The marathon to achieve the promise of quantum computers hasedged a few steps forward as Intel unveils a new chip capable, it believes, of accelerating the process.

Called Horse Ridgeand named after one of the coldest places in Oregon, the system-on-chip can control a total of 128 qubits (quantum bits) which is more than double the number of qubits Intel heralded in its Tangle Lake test chip in early 2018.

While companies like IBM and Microsoft have been leapfrogging each other with systems capable of handling ever greater qubits the breakthrough in this case appears to be an ability to lead to more efficient quantum computers by allowing one chip to handle more tasks. It is therefore a step toward moving quantum computing from the lab and into real commercial viability.

Applying quantum computing to practical problems hinges on the ability to scale, and control, thousands of qubits at the same time with high levels of fidelity. Intel suggests Horse Ridge greatly simplifies current complex electronics required to operate a quantum system.

To recap why this is important lets take it for read that Quantum computing has the potential to tackle problems conventional computers cant by leveraging a phenomena of quantum physics: that Qubits can exist in multiple states simultaneously. As a result, they are able to conduct a large number of calculations at the same time.

This can dramatically speed up complex problem-solving from years to a matter of minutes. But in order for these qubits to do their jobs, hundreds of connective wires have to be strung into and out of the cryogenic refrigerator where quantum computing occurs (at temperatures colder than deep space).

The extensive control cabling for each qubit drastically hinders the ability to control the hundreds or thousands of qubits that will be required to demonstrate quantum practicality in the lab not to mention the millions of qubits that will be required for a commercially viable quantum solution in the real world.

Researchers outlined the capability of Horse Ridge in a paper presented at the 2020 International Solid-State Circuits Conference in San Francisco and co-written by collaborators at Dutch institute QuTech.

The integrated SoC design is described as being implemented using Intels 22nm FFL (FinFET Low Power) CMOS technology and integrates four radio frequency channels into a single device. Each channel is able to control up to 32 qubits leveraging frequency multiplexing a technique that divides the total bandwidth available into a series of non-overlapping frequency bands, each of which is used to carry a separate signal.

With these four channels, Horse Ridge can potentially control up to 128 qubits with a single device, substantially reducing the number of cables and rack instrumentations previously required.

The paper goes on to argue that increases in qubit count trigger other issues that challenge the capacity and operation of the quantum system. One such potential impact is a decline in qubit fidelity and performance. In developing Horse Ridge, Intel optimised the multiplexing technology that enables the system to scale and reduce errors from crosstalk among qubits.

While developing control systems isnt, evidently, as hype-worthy as the increase in qubit count has been, it is a necessity, says Jim Clarke, director of quantum hardware, Intel Labs. Horse Ridge could take quantum practicality to the finish line much faster than is currently possible. By systematically working to scale to thousands of qubits required for quantum practicality, were continuing to make steady progress toward making commercially viable quantum computing a reality in our future.

Intels own research suggests it will most likely take at least thousands of qubits working reliably together before the first practical problems can be solved via quantum computing. Other estimates suggest it will require at least one million qubits.

Intel is exploring silicon spin qubits, which have the potential to operate at temperatures as high as 1 kelvin. This research paves the way for integrating silicon spin qubit devices and the cryogenic controls of Horse Ridge to create a solution that delivers the qubits and controls in one package.

Quantum computer applications are thought to include drug development high on the worlds list of priorities just now, logistics optimisation (that is, finding the most efficient way from any number of possible travel routes) and natural disaster prediction.

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New Intel chip could accelerate the advent of quantum computing - RedShark News

COMPUTING

Inside the Race to Build the Best Quantum Computer on EarthGideon Lichfield | MIT Technology ReviewRegardless of whether you agree with Googles position [on quantum supremacy] or IBMs, the next goal is clear, Oliver says: to build a quantum computer that can do something useful. The trouble is that its nearly impossible to predict what the first useful task will be, or how big a computer will be needed to perform it.

Were Not Prepared for the End of Moores LawDavid Rotman | MIT Technology ReviewQuantum computing, carbon nanotube transistors, even spintronics, are enticing possibilitiesbut none are obvious replacements for the promise that Gordon Moore first saw in a simple integrated circuit. We need the research investments now to find out, though. Because one prediction is pretty much certain to come true: were always going to want more computing power.

Flippy the Burger-Flipping Robot Is Changing the Face of Fast Food as We Know ItLuke Dormehl | Digital TrendsFlippy is the result of the Miso teams robotics expertise, coupled with that industry-specific knowledge. Its a burger-flipping robot arm thats equipped with both thermal and regular vision, which grills burgers to order while also advising human collaborators in the kitchen when they need to add cheese or prep buns for serving.

The Next Generation of Batteries Could Be Built by VirusesDaniel Oberhaus | Wired[MIT bioengineering professor Angela Belcher has] made viruses that can work with over 150 different materials and demonstrated that her technique can be used to manufacture other materials like solar cells. Belchers dream of zipping around in a virus-powered car still hasnt come true, but after years of work she and her colleagues at MIT are on the cusp of taking the technology out of the lab and into the real world.

Biggest Cosmic Explosion Ever Detected Left Huge Dent in SpaceHannah Devlin | The GuardianThe biggest cosmic explosion on record has been detectedan event so powerful that it punched a dent the size of 15 Milky Ways in the surrounding space. The eruption is thought to have originated at a supermassive black hole in the Ophiuchus galaxy cluster, which is about 390 million light years from Earth.

Star Treks Warp Speed Would Have Tragic ConsequencesCassidy Ward | SyFyThe various crews ofTreks slate of television shows and movies can get from here to there without much fanfare. Seeking out new worlds and new civilizations is no more difficult than gassing up the car and packing a cooler full of junk food. And they dont even need to do that! The replicators will crank out a bologna sandwich just like mom used to make. All thats left is to go, but what happens then?

Image Credit: sergio souza /Pexels

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This Week's Awesome Tech Stories From Around the Web (Through February 29) - Singularity Hub

MIT is no stranger to technology. It's one of the world's most productive and forward-facing tech research organizations. So when MIT gets excited looking forward, it only makes sense to sneak a peak at what they're seeing. MIT recently just published their top 10 technological breakthroughs for 2020 and just beyond. Below are the first five on their list. Each one is an advance that MIT sees as genuinely changing our lives.

Image source: Umberto/unsplash

MIT says: Later this year, Dutch researchers will complete a quantum internet between Delft and the Hague.

Think of a coin. Lay it flat on a table, and it's either heads and tails. This is more or less how things work in the world at larger scales. To see what things are like at a much smaller, quantum size, spin the coin on the table and observe it from above. From our perspective, the coin's state could then be described as being both head and tails at the same time since it's neither one exactly. Being in this rapidly changing condition is like being in "superposition" in quantum physics.

To see, or measure, the coin's head/tails state at any given moment, you'd have to stop it spinning, perhaps flattening it down to the table, where it would be stopped as either head or tails. Thus measured, the coin would be taken it out of superposition. Just like entangled quantum particles.

In classical computing system, data objects are represented by bits, strings of data comprised of zeros and ones, AKA heads or tails. In the quantum world, however, what needs to be represented is that "spinning coin"of superposition in its as-yet-unresolved state. So quantum computing uses "qubits" instead of bits.

Obviously, being able to represent data with qubits objects that collapse out of superposition if they're intercepted or tampered with is an attractive prospect for an increasingly security-conscious world, a natural foundation on which to build a super-secure quantum internet.

Still, qubits are far more complex than bits, and thus harder to process and exchange. Even worse, as our spinning coin will eventually stop spinning and resolve as heads or tails (Inception aside), qubits lose their superimposition after a while, making retaining and exchanging them in a superimposed a serious challenge. While there are various combinations of classical and quantum internets and encryption keys under consideration and construction, they all share a need for the robust, accurate transmission of qubits over long distances.

Now scientists of the Quantum Internet Alliance initiative have announced that they're in the process of building the world's first purely quantum network. It incorporates new quantum repeaters that allow qubits to be passed along long distances without being corrupted or losing their superposition. The group published a paper last October laying out their vision for an Arpanet-type quantum prototype stretching between Delft and the Hague by the end of this decade. (Here's a great explainer.)

Stephanie Wehner of QuTech, a quantum computing and internet center at Delft University of Technology, is coordinator of the project:

"With this very extensive simulation platform we've recently built, which is now running on a supercomputer, we can explore different quantum network configurations and gain an understanding of properties which are very difficult to predict analytically. This way we hope to find a scalable design that can enable quantum communication across all of Europe."

Image source: National Cancer Institute/unsplash

MIT says: Novel drugs are being designed to treat unique genetic mutations.

Developing treatments for any condition can be difficult and expensive, and it behooves researchers to get the most bang for their buck by concentrating on formulating solutions for diseases that afflict large groups of people. Hand in hand with this is a need for generalized remedies that address characteristics the whole group shares.

This is changing, says MIT, with gene editing offering the potential for transforming medicine from the traditional "one size fits all" approach to a more effective, personalized, or "n-of-1," approach. This new form of medicine involves targeting and manipulation of an individual patient's genes, with the application of rapidly maturing technologies for gene replacement including gene editing, and antisensing that removes or corrects problem-causing genetic messages. "What the treatments have in common," says MIT, "is that they can be programmed, in digital fashion and with digital speed, to correct or compensate for inherited diseases, letter for DNA letter." Treatments may also individually be optimized to avoid contemporary medicine's often harsh side effects.

If gene editing lives up to its promise, medicine is about to become radically more successful and humane.

Image source: Artwell/Shutterstock

MIT says: The rise of digital currency has massive ramifications for financial privacy.

While Bitcoin is, as of this writing, collapsing, it's nonetheless clear that purely digital monetary systems have considerable appeal: No more germ-encrusted metal and paper money, and, perhaps more importantly, an opportunity for governments and their central banks to more closely control currency and to instantly execute monetary policy changes.

The truth is we've been halfway there for a long time, currencies such as Bitcoin and Libra notwithstanding. The money in our bank accounts is virtual we personally possess no plies of physical cash at our local bank. Electronic purchasing with credit and debit cards is the norm for most of us, and when large movements of cash occur between banks, they do so in the digital domain. It's all been mostly bytes and bits for some time. What we currently have is a mish-mash of physical and digital money, and MIT predicts the imminent arrival of purely digital monetary systems. (Buh-bye, folding money and pocket change.)

In 2014, China began quietly exploring and building their Digital Currency/Electronic Payments system, or DC/EP. According to OZY, they've already applied for 84 patents for various innovations their new system requires.

One of China's goals is to construct an on-ramp making it easy for citizens to switch to an all-digital system. "Virtually all of these patent applications," Marc Kaufman of Rimon Law, tells OZY, "relate to integrating a system of digital currency into the existing banking infrastructure." The country's developing systems that allow people to swap traditional money for digital currency, as well chip card and digital wallets from which the currency may be spent.

Clearly, an all-digital monetary system presents privacy issues, since all of one's money would presumably be visible to governmental agencies unless adequate privacy protections are implemented. Developing that protection is going to require a deeper exploration of privacy itself, a discussion that has been overdue since the dawn of the internet.

Image source: Halfpoint/Shutterstock

MIT says: Drugs that try to treat ailments by targeting a natural aging process in the body have shown promise.

Strides are being made toward the production of new drugs for conditions that commonly accompany getting older. They don't stop the aging process, but the hope is that in the next five years, scientists may be able to delay some of aging's effects.

Senolytics are a new form of drugs under development that are designed to clean out unwanted stuff that often accumulates in us as we age. These senescent cells can wind up as plaque on brain cells, and as deposits that cause inflammation inhibiting healthy cell maintenance, and leaving toxins in our bodies.

While trials by San Franciscobased Unity Biotechnology are now underway for a senolytic medication targeting osteoarthritis of the knee, MIT notes that other aging-related ailments are getting a promising fresh look as well. For example, one company, Alkahest, specializing in Parkinson's and dementia, is investigating the extraction of certain components of young people's blood for injection into Alzheimer's patients in the hopes of arresting cognitive and functional decline (Oh, hi, Keith Richards.). And researchers at Drexel University College of Medicine are investigating the use of an existing drug, rapamycin, as an anti-aging skin creme.

Image source: Sharon Pittaway/unsplash

MIT says: Scientists have used AI to discover promising drug-like compounds.

Drugs are built from compounds, combinations of molecules that together produce some sort of medically useful effect. Scientists often find that known compounds can have surprising medical value recent research found that 50 non-cancer drugs can fight cancer in addition to their previously known uses.

But what about new compounds? MIT notes there may be as many as 1060 molecule combinations yet to be discovered, "more than all the atoms in the solar system."

AI can help. It can sift through molecule properties recorded in existing databases to identify combinations that may have promise as drugs. Operating much more quickly and inexpensive than humans can, machine learning techniques may revolutionize the search for new medicines.

Researchers at Hong Kongbased Insilico Medicine and the University of Toronto announced last September that AI algorithms had picked out about 30,000 unexplored molecule combinations, eventually winnowing that list down to six especially promising new medical compounds. Synthesis and subsequent animal testing revealed one of them to be especially interesting as a drug. One out of six out of 30,000 may not seem that impressive, but AI and machine learning are quickly evolving.

MIT predicts that in 3-5 years, such investigations will be regularly bearing fruit.

The other five items on MIT's list are:

6. Satellite mega-constellations7. Quantum supremacy8. Tiny AI9. Differential privacy10. Climate change attribution

Related Articles Around the Web

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MITs Top 5 tech breakthroughs for 2020 - Big Think

By Adrian ChoMar. 1, 2020 , 12:12 PM

Citing thegrowing threat of the coronavirus, the American Physical Society (APS), the 55,000 member professional society for physicists and researchers in associated fields, cancelled its largest meeting of the year just 34 hours before it was supposed to begin. APSs March Meeting was to be held this week at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, and the society anticipated more than 10,000 people from all over the world would attend. However, late yesterday, APS issued a statementabruptly calling off the meeting.

The decision to cancel was based on the latest scientific data being reported, and the fact that a large number of attendees at this meeting are coming from outside the U.S., including countries where the virus is circulating and for which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have advised people to avoid non-essential travel, the APS statement says. [T]his decision was made out of deep concern for the health and well-being of our registrants, staff, vendors, and the Denver community.

Unfortunately for many researchers, the notice came only after theyd arrived in Denver.Holy sh*t! #apsmarch meeting is cancelled!,tweeted Kees Storm, an expert in the theory of polymers and soft matter from Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands. 1000s of people must already be here in Denver, this is major. No idea what I should do now; already here and all booked for a whole week... He later tweeted that he had calmed down and was able to book an earlier flight home.

Others worried about the costs, especially for the thousands of graduate students who typically give contributed talks at the meeting.I understand their decision, but horrible timing,tweeted Una Goncin, a graduate student at the University of Saskatchewan. I feel esp sorry for all the grad students who will have to pay out of pocket for this! APS says it will refund the conference registration fees, which can range up to $695 dollars for regular members and $305 for graduate-student members, and will try to help registrants recoup fees for unused hotel reservations.

Generally, physicists in Denver and elsewhere appeared to be trying to make the best of the situation, with many proposing to post talks on the internet.Maybe this can also become a thing[for future meetings] and we can help those unable to travel and also reduce some carbon output, tweeted Christopher Savoie, cofounder and CEO of Zapata Computing, a quantum computing company spun out of Harvard University.

APS leadership now faces a similar decision for its other big annual confab, the somewhat smaller April Meeting, which is scheduled for 18-21 April in Washington, DC. Elsewhere in the world, the coronovirus outbreak has already snarled research, causing the cancellation or postponement of meetings and research efforts.

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Coronavirus just caused the American Physical Society to cancel its biggest meeting of the year - Science Magazine

Global Quantum Computing Market 2020-2025

The report covers complete analysis of the Global Quantum Computing Market on the basis of regional and global level. The report comprises several drivers and restraints of the Global Quantum Computing Market. Likewise, it covers the complete segmentation analysis such as type, application, and region. This report provides Quantum Computing Market key Manufactures, industry chain analysis, competitive insights, and macroeconomic analysis. Global Quantum Computing Market reportprovides the latest forecast market data, industry trends, and technological innovations. The in-depth view of Global Quantum Computing Market industry on the basis of market size, market growth, opportunities, and development plans offered by the report analysis. The forecast information, SWOT analysis, and feasibility study are the energetic aspects studied in this report. Along with that PESTEL analysis is also considered to be another major aspect in the market study.

Top Players Included In This Report:D-Wave SystemsGoogleIBMIntelMicrosoft1QB Information TechnologiesAnyon SystemsCambridge Quantum ComputingID QuantiqueIonQQbitLogicQC WareQuantum CircuitsQubitekkQxBranchRigetti Computing

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Few Points From TOC:1 Scope of the Report2 Executive Summary3 Global Quantum Computing by Players4 Quantum Computing by RegionsContinued

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Global Quantum Computing Market is said to have a potential scope for growth in the years by 2025- D-Wave Systems, Google, IBM, Intel, Microsoft -...

Deep technology has the potential to solve the worlds biggest societal issues. This has not gone unnoticed by nations Singapore, for example, has injected an additional S$300 million into its Startup SG Equity scheme in its recent Budget 2020 announcement, to support the commercialisation of startups whose businesses are based on innovative research.

However, with multiple layers of technicalities and complexities involved, transformational deep tech can be a tricky venture for investors, especially non-tech ones, to get into. While some practice the spray and pray approach by channelling funds into every technology company with hopes for one to become the next unicorn, the same approach might not be feasible for deep tech, given that larger, more patient capital is required.

Despite the challenges, deep tech can translate to impactful returns on a global scale. For investors, it pays to understand developments in science and technology. Here are some key trends we have identified.

AI is here to stay

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been trending on almost every investors list, so it is unsurprising to see it remain a key investment area in 2020.

While AI has been touted as the be-all-end-all technology of the future, it is still currently limited to managing simple, specific tasks. However, as we are still quite a distance from achieving artificial general intelligence the stage where machines can perform any tasks a human can a safer bet would be to identify gaps into which AI in its current state of maturity can readily pug.

For instance, AI companies in banking can resolve specific pain points such as speeding up know your customer or anti-money laundering processes.

The resurgence of Medtech and healthcare AI

As societies struggle to cope with ageing populations, demand for quality healthcare will continue to rise exponentially across the world. In fact, the medical technology market in Asia is poised to grow to about $133 billion this year, surpassing the European Union as the second-largest market globally.

We are witnessing medtech companies emerging from stealth after years of undergoing proofs-of-concept and clinical trials. One of our portfolio companies, See-Mode, which helps clinicians improve prediction and assessment of stroke and vascular disease through AI, received a Class B medical device approval from the Singapore Health Sciences Authority for its augmented vascular analysis product and is set to close its first commercial contracts.

In 2020, we expect more medtech players coming to the fore, pushing out innovations with successful case studies and putting investment dollars to good use.

Cracking the quantum code

Quantum technology may sound like science fiction, but we believe that it is an inevitable technology. It has the potential to be a game-changer in a wide range of real-life applications from superfast data processing and computing, defence and security, to managing energy use and production. Recognising this, nations and tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft, IBM and Google are pouring more money into this space.

This nascent sector is both new and expensive, making it difficult for investors to gauge the kind of returns they may see and when. Our view as investors in early-stage quantum companies is to identify those that create an environment which will make quantum computing more accessible to all. The hardware configuration of a general quantum computer is still the subject of debate so unless you have deep pockets, quantum may not be an area the average VC would want to consider.

Sowing the seeds for growth

As a result of climate change and the rapidly growing population, the world is set to face a 56 percent shortfall in food nutrition by 2050. For countries like Singapore, which relies on food imports, finding solutions towards self-sufficiency is critical.

Consumers are also becoming more socially conscious and selective in the food they consume, developing greater appetites for more sustainably produced foods.

These trends are driving demand, leading to greater investor interest in agriculture and food technology startups. We foresee this to be an area of interest in the coming year.

Autonomous vehicles on the move

Thanks to strong support from the Singapore government along its Smart Nation journey, development for autonomous vehicles (AVs) has shifted into gear in the last year with autonomous forklifts being tested in warehouses and autonomous trucks being trialled at the Port of Singapore.

However, there are still many technological, infrastructural (including insurance) and regulatory challenges to consider before we see the mass deployment of true Level 5 vehicles or vehicles with full driver automation. In the meantime, technologies that enhance existing sensors, energy storage, navigation and decision support components essential for AVs will offer startups a chance to monetise in the interim period before Level 5 vehicles hit the road.

These components can be deployed as part of existing vehicles and infrastructure, giving them an earlier time-to-market, while the development of a full AV takes place in parallel.

Taking the deep tech leap

Investing in deep tech is akin to investing in the future. Whether its in areas of sustainability, mobility or health, we believe that in deep tech lies the path to solving some of mankinds biggest challenges. The history of technology has proven that those willing to take the plunge early will reap the biggest rewards. That said, as pragmatic investors, we are highly selective as to what areas to place our bets in. It is perhaps more important that a company can to go the distance until its category matures, than for the company to have the brightest, shiniest technology.

Despite its challenges, deep tech is an investment territory with immense potential and opportunities. Those who take the plunge, capitalise and harvest these opportunities now stand to make a positive impact on the world.

Hsien-Hui Tong is the head of venture investing at SGInnovate.

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Guest Post: Investing in deep tech is akin to investing in the future - DealStreetAsia