools to explore new classes of problems in chemistry, physics, materials, and other fields that are beyond the reach of brute-force classical computing techniques," Jamie Garcia, technical program director for algorithms & partnerships at IBM Quantum, told Live Science.

Related: Error-corrected qubits 800 times more reliable after breakthrough, paving the way for 'next level' of quantum computing

"Put simply, quantum computers are now better at running quantum circuits than a classical supercomputer is at simulating them. This means, for the first time in history, quantum computers can be used as a computational tool for scientific exploration."

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In June 2023 IBM scientists demonstrated the power of Eagle by using a machine fitted with the QPU to simulate the magnetic properties of a real material faster than a classical computer could.

Quantum computers have the potential to be far more powerful than classical computers, but only if they're scaled up and the errors in qubits are mitigated. IBM's QPUs, and others like them, employ error-correction technologies to reduce the error rate of qubits, which can be highly error-prone or "noisy."

Scientists don't expect to achieve "quantum supremacy" in which quantum computers are more powerful than the fastest supercomputers for many years. However, the results of IBM's 2023 experiment suggested it could be achieved within just two years, the scientists said at the time.

Last year, IBM unveiled the next generation of its QPU, known as the "Heron" processor. This chip, which has 133 qubits, will be fitted in the next generation of IBM quantum computers, known as "System Two" machines. Heron is five times more reliable than Eagle.

Scientists elsewhere are also working towards achieving quantum supremacy. A recent breakthrough saw scientists at Microsoft and quantum computing manufacturer Quantinuum collaborate to create error-corrected "logical qubits" that are 800 times more reliable than normal physical qubits.

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New York college becomes 1st university with on-campus IBM quantum computer that is 'scientifically useful' - Livescience.com

Integrated quantum computing company Quantinuum Ltd. and Microsoft todayannounceda breakthrough in bringing higher reliability to quantum error correction, which will advance the path toward building hybrid quantum supercomputing systems.

Researchers applied Microsofts qubit-virtualization system, which uses error diagnostics and correction, to Quantinuums ion-trap hardware, successfully demonstrating error rates 800 times lower than physical systems alone. Using the new system, the team was able to run more than 14,000 individual experiments without a single error.

Quantum computing uses qubits to store and process information. Unlike a classical bit that is a 1 or a 0, a qubit can also exist in a superposition where its state is indeterminate has a probability of being a 1 or a 0 or entangled with another qubit. Because of the hardware that qubits are built on, which is often sensitive superconducting circuitry to resolve the measurements, qubits can be extremely error-prone.

Quantinuum combined its 32-qubit H2 quantum processor, powered by Honeywell International Inc., with Microsofts new error correction system. This led to what both companies said generated the most reliable logical qubits, by creating four logical qubits using 30 of the 32 physical qubits available on the H2.

The team also diagnosed and corrected errors in logical qubits without destroying them a practice known as active syndrome extraction. This breakthrough is particularly important because it represents an important milestone toward reliable quantum computation.

Microsoft likened its qubit error correction system to using a high-quality noise-canceling headset to increase the clarity of sound in a noisy environment. It corresponds to an approximately 29-decibel improvement in signal, according to the joint team, which in terms of headphones would knock out even fairly loud annoying noises such as a vacuum cleaner or a busy street.

With our qubit-virtualization system, we were able to create four highly reliable logical qubits from only 30 physical qubits of the available 32 on Quantinuums machine, the team said in itsannouncement. When entangled, these logical qubits exhibited a circuit error rate of105or 0.00001, which means they would experience an error only once in every 100,000 runs. That is an 800x improvement over the circuit error rate of 8103or 0.008, measured from entangled physical qubits.

This achievement will help lead to a new era in computing called Level 2 Resilient, where quantum supercomputers are capable of dealing with the issues caused by errors and can tackle meaningful challenges such as modeling states of molecules and materials, simulate complex systems in condensed matter physics, and explore new branches of science. This includes scientific disciplines that are currently beyond the scale of conventional computing, such as large-scale climate simulation, astronomical simulations, drug discovery and advanced material sciences.

Quantum error correction often seems very theoretical, said Dr. David Shaw, chief analyst at Global Quantum Intelligence. Whats striking here is the massive contribution Microsofts midstack software for qubit optimization is making to the improved step-down in error rates. Microsoft really is putting theory into practice.

Microsoft said advanced capabilities based on this new technology will be available in private preview forAzure Quantum Elements, the companys purpose-built infrastructure for research and development productivity, in the coming months.

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Microsoft and Quantinuum join forces on quantum computing reliability breakthrough - SiliconANGLE News

For quantum computers to go from research curiosities to practically useful devices, researchers need to get their errors under control. New research from Microsoft and Quantinuum has now taken a major step in that direction.

Todays quantum computers are stuck firmly in the noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) era. While companies have had some success stringing large numbers of qubits together, they are highly susceptible to noise which can quickly degrade their quantum states. This makes it impossible to carry out computations with enough steps to be practically useful.

While some have claimed that these noisy devices could still be put to practical use, the consensus is that quantum error correction schemes will be vital for the full potential of the technology to be realized. But error correction is difficult in quantum computers because reading the quantum state of a qubit causes it to collapse.

Researchers have devised ways to get around this using error correction codes that spread each bit of quantum information across multiple physical qubits to create what is known as a logical qubit. This provides redundancy and makes it possible to detect and correct errors in the physical qubits without impacting the information in the logical qubit.

The challenge is that, until recently, it was assumed it could take roughly 1,000 physical qubits to create each logical qubit. Todays largest quantum processors only have around that many qubits, suggesting that creating enough logical qubits for meaningful computations was still a distant goal.

That changed last year when researchers from Harvard and startup QuEra showed they could generate 48 logical qubits from just 280 physical ones. And now the collaboration between Microsoft and Quantinuum has gone a step further by showing that they can not only create logical qubits but can actually use them to suppress error rates by a factor of 800 and carry out more than 14,000 experimental routines without a single error.

What we did here gives me goosebumps, Microsofts Krysta Svore told New Scientist. We have shown that error correction is repeatable, it is working, and it is reliable.

The researchers were working with Quantinuums H2 quantum processor, which relies on trapped-ion technology and is relatively small at just 32 qubits. But by applying error correction codes developed by Microsoft, they were able to generate four logical qubits that only experienced an error every 100,000 runs.

One of the biggest achievements, the Microsoft team notes in a blog post, was the fact that they were able to diagnose and correct errors without destroying the logical qubits. This is thanks to an approach known as active syndrome extraction which is able to read information about the nature of the noise impacting qubits, rather than their state, Svore told IEEE Spectrum.

However, the error correction scheme had a shelf life. When the researchers carried out multiple operations on a logical qubit, followed by error correction, they found that by the second round the error rates were only half of those found in the physical qubits and by the third round there was no statistically significant impact.

And impressive as the results are, the Microsoft team points out in their blog post that creating truly powerful quantum computers will require logical qubits that make errors only once every 100 million operations.

Regardless, the result marks a massive jump in capabilities for error correction, which Quantinuum claimed in a press release represents the beginning of a new era in quantum computing. While that might be jumping the gun slightly, it certainly suggests that peoples timelines for when we will achieve fault-tolerant quantum computing may need to be updated.

Image Credit: Quantinuum H2 quantum computer / Quantinuum

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Quantum Computers Take a Major Step With Error Correction Breakthrough - Singularity Hub

A recent discussion among experts in the field of quantum computing reveals skepticism regarding the magnitude of advancements touted by Microsoft and Quantinuum. According to Paul Lucero of Omdia, despite Microsofts claims, their quantum leap requires significant improvement in fidelity and an expansion of computational capabilities beyond Clifford gates, which only support certain types of calculations. While Microsoft has successfully demonstrated four logical qubits, a far cry from the 100 necessary for scientific relevance, this progress does not yet herald a threat to current encryption methods which are projected to require approximately 2,000 logical qubits to be compromised.

Consequently, encryption systems like AES 256-bit remain secure for the time being. David Shaw, the chief analyst at Global Quantum Intelligence, suggests that the impressive results may have been somewhat curated by Microsoft, as some unsuccessful test runs were disregarded to paint a more favorable picture.

Despite the breakthrough, these advancements do not substantially alter the ongoing conversation about when large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computing systems might be realized. Moreover, with numerous approaches to constructing quantum computers, Microsofts collaboration with Quantinuum suggests a more exclusive pathway that other companies may not readily adopt, though they could potentially draw inspiration from the underlying theory, posits Baptiste Royer from the University of Sherbrooke.

While this represents a series of cumulative improvements in error-correction, hardware, and calibration, the developments offer little immediate practical benefit for enterprises keen on the applications of quantum computing. For researchers, however, these findings provide a valuable environment for experimental testing and could ultimately accelerate the journey towards practical quantum applications.

Overview of Quantum Computing Industry

Quantum computing represents a significant leap from traditional computing by using the principles of quantum mechanics to process information. While standard computers use bits to represent either a 0 or a 1, quantum computers use quantum bits, or qubits, which can represent a 0, 1, or both simultaneously, vastly increasing the computational power for particular tasks.

The industry has been witnessing rapid development, but currently, large-scale quantum computers remain a goal rather than a reality. Companies like IBM, Google, and Intel, are also deeply invested in the quantum computing race, continually pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

Market Forecasts

The market for quantum computing is expected to grow significantly over the next decade. Estimates suggest that the quantum computing market could reach billions of dollars as the technology matures and finds applications across various sectors, including pharmaceuticals, materials science, finance, and cybersecurity. This growth is fueled by substantial investments from both the private sector and government initiatives intending to achieve quantum supremacy the point at which quantum computers can solve problems beyond the reach of classical supercomputers.

Issues in the Quantum Computing Industry

While advancements are noteworthy, the quantum computing industry faces several challenges. The development of qubits with lower error rates and high fidelity is a major technical hurdle. Additionally, building systems with enough qubits to perform meaningful computations, which includes error correction routines, is another significant technical challenge. Theres also the matter of making these systems accessible and useful for businesses, which require software ecosystems and quantum algorithms tailored to specific tasks.

Quantum computers have the potential to break contemporary encryption methods, a concern that has started to push the development of post-quantum cryptography. Although current encryption standards like AES 256-bit remain secure, the industry is focusing on cryptographic approaches that are considered quantum-resistant.

For further information on quantum computing and the work being done by leading companies, visit the main websites of these pioneer entities:

IBM Google Intel Microsoft

In conclusion, despite Microsoft and Quantinuum showcasing notable progress with four logical qubits, there is widespread acknowledgment within the expert community that we are still far from realizing quantum computings full potential. This nascent industry continues to grapple with significant technical challenges, but the progress in qubit quality and algorithm development keeps the sector optimistic about future breakthroughs. As for the security concerns regarding encryption, they remain at bay for now, but continued vigilance and innovation in cryptography are crucial as quantum computing evolves.

Igor Nowacki is a fictional author known for his imaginative insights into futuristic technology and speculative science. His writings often explore the boundaries of reality, blending fact with fantasy to envision groundbreaking inventions. Nowackis work is celebrated for its creativity and ability to inspire readers to think beyond the limits of current technology, imagining a world where the impossible becomes possible. His articles are a blend of science fiction and visionary tech predictions.

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Examining the True Impact of Recent Quantum Computing Progress - yTech

Summary: Quantinuum and Microsoft have made a quantum leap in quantum computing by dramatically improving the reliability of logical qubits and reducing the physical resources required. This milestone could revolutionize computational problem-solving across various industries and pave the way for scalable quantum computing, promising to deliver high-grade logical qubits to industrial and research sectors.

In an unprecedented advance that may redefine the landscape of modern computing, Quantinuum, in partnership with Microsoft, has engineered a quantum leap in the performance of quantum computers. The collaboration has yielded the most stable logical qubits to date, suggesting a bright future for complex computational analysis and problem-solving. A clear shift has been observed in the quantum computing paradigm as the number of physical qubits required to form reliable logical qubits has dramatically shrunk.

Quantinuums hardware has undergone intense scrutiny, with over 14,000 error-free experimental cycles, showcasing their systems resilience. Previously, a large assembler of physical qubits was necessary to fabricate a small set of logical qubits, whereas now, a minuscule fraction of that number is needed, establishing an 800-time increase in reliability compared to prior standards.

The quantum community is abuzz, envisioning a spectrum of applications from deciphering the mysteries of cryptography to conducting in-depth climate research. Quantinuums goal is clear: to provide the industry and scientific domains with superior logical qubits that could, within a few years, contribute to significant advancements in a range of global challenges, including environmental and AI technology enhancements.

Though today Quantinuums technology is based on a model supporting four logical qubits from 32 physical ones, it aims to sustain at least ten stable logical qubits by 2025. Integrating these logical qubits with classical supercomputing could initiate breakthroughs in otherwise intractable problems, moving us closer to solving some of the most pressing issues of our time.

As the quantum computing landscape continues to evolve, the potential outcomes of such advancements are profound, influencing not only the technological sphere but also shaping the trajectory of human cognition and capacity for problem-solving. For further insights into the burgeoning field of quantum computing, researchers and enthusiasts alike are encouraged to explore the research and developments from other industry giants like IBM and Google.

Advancing Quantum Computing: Industry Perspectives and Future Outlook

Quantinuums breakthrough, in collaboration with Microsoft, has positioned the company as a significant player in the quantum computing industry. Quantum computing stands at the precipice of transforming countless sectors including cryptography, materials science, drug discovery, and climate modeling. The implication of reducing the quantum resource overhead while improving qubit stability is a direct path toward practical and scalable quantum computation.

The current quantum computing industry is composed of key players such as IBM, Google, and Rigetti, all of which contribute to the technological race to realize a fully-functional, error-corrected quantum computer. Each of these organizations is pushing forward with their own unique approaches to quantum technology. Researchers and interested parties can learn more about their latest developments at their respective websites, such as IBM and Google.

Market Forecasts for the quantum computing industry suggest robust growth. According to recent studies, the global quantum computing market size is expected to expand significantly, with some analyses projecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 30% in the coming years. This growth is anticipated to be driven by increasing investment from both the public and private sectors, technological advancements, and a growing demand for high-speed computing for complex problem-solving tasks.

However, the industry faces several key issues and challenges. Noise and error correction continue to pose major hurdles on the path to creating reliable quantum computers. Additionally, there are practical considerations relating to the integration of quantum computing within existing classical infrastructures and making quantum technology accessible to a broader array of users who may not have specialized knowledge in quantum mechanics.

Other important issues include cybersecurity concerns, as quantum computing has the potential to break current encryption algorithms, necessitating the development of quantum-resistant cryptography. There is also an ongoing debate around the ethics and implications of quantum computing, from issues of privacy to broader societal impacts.

Despite these challenges, the advancements in logical qubit stability by Quantinuum and Microsoft underscore the industrys rapid progress. As quantum computing edges closer to everyday relevancy, anticipation builds for a new frontier in technology that could reshape the way we tackle the worlds most complex problems.

In conclusion, the partnership between Quantinuum and Microsoft has catalyzed significant optimism in the quantum computing realm. With continued investment and research, along with a commitment to overcoming technical and ethical challenges, quantum computing may soon unlock new horizons in scientific discovery and innovation. To keep abreast of the evolving industry landscape, stakeholders are encouraged to track the continuous developments in this fascinating field of technology.

Igor Nowacki is a fictional author known for his imaginative insights into futuristic technology and speculative science. His writings often explore the boundaries of reality, blending fact with fantasy to envision groundbreaking inventions. Nowackis work is celebrated for its creativity and ability to inspire readers to think beyond the limits of current technology, imagining a world where the impossible becomes possible. His articles are a blend of science fiction and visionary tech predictions.

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Quantum Computing Takes a Quantum Leap with Error Correction Breakthrough - yTech

Physicists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have made a significant breakthrough in the field of quantum physics and computing. They have successfully observed the elusive fractional quantum anomalous Hall effect in five layers of graphene without the need for an external magnetic field. This discovery has the potential to revolutionize quantum computing by paving the way for more robust and fault-tolerant systems.

The fractional quantum anomalous Hall effect, also known as fractional charge, is a rare and complex phenomenon. It is observed when electrons pass through as fractions of their total charge. Traditionally, the occurrence of this effect requires high magnetic fields. However, the recent study by MIT physicists has challenged this conventional understanding.

According to the study, the stacked structure of graphene inherently provides the right conditions for the manifestation of the fractional charge effect. This groundbreaking discovery opens up new possibilities for quantum computing and further exploration of rare electronic states in multilayer graphene.

The MIT research team explored the electronic behavior in pentalayer graphene, a structure comprising five graphene sheets each stacked slightly off from the other. When placed in an ultracold refrigerator, the electrons in the structure slow down significantly. This allows the particles to sense each other and interact in ways they wouldnt when moving at higher temperatures.

This discovery challenges previous assumptions about graphenes properties and introduces new dimensions to our understanding of its crystalline structure. Moreover, the researchers believe that aligning the pentalayer structure with hexagonal boron nitride could enhance electron interactions, potentially yielding a moir superlattice.

The successful detection of fractional charge in graphene without the need for an external magnetic field is a significant milestone in the pursuit of more robust quantum computing systems. This no magnets discovery could significantly simplify the path to topological quantum computing, a promising branch of quantum computing that leverages the properties of quantum bits (qubits) to perform complex computations.

Moreover, the observation of both integer and fractional quantum anomalous Hall effects in a rhombohedral pentalayer graphene-hBN moir superlattice at zero magnetic field provides an ideal platform for exploring charge fractionalization and non-Abelian anyonic braiding at zero magnetic field. This could lead to the development of more advanced quantum computing systems that are more resistant to errors and environmental interference.

The discovery by MIT physicists provides a promising route to more robust and fault-tolerant quantum computing systems. It also gives a fresh impetus to the exploration of rare electronic states in multilayer graphene. As the understanding of these exotic phenomena deepens, it could unlock new quantum phenomena and propel the field of quantum computing to new heights.

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Groundbreaking Discovery in Graphene Paves the Way for Robust Quantum Computing - Medriva

While artificial intelligence and semiconductors capture global attention, some U.S. policymakers want to ensure Congress doesn't fail to invest and stay competitive in other emerging technologies, including quantum computing.

Quantum computing regularly lands on the U.S. critical and emerging technologies list, which pinpoints technologies that could affect U.S. national security. Quantum computing -- an area of computer science that uses quantum physics to solve problems too complex for traditional computers -- not only affects U.S. national security, but intersects with other prominent technologies and industries, including AI, healthcare and communications.

The U.S. first funded quantum computing research and development in 2018 through the $1.2 billion National Quantum Initiative Act. It's something policymakers now want to continue through the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act. Reps. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) introduced the legislation in November 2023, and it has yet to pass the House despite having bipartisan support.

Continuing to invest in quantum computing R&D means staying competitive with other countries making similar investments to not only stay ahead of the latest advancements, but protect national security, said Isabel Al-Dhahir, principal analyst at GlobalData.

"Quantum computing's geopolitical weight and the risk a powerful quantum computer poses to current cybersecurity measures mean that not only the U.S., but also China, the EU, the U.K., India, Canada, Japan and Australia are investing heavily in the technology and are focused on building strong internal quantum ecosystems in the name of national security," she said.

Global competition in quantum computing will increase as the technology moves from theoretical to practical applications, Al-Dhahir said. Quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize areas such as drug development and cryptography.

Al-Dhahir said while China is investing $15 billion over the next five years in its quantum computing capabilities, the EU's Quantum Technologies Flagship program will provide $1.2 billion in funding over the next 10 years. To stay competitive, the U.S. needs to continue funding quantum computing R&D and studying practical applications for the technology.

"If reauthorization fails, it will damage the U.S.'s position in the global quantum race," she said.

Lofgren, who spoke during The Intersect: A Tech and Policy Summit earlier this month, said it's important to pass the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act to "maintain our competitive edge." The legislation aims to move beyond scientific research and into practical applications of quantum computing, along with ensuring scientists have the necessary resources to accomplish those goals, she said.

Indeed, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said during the summit that the National Quantum Initiative Act needs to be reauthorized for the U.S. to move forward. Blackburn, along with Sen. Ben Ray Lujn (D-N.M.), has also introduced the Quantum Sandbox for Near-Term Applications Act to advance commercialization of quantum computing.

The 2018 National Quantum Initiative Act served a "monumental" purpose in mandating agencies such as the National Science Foundation, NIST and the Department of Energy to study quantum computing and create a national strategy, said Joseph Keller, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Though the private sector has made significant investments in quantum computing, Keller said the U.S. would not be a leader in quantum computing research without federal support, especially with goals to eventually commercialize the technology at scale. He said that's why it's pivotal for the U.S. to pass the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act, even amid other congressional priorities such as AI.

"I don't think you see any progress forward without the passage of that legislation," Keller said.

Despite investment from numerous big tech companies, including Microsoft, Intel, IBM and Google, significant technical hurdles remain for the broad commercialization of quantum computing, Al-Dhahir said.

She said the quantum computing market faces issues such as overcoming high error rates -- for example, suppressing error rates requires "substantially higher" qubit counts than what is being achieved today. A qubit, short for quantum bit, is considered a basic unit of information in quantum computing.

IBM released the first quantum computer with more than 1,000 qubits in 2023. However, Al-Dhahir said more is needed to avoid high error rates in quantum computing.

"The consensus is that hundreds of thousands to millions of qubits are required for practical large-scale quantum computers," she said.

Indeed, industry is still trying to identify the economic proposition of quantum computing, and the government has a role to play in that, Brookings' Keller said.

"It doesn't really have these real-world applications, things you can hold and touch," he said. "But there are breakthroughs happening in science and industry."

Lofgren said she recognizes that quantum computing has yet to reach the stage of practical, commercial applications, but she hopes that legislation such as the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act will help the U.S. advance quantum computing to that stage.

"Quantum computing is not quite there yet, although we are making tremendous strides," she said.

Makenzie Holland is a news writer covering big tech and federal regulation. Prior to joining TechTarget Editorial, she was a general reporter for the Wilmington StarNews and a crime and education reporter at the Wabash Plain Dealer.

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U.S. weighs National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act - TechTarget

Apple has confirmed its plans to launch its newest iMessage security protocol, named PQ3, in response to what it claims is a future threat from quantum computers, according to a recent PCMag report.

iMessage currently uses end-to-end encryption, ensuring that messages between the sender and receiver are secure and inaccessible to anyone else, including Apple. However, Apple is concerned that the advancement of quantum computers may soon reach a level where they could decrypt iMessage content. Such powerful quantum computers would presumably also be capable of decrypting messages sent through other apps, such as WhatsApp.

Last year, the Technical University of Denmark stated that although quantum computers are already operational, they lack the power to break end-to-end encryption at present, indicating it may take years to achieve this capability due to their current size limitations.

On Wednesday, Apples Security Engineering and Architecture (SEAR) team wrote about the evolution of encryption on messaging platforms. They explained that traditionally, platforms have relied on classical public key cryptography methods like RSA, Elliptic Curve signatures, and Diffie-Hellman key exchange to secure end-to-end encrypted connections. These methods are grounded in complex mathematical problems that were once deemed too challenging for computers to solve, even with advancements predicted by Moores law.

The SEAR team highlighted, however, that the advent of quantum computing could shift this balance. They noted that a sufficiently powerful quantum computer could solve these classical mathematical problems in fundamentally different ways, potentially fast enough to compromise the security of encrypted communications.

The team also raised concerns about future threats, stating that while current quantum computers cant decrypt data protected by these methods, adversaries might store encrypted data now with the intention of decrypting it later using more advanced quantum technology. This strategy, known as Harvest Now, Decrypt Later, underscores the potential long-term vulnerabilities in current encryption techniques against the backdrop of quantum computings rapid development.

As a result, the tech giant has created PQ3, which it says has been built from the ground up to redesign iMessage from a security standpoint, adding a third level of protection to its end users.

PQ3 is expected to launch in March with iOS 17.4, as well as iPadOS 17.4, macOS 14.4 and watchOS 10.4.

The simultaneous rollout across multiple Apple operating systems underscores the companys commitment to addressing the future threat quantum computers pose to end-to-end encryption. Apple is taking proactive steps to ensure that iMessage users on iPhones, tablets, computers, and wearables receive protection as swiftly as possible.

Featured Image: Photo by Mariia Shalabaieva on Unsplash

James Jones is a highly experienced journalist, podcaster and digital publishing specialist, who has been creating content in a variety of forms for online publications in the sports and tech industry for over 10 years. He has worked at some of the leading online publishers in the country, most recently as the Content Lead for Snack Media's expansive of portfolio of websites, including Football Fancast.com, FootballLeagueWorld.co.uk and GiveMeSport.com. James has also appeared on several national and global media outlets, including BBC News, talkSPORT, LBC Radio, 5 Live Radio, TNT Sports, GB News and BBCs Match of the Day 2. James has a degree in Journalism and previously held the position of Editor-in-Chief at FootballFanCast.com. Now, he co-hosts the popular We Are West Ham Podcast, writes a weekly column for BBC Sport and covers the latest news in the industry for ReadWrite.com.

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Apple to launch PQ3 update for iMessage, bolstering encryption against quantum computing - ReadWrite

The Monetary Authority of Singapore has told the country's financial institutions to make sure they are prepared for the rising cybersecurity risks posed by quantum computing.

Experts predict that over the next decade cryptographically relevant quantum computers will start posing cybersecurity risks. These computers will break commonly-used asymmetric cryptography, while symmetric cryptography could require larger key sizes to remain secure.

A recent DTCC white paper warned that quantum computing could "create significant new risks for financial firms by making even the most highly protected computer systems vulnerable to hacking".

In an advisory to FS firms, MAS says this means the sector needs to attain 'cryptoagility' to be able to efficiently migrate away from the vulnerable cryptographic algorithms to post-quantum cryptography without significantly impacting their IT systems and infrastructure.

To help them prepare, the regulator says companies should be monitoring ongoing quantum computing developments; making sure management and third party vendors are up to speed on the subject; and working with vendors to assess IT supply chain risks.

Firms should be maintaining an inventory of cryptographic assets, and identifying critical assets to be prioritised for migration to quantum-resistant encryption, says the MAS.

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Singapore warns banks to prepare for quantum computing cyber threat - Finextra

Quantum computing has long been celebrated for its potential to surpass traditional computing in terms of speed and memory efficiency. This innovative technology promises to revolutionize our ability to predict physical phenomena that were once deemed impossible to forecast.

The essence of quantum computing lies in its use of quantum bits, or qubits, which, unlike the binary digits of classical computers, can represent values anywhere between 0 and 1.

This fundamental difference allows quantum computers to process and store information in a way that could vastly outpace their classical counterparts under certain conditions.

However, the journey of quantum computing is not without its challenges. Quantum systems are inherently delicate, often struggling with information loss, a hurdle classical systems do not face.

Additionally, converting quantum information into a classical format, a necessary step for practical applications, presents its own set of difficulties.

Contrary to initial expectations, classical computers have been shown to emulate quantum computing processes more efficiently than previously believed, thanks to innovative algorithmic strategies.

Recent research has demonstrated that with a clever approach, classical computing can not only match but exceed the performance of cutting-edge quantum machines.

The key to this breakthrough lies in an algorithm that selectively maintains quantum information, retaining just enough to accurately predict outcomes.

This work underscores the myriad of possibilities for enhancing computation, integrating both classical and quantum methodologies, explains Dries Sels, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics at New York University and co-author of the study.

Sels emphasizes the difficulty of securing a quantum advantage given the susceptibility of quantum computers to errors.

Moreover, our work highlights how difficult it is to achieve quantum advantage with an error-prone quantum computer, Sels emphasized.

The research team, including collaborators from the Simons Foundation, explored optimizing classical computing by focusing on tensor networks.

These networks, which effectively represent qubit interactions, have traditionally been challenging to manage.

Recent advancements, however, have facilitated the optimization of these networks using techniques adapted from statistical inference, thereby enhancing computational efficiency.

The analogy of compressing an image into a JPEG format, as noted by Joseph Tindall of the Flatiron Institute and project lead, offers a clear comparison.

Just as image compression reduces file size with minimal quality loss, selecting various structures for the tensor network enables different forms of computational compression, optimizing the way information is stored and processed.

Tindalls team is optimistic about the future, developing versatile tools for handling diverse tensor networks.

Choosing different structures for the tensor network corresponds to choosing different forms of compression, like different formats for your image, says Tindall.

We are successfully developing tools for working with a wide range of different tensor networks. This work reflects that, and we are confident that we will soon be raising the bar for quantum computing even further.

In summary, this brilliant work highlights the complexity of achieving quantum superiority and showcases the untapped potential of classical computing.

By reimagining classical algorithms, scientists are challenging the boundaries of computing and opening new pathways for technological advancement, blending the strengths of both classical and quantum approaches in the quest for computational excellence.

As discussed above, quantum computing represents a revolutionary leap in computational capabilities, harnessing the peculiar principles of quantum mechanics to process information in fundamentally new ways.

Unlike traditional computers, which use bits as the smallest unit of data, quantum computers use quantum bits or qubits. These qubits can exist in multiple states simultaneously, thanks to the quantum phenomena of superposition and entanglement.

At the heart of quantum computing lies the qubit. Unlike a classical bit, which can be either 0 or 1, a qubit can be in a state of 0, 1, or both 0 and 1 simultaneously.

This capability allows quantum computers to perform many calculations at once, providing the potential to solve certain types of problems much more efficiently than classical computers.

The power of quantum computing scales exponentially with the number of qubits, making the technology incredibly potent even with a relatively small number of qubits.

Quantum supremacy is a milestone in the field, referring to the point at which a quantum computer can perform a calculation that is practically impossible for a classical computer to execute within a reasonable timeframe.

Achieving quantum supremacy demonstrates the potential of quantum computers to tackle problems beyond the reach of classical computing, such as simulating quantum physical processes, optimizing large systems, and more.

The implications of quantum computing are vast and varied, touching upon numerous fields. In cryptography, quantum computers pose a threat to traditional encryption methods but also offer new quantum-resistant algorithms.

In drug discovery and material science, they can simulate molecular structures with high precision, accelerating the development of new medications and materials.

Furthermore, quantum computing holds the promise of optimizing complex systems, from logistics and supply chains to climate models, potentially leading to breakthroughs in how we address global challenges.

Despite the exciting potential, quantum computing faces significant technical hurdles, including error rates and qubit stability.

Researchers are actively exploring various approaches to quantum computing, such as superconducting qubits, trapped ions, and topological qubits, each with its own set of challenges and advantages.

As the field progresses, the collaboration between academia, industry, and governments continues to grow, driving innovation and overcoming obstacles.

The journey toward practical and widely accessible quantum computing is complex and uncertain, but the potential rewards make it one of the most thrilling areas of modern science and technology.

Quantum computing stands at the frontier of a new era in computing, promising to redefine what is computationally possible.

As researchers work to scale up quantum systems and solve the challenges ahead, the future of quantum computing shines with the possibility of solving some of humanitys most enduring problems.

The full study was published by PRX Quantum.

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A radical superconducting qubit design promises to extend their runtime by addressing decoherence challenges in quantum computing.

A new qubit design based on superconductors could revolutionize quantum computing. By leveraging the distinct properties of single-atom-thick layers of materials, this new approach to superconducting circuits promises to significantly extend the runtime of a quantum computer, addressing a major challenge in the field.

This limitation on continuous operation time arises because the quantum state of a qubit the basic computing unit of a quantum computer can be easily destabilized due to interactions with its environment and other qubits. This destruction of the quantum state is called decoherence and leads to errors in computations.

Among the various types of qubits that scientists have created, including photons, trapped ions, and quantum dots, superconducting qubits are desirable because they can switch between different states in the shortest amount of time.

Their operation is based on the fact that, due to subtle quantum effects, the power of the electric current flowing through the superconductor can take discrete values, each corresponding to a state of 0 and/or 1 (or even larger values for some designs).

For superconducting qubits to work correctly, they require the presence of a gap in the superconducting circuit called a Josephson junction through which an electrical current flows through a quantum phenomenon called tunneling the passage of particles through a barrier that, according to the laws of classical physics, they should not be able to cross.

The problem is, the advantage of superconducting qubits in enhanced switching time comes at a cost: They are more susceptible to decoherence, which occurs in milliseconds, or even faster. To mitigate this issue, scientists typically resort to meticulous adjustments of circuit configurations and qubit placements with few net gains.

Addressing this challenge with a more radical approach, an international team of researchers proposed a novel Josephson junction design using two, single-atom-thick flakes of a superconducting copper-based material called a cuprate. They called their design flowermon.

In their study published in the Physical Review Letters, the team applied the fundamental laws of quantum mechanics to analyze the current flow through a Josephson junction and discovered that if the angle between the crystal lattices of two superconducting cuprate sheets is 45 degrees, the qubit exhibits more resilience to external disturbances compared to conventional designs based on materials like niobium and tantalum.

The flowermon modernizes the old idea of using unconventional superconductors for protected quantum circuits and combines it with new fabrication techniques and a new understanding of superconducting circuit coherence, Uri Vool, a physicist at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids in Germany, explained in a press release.

The teams calculations suggest that the noise reduction promised by their design could increase the qubits coherence time by orders of magnitude, thereby enhancing the continuous operation of quantum computers. However, they view their research as just the beginning, envisioning future endeavors to further optimize superconducting qubits based on their findings.

The idea behind the flowermon can be extended in several directions: Searching for different superconductors or junctions yielding similar effects, exploring the possibility to realize novel quantum devices based on the flowermon, said Valentina Brosco, a researcher at the Institute for Complex Systems Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche and Physics Department University of Rome. These devices would combine the benefits of quantum materials and coherent quantum circuits or using the flowermon or related design to investigate the physics of complex superconducting heterostructures.

This is only the first simple concrete example of utilizing the inherent properties of a material to make a new quantum device, and we hope to build on it and find additional examples, eventually establishing a field of research that combines complex material physics with quantum devices, Vool added.

Since the teams study was purely theoretical, even the simplest heterostructure-based qubit design they proposed requires experimental validation a step that is currently underway.

Experimentally, there is still quite a lot of work towards implementing this proposal, concluded Vool. We are currently fabricating and measuring hybrid superconducting circuits which integrate these van der Waals superconductors, and hope to utilize these circuits to better understand the material, and eventually design and measure protected hybrid superconducting circuits to make them into real useful devices.

Reference: Uri Vool, et al., Superconducting Qubit Based on Twisted Cuprate Van der Waals Heterostructures, Physical Review Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.017003

Feature image credit: SuttleMedia on Pixabay

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Superconducting qubit promises breakthrough in quantum computing - Advanced Science News

MIT physicists have made a groundbreaking discovery that could revolutionize the field of quantum computing. The research team has observed the fractional quantum anomalous Hall effect in a simpler material: five layers of graphene. This rare and exotic phenomenon, known as fractional charge, occurs when electrons pass through as fractions of their total charge, without the need for an external magnetic field. This discovery marks a significant leap for fundamental physics and could pave the way for the development of more robust, fault-tolerant quantum computers.

The fractional quantum Hall effect is a fascinating manifestation of quantum mechanics, highlighting the unusual behavior that arises when particles shift from acting as individual units to behaving collectively. This phenomenon typically emerges in special states where electrons are slowed down enough to interact. Until now, observing this effect required powerful magnetic manipulation. However, the MIT team has found that the stacked structure of graphene provides the right conditions for this fractional charge phenomenon to occur, eliminating the need for an external magnetic field.

Graphene, a material made of layers of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal pattern, has long been studied for its unique properties. The recent discovery challenges prior assumptions about graphenes properties and introduces a new dimension to our understanding of its crystalline structures intricate dynamics. The researchers have found signs of this anomalous fractional charge in graphene, a material for which there had been no predictions for exhibiting such an effect. This finding could unlock new quantum phenomena and advance quantum computing technologies.

The observation of the fractional quantum anomalous Hall effect could lead to the development of a more robust type of quantum computing that is more resilient against perturbations. Additionally, the research suggests that electrons might interact with each other even more strongly if the graphene structure were aligned with hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). This potential for increased electron interaction might further enhance the fault-tolerance of quantum computing systems.

While this discovery marks a significant advancement in the field of quantum computing, the researchers are not resting on their laurels. They are exploring other rare electron modes in multilayer graphene, which could further our understanding of quantum mechanics and its potential applications in technology. The research, published in Nature, is supported in part by the Sloan Foundation and the National Science Foundation. With the continued support of these organizations, the research team is set to make more groundbreaking discoveries in the future.

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A Quantum Leap in Graphene: MIT Physicists Uncover New Pathways for Quantum Computing - Medriva

The race for quantum computing dominance is on.

In fact,according to SDXCentral.com, the U.S. and China are neck and neck at the moment. The U.S. has already committed $3 billion in funding for quantum computing, with another $12 billion coming from the National Quantum Computing Initiative. China is committing about $15 billion over the next five years. This is all great news for quantum computing stocks.

Even the U.K., Canada, Israel, Australia, Japan, and the European Union are jumping into the quantum computing market. As the race picks up, the quantum computing market could grow from $928.8 million this year to more than $6.5 billion by 2030,as noted by Fortune Business Insights.

All of this could be a substantial catalyst for the following quantum computing stocks.

Source: Amin Van / Shutterstock.com

Earlier this month, IonQ (NYSE:IONQ), trading at $10.27, was highlighted.

While its up slightly at $10.87, give this one a good deal of patience. On Feb. 1, the company just boosted itsfull-year revenue guidanceto a range of $21.2 million to $22 million from its prior range of $18.9 million to $19.3 million. It also boosted its full-year bookings to a new range of $60 million to $63 million from a prior range of $49 million to $56 million.

Quantum computing has the potential to be a game changer it can help us create new drugs and fight disease, turbocharge clean energy alternatives, and improve food production,according toWashington State U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, as quoted in a IONQ press release.

Further, IonQ just opened its firstquantum computing manufacturing facility in Washington.

The company inaugurated the first U.S.-based factory producing replicable quantum computers for client data centers, enhancing technology innovation and manufacturing in the Pacific Northwest. CEO Peter Chapman highlighted IonQs commitment to commercializing quantum computing,added Investorplace contributor Chris MacDonald.

Source: T. Schneider / Shutterstock

Recently reported, D-Wave Quantum(NYSE:QBTS) traded at 85 cents. Yet, after hitting a high of $2.08 on Feb. 15, its now back to $1.74 and is still a strong opportunity.

Forcing QBTS higher, the company said its1,200+ qubit Advantage2 prototypewas now available. Also, it partnered with industrialgenerative AI company Zapata AI. It will develop and market commercial applications, combining the power of generative AI and quantum computing technologies.In addition, it just announced that it andNEC Australiaare teaming to release two new quantum services in the Australian market.

Source: Bartlomiej K. Wroblewski / Shutterstock.com

Recently, Rigetti Computing(NASDAQ:RGTI) popped from about $1.20 to $1.69 a share on heavy volume. For example, last Friday, volume spiked to 19.24 million, as compared to daily average volume of 3.86 million shares.

Further, the company wasawarded a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI)grantfrom Innovate UK and funded by the National Quantum Computing Centre(NQCC) to develop and deliver a quantum computer to the NQCC.

The proposed system will feature the hallmarks of Rigettis recently launched 84-qubit Ankaa-2 system, including tunable couplers and a square lattice, as noted in a company press release. This new chip architecture enables faster gate times, higher fidelity, and greater connectivity compared to Rigettis previous generations of quantum processing units (QPUs).

On the date of publication, Ian Cooper did not hold (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.comPublishing Guidelines.

Ian Cooper, a contributor to InvestorPlace.com, has been analyzing stocks and options for web-based advisories since 1999.

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3 Quantum Computing Stocks That Could Be Multibaggers in the Making: February Edition - InvestorPlace

Apple unveiled PQ3, the most significant cryptographic security upgrade in iMessage history, for iOS 17.4 on Feb. 21.

With the new protocol, Apple becomes one of only a handful of providers featuring post-quantum cryptography for messages. Signal launched a quantum resistant encryption upgrade back in September 2023, but Apple says its the first to reach level 3 encryption.

According to the Cupertino-based company:

Apples iMessage has featured end-to-end encryption since its inception. While it initially used RSA encryption, the company switched to Elliptic Curve cryptography (ECC) in 2019.

As of current, breaking such encryption is considered infeasible due to the amount of time and computing power required. However, the threat of quantum computing looms closer every day.

Theoretically, a quantum computer of sufficient capabilities could break todays encryption methods with relative ease. To the best of our knowledge there arent any current quantum computing systems capable of doing so, but the rapid pace of advancement has caused governments and organizations around the world to begin preparations.

The big idea is that by developing post-quantum cryptography methods ahead of time, good actors such as banks and hospitals can safeguard their data against malicious actors with access to cutting-edge technology.

Theres no current time frame for the advent of quantum computers capable of breaking standard cryptography. IBMclaims it will have hit an inflection point in quantum computing by 2029, while MIT/Harvard spinout QuEra says it will have had a 10,000-qubit error-corrected system by 2026.

Unfortunately, bad actors arent waiting until they can get their hands on a quantum computer to start their attacks. Many are harvesting encrypted data illicitly and storing it for decryption later in whats commonly known as a HNDL attack (harvest now, decrypt later).

Related: Oxford economist who predicted crypto going mainstream says quantum economics is next

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Apple is future-proofing iMessage with post-quantum cryptography - Cointelegraph