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

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

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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For the study of the Quantum Computing Market is very important the past statistics. So, the Global Quantum Computing Market gives the in-depth analysis of the past records along with the predicted future data. One of the most important aspects focused in this study is the regional analysis. Regional breakdown of markets helps in thorough analysis of the market in terms of future predictions, business opportunities and revenue generation potential of the market. For Quantum Computing Market report, the important regions highlighted are Middle East, South America, Asia, North America and Europe. Another important aspect of every market research report is the study of the key players or manufacturers driving the market forward. This study can benefit investors and business owners in many ways. In order to make business predictions and fetch good results, business models, strategies, growth, innovations and every information about manufacturers that can help are studied by it. Making right business decisions is an undeniable measure that needs to be taken for market growth. There are manufacturers, vendors and consumers in every that defines that market. These marketers become the subject to study for every stakeholder and market researcher.

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Types Covered In This Report:HardwareSoftwareServices

Applications Covered In This Report:DefenseHealthcare & pharmaceuticalsChemicalsBanking & financeEnergy & power

This report on Quantum Computing Market also has the market analyzed on the basis of end user applications and type. End user application analysis can also help understand consumer behavior. Its important to study product application to predict a products life cycle. Segment type is also an important aspect of any market research study. Reports are product based, they also includes information on sales channel, distributors, traders and dealers. This helps in efficient planning and execution of supply chain management as it drastically affects the overall operations of any business. Thus, a market research report can be called a comprehensive guide that helps in better marketing and management of businesses.

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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 -...

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

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

By Eli Rosner, Chief Product and Technology Officer, Finastra

2020 is already shaping up to be exciting for financial services, especially for banks as they continue to try to differentiate and remain relevant in an increasingly digital environment. Some financial institutions have already embraced the move, realizing that collaboration and platform models can ease access to innovation and open a path to working more closely with fintechs to ultimately better serve customers. The proliferation of cloud infrastructures and emerging technologies within the new financial-services ecosystems has also accelerated the need for an expanded remit of regulation as well as artificial intelligence (AI) and data capabilities. So, what can we expect to see over the next year?

Acceleration towards Open Finance and collaboration

Just recently, Open Banking in the United Kingdom surpassed its millionth customer[i], and the cloud economy in the United States alone has tripled over the last 15 years[ii]. Far from slowing down, we can expect the global banking sector to witness positive disruption driven by fintechs, which continue to flourish, not least in London, which houses more than 10 fintech unicorns.

Further afield, Africas fintech scene has enjoyed a growth rate of 24 percent over the last 10 years, and this is set to continue as the movement begins to reach unbanked populations. In sub-Saharan Africa, the unbanked population is currently as high as 60 percent, according to EY[iii].

In Southeast Asia, the regions internet economy crossed the US$100-billion valuation mark last year, tripling in barely four years[iv]. The region remains a potential goldmine for challenger banks and fintechs wishing to bring digital financial services to the unbanked population. According to the e-Conomy SEA 2019 report[v], 198 million adults in Southeast Asia do not own a bank account, with another 98 million having a bank account but insufficient access to other financial services, such as credit. This year will see fintechs and the region acting quickly to attract this user base, many using cloud technology to scale up affordability.

As Singapore is finding out[vi], a saturated market can be challenging to access. More than 20 companies have applied for the few digital banking licenses on offer in the city-state, ranging from local ride-hailing company Grab to the online payments arm of Alibaba. Only two of the five licenses offered by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) allow digital banks to take deposits and provide banking services to retail corporate customers. At the same time, Singapores big three banks have invested considerably in technology, moving their operations online, making it harder for new virtual banks to tempt customers from them. As the year progresses, we can expect a growing emphasis on collaboration between banks and fintechs to deliver services to end-users across the region and beyond.

Facing tech-driven competition for their core businesses, established banks will continue to innovate in 2020. This will be driven in part by fear of elimination. McKinseys banking casualty forecast shows 60 percent of banks printing returns below their cost of equity[vii]. Meanwhile, fintechs will create new payments and financing models, and tech companies will continue to attract money beyond traditional banking rails. This will lead to legacy banks seeking to collaborate with bigtech and fintech players alike, as they aim to supply end-users with cheaper connected products and services, underpinned by software on demand.

Finastra recently surveyed more than 600 banking professionals across the United States, Europe and Asia and found that all markets surveyed have noticed the positive impact that Open Banking has had on their organizations. Eighty-six percent of the responses suggest it is the future of banking, improving services for customers and widening product offerings. This continuing opening up of the marketopen collaboration, driven by the API (application programming interface) economy on the one hand and the need to deliver a great customer experience on the otherwill create a new role for banks and democratise finance.

As the decade progresses, look out for banks also acting as aggregators of financial services via fintechs. This will create new revenue streams as collaboration helps to connect parties, data and technologies to provide new opportunities and bring greater transparency and inclusion to the industry.

Cloud, data and emerging technologies and associated regulation will come to the fore.

This year will see the developer becoming critical to the future of the bank. Open platforms will underpin innovation, as big data and advanced analytics (BD&AA) and machine learning (ML) evolve across the banking industry. Recently the European Banking Authority (EBA) published a report[viii] on the recent trends of BD&AA in the banking sector, noting that while most institutions are currently using simple algorithms to leverage their core banking data, there is growing interest in the use of BD&AA.

Accordingly, were seeing banks partnering with AI providers to help them manage data and provide mobile banking services. Well see an increase in financial institutions using predictive analytics and voice-recognition tools to provide tailored services to customers.

Looking further ahead, quantum computing will have a progressively greater role to play in banking, the latter driven by IBM, Google, Microsoft and D-Wave Systems. Time will tell how engaged financial institutions will become in helping to develop uniform quantum practices and standards. Nevertheless, we will see the continued growth of cloud and technology adoption driving opportunities in regtech to respond to more diverse regulatory and compliance requirements.

An inflection point for digital challengers, enhanced through collaboration

This year will be important for digital challengers, as they face profitability and growth challenges. Fifty percent[ix] of consumers anticipate using bigtech for financial services within the next three years, and payment initiatives such as Amazon Pays Cash-Load and Uber Moneys driver benefits continue to move money away from deposit accounts, for both legacy banks and challengers alike. Exacerbating the competitive challenges is regulatory mobilization to stimulate competition. This underscores the need for standardised regulation across the entire ecosystem, particularly in regard to the use of cloud and emerging technologies. Standardised regulation will also be used to counter overreliance on single fintechs and cloud providers and will protect against service outages. Expect the growth of multi-cloud networks to guard against disruption.

Despite stagnant economies and regulatory uncertainty, models such as banking-as-a-service (BaaS) will provide the critical inflection points for challengers to move into profitability, backed by low-cost bases, low infrastructure overheads and automated back-end operations. The rise of banking-as-a-service will be driven by transparency.

From the entry of bigtech into financial services to regulatory mobilisation, financial institutions of all sizes face the challenge of attracting and retaining an increasingly discerning user base. Furthermore, they find themselves operating in a febrile atmosphere, between conflicting economies and between established and emerging technologies. Collaboration and customer service will lead the way.

With half of consumers expecting their financial providers to offer products and services that address their needs beyond traditional financial services, data security, trust and personalisation will remain the guiding lightsin the new decade.

References:

[i] Open Banking, which this month surpassed its millionth customer.

[ii] The US cloud economy has tripled over the last 15 years.

[iii] Africas fintech scene has enjoyed a 24-percent growth over the last 10 years. In sub-Saharan Africa, this is currently as high as 60 percent, according to EY.

[iv] In Southeast Asia, the regions internet economy crossed the US$100-billion valuation mark.

[v] The e-Conomy SEA 2019 report.

[vi] Singapores Digital Licenses.

[vii] McKinseys casualty forecast.

[viii] European Banking Authority (EBA) report.

[ix] World Retail Banking report 2019.

Link:
2020 Vision and Beyond: Open to Opportunity - International Banker