The University of Bristols pioneering Smart Internet Lab will work with industry partners to develop the first blueprint for a quantum data centre, as part of UKRIs 170 million pound Commercialising Quantum Technologies Challenge.

Quantum technologies, in the form of quantum computing and communications, promise to provide solutions to some of the worlds most challenging problems. However, to date, very little has been understood from a systems perspective about how to integrate them with existing data centres.

The Quantum Data Centre of the Future project will commence in early 2022, bringing experts in classical data centres and networking together with experts in quantum computing and quantum communications, to develop the first blueprint for a quantum data centre.

The project will leverage the significant research strengths of the University of BristolsHigh Performance Networks Groupin classical data centre, quantum Internet and quantum networking.

Professor Reza Nejabati, Head of High Performance Networks Research Group in theSmart Internet Lab, said: This is a truly exciting initiative. Adapting quantum computing and network systems to work in a data centre settingwill require significant acts of invention and creativity.

This will bring a more practical light to the field of quantum technologies so they can benefit businesses and support the emergence of new type quantum computing algorithms and applicationsthat will benefit from them far into the future.

Professor Dimitra Simeonidou, Director of Smart Internet Lab, added: In collaboration with the project partners, we aim to design, develop and demonstrate a solution for integrating a quantum computer in a classical data centre as well as providing remote quantum secure access to quantum computers at scale and in a data centre setting.

Quantum computers and communications systems are often described in isolation, but this misses the possibility for near term value to be created with quantum/classical hybrid systems. In this project, we will be investigating system-level solutions for optical metro quantum networks supporting remote access to quantum computing.

We are really excited to work with leading industrial and academic partners to connect and integrate our city scale test-bed to remote quantum accelerated data canter and demonstrate its use for future industrial applications.

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The upcoming year will be about increases: in legislation, security standards, ransomware attacks and technology risks.

IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Netwrix, a cybersecurity vendor that makes data security easy, today released key cybersecurity trends that will affect organizations in 2022.

(PRNewsfoto/Netwrix Corporation)

With cyberattacks especially ransomware on the rise, IT teams and security professionals must be on the alert as never before. Here are six specific predictions from Ilia Sotnikov, cybersecurity expert and VP of User Experience & Security Strategist at Netwrix:

Legislation will increase as security incidents at private companies affect national security. The impact of ransomware and other cyberattacks is no longer limited to just the victim company anymore; attacks are now affecting entire regions. For instance, attacks on companies that supply food or fuel have led to empty shelves in supermarkets and long queues at gas stations. Therefore, we can expect that security requirements for private organizations in critical sectors to become tougher. In particular, notification rules will be affected, as governments need more visibility into the specifics of cyberattacks in order to improve legislation. In some cases, governments may opt to use proverbial carrots as well as sticks, such as tax breaks that reward organizations for investing in cyber defenses.

Cyber insurance costs will increase and policies will mandate higher security standards. With insurance payouts becoming both more frequent and more costly, the cost of cyber insurance has already skyrocketed: Prices rose 96% in the US and 73% in the UK for the third quarter of 2021 compared to the same quarter last year. We expect continued increases in 2022. Moreover, insurance policies will require implementation of critical controls that reduce the risk of cybersecurity incidents. With attacks becoming increasingly common, insurance companies will pay in exceptional cases only.

More attacks will target MSPs as a path to infiltrate large enterprises or government agencies. Attackers have seized upon a very effective strategy for getting access to large organizations through the relatively weaker IT infrastructures of SMBs that provide them with services. Accordingly, managed service providers (MSPs) will need to increase both the breadth and depth of their security measures, since many SMBs rely upon them on their security.

Quantum computing will begin to disrupt encryption. Most cryptographic algorithms today rely on the premise that there's no processor sufficiently powerful to crack them in a reasonable timeframe but quantum computing will allow such a processor to exist. While this technology is still far from any practical application, concern is growing. For example, the U.S. has announced export controls on eight Chinese quantum computing companies because of worries about China's ability to break encryption. As the technology matures, we can expect more widespread adoption of post-quantum encryption standards.

Companies will need to address challenges in machine learning. Well over half (59%) of large enterprises today are already using data science (DS) and machine learning (ML). However, these techniques bring risks as well as benefits. ML algorithms are especially vulnerable in the learning phase because bad actors can poison the input in order to subvert the results, which can break critical processes and even put lives in danger in cases such as healthcare or traffic lights in a smart city. Organizations using ML must understand these threats and redouble their efforts to defend against them.

Attackers will use residential home networks as their infrastructure. A home network is much easier to infect with malicious software than a professionally secured enterprise IT environment. With processing power and bandwidth connectivity in residences increasing, home networks will become more attractive to bad actors. For example, by infecting many devices, they will be able to change IP addresses or even domain names dynamically during malware campaigns, thwarting common defenses like IP blocking and DNS filtering. IT teams should keep this new threat vector in mind when reviewing their security strategies and incident response plans. Moreover, the IT industry should seek to increase user awareness and best practices adoption to reduce the number of easy victims.

"Prioritization is the only way for organizations to manage the risk of cyberattacks in this new era of advanced technologies that can be used for both good and evil," says Ilia Sotnikov, VP of User Experience & Security Strategist at Netwrix. "Simply put, organizations need to focus on securing their most important and valuable assets from the most likely incidents, and update their policies regularly. It is increasingly obvious that cyber insurance is not a lifebuoy. Risk assessment is first and foremost our own responsibility."

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About Netwrix

Netwrix makes data security easy, thereby simplifying how professionals can control sensitive, regulated and business-critical data, regardless of where it resides. More than 10,000 organizations worldwide rely on Netwrix solutions to secure sensitive data, realize the full business value of enterprise content, pass compliance audits with less effort and expense, and increase the productivity of IT teams and knowledge workers.

Founded in 2006, Netwrix has earned more than 150 industry awards and been named to both the Inc. 5000 and Deloitte Technology Fast 500 lists of the fastest growing companies in the U.S.

For more information, visit http://www.netwrix.com.

CONTACT:

Erin Jones Avista PR for Netwrix P: 704.664.2170 E: pr@netwrix.com

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Six Cybersecurity Trends to Be Aware of in 2022 - Yahoo Finance

Over the past few years, the capabilities of quantum computers have reached the stage where they can be used to pursue research with widespread technological impact. Through their research, the Q4Q team at the University of Southern California, University of North Texas, and Central Michigan University, explores how software and algorithms designed for the latest quantum computing technologies can be adapted to suit the needs of applied sciences. In a collaborative project, the Q4Q team sets out a roadmap for bringing accessible, user-friendly quantum computing into fields ranging from materials science, to pharmaceutical drug development.

Since it first emerged in the 1980s, the field of quantum computing has promised to transform the ways in which we process information. The technology is centered on the fact that quantum particles such as electrons exist in superpositions of states. Quantum mechanics also dictates that particles will only collapse into one single measurable state when observed by a user. By harnessing these unique properties, physicists discovered that batches of quantum particles can act as more advanced counterparts to conventional binary bits which only exist in one of two possible states (on or off) at a given time.

On classical computers, we write and process information in a binary form. Namely, the basic unit of information is a bit, which takes on the logical binary values 0 or 1. Similarly, quantum bits (also known as qubits) are the native information carriers on quantum computers. Much like bits, we read binary outcomes of qubits, that is 0 or 1 for each qubit.

However, in a stark contrast to bits, we can encode information on a qubit in the form of a superposition of logical values of 0 and 1. This means that we can encode much more information in a qubit than in a bit. In addition, when we have a collection of qubits, the principle of superposition leads to computational states that can encode correlations among the qubits, which are stronger than any type of correlations achieved within a collection of bits. Superposition and strong quantum correlations are, arguably, the foundations on which quantum computers rely on to provide faster processing speeds than their classical counterparts.

To realize computations, qubit states can be used in quantum logic gates, which perform operations on qubits, thus transforming the input state according to a programmed algorithm. This is a paradigm for quantum computation, analogous to conventional computers. In 1998, both qubits and quantum logic gates were realized experimentally for the first time bringing the previously-theoretical concept of quantum computing into the real world.

From this basis, researchers then began to develop new software and algorithms, specially designed for operations using qubits. At the time, however, the widespread adoption of these techniques in everyday applications still seemed a long way off. The heart of the issue lay in the errors that are inevitably introduced to quantum systems by their surrounding environments. If uncorrected, these errors can cause qubits to lose their quantum information, rendering computations completely useless. Many studies at the time aimed to develop ways to correct these errors, but the processes they came up with were invariably costly and time-consuming.

Unfortunately, the risk of introducing errors to quantum computations increases drastically as more qubits are added to a system. For over a decade after the initial experimental realization of qubits and quantum logic gates, this meant that quantum computers showed little promise in rivalling the capabilities of their conventional counterparts.

In addition, quantum computing was largely limited to specialized research labs, meaning that many research groups that could have benefited from the technology were unable to access it.

While error correction remains a hurdle, the technology has since moved beyond specialized research labs, becoming accessible to more users. This occurred for the first time in 2011, when the first quantum annealer was commercialized. With this event, feasible routes emerged towards reliable quantum processors containing thousands of qubits capable of useful computations.

Quantum annealing is an advanced technique for obtaining optimal solutions to complex mathematical problems. It is a quantum computation paradigm alternative to operating on qubits with quantum logic gates.

The availability of commercial quantum annealers spurned a new surge in interest for quantum computing, with consequent technological progress, especially fueled by industrial capitals. In 2016, this culminated in the development of a new cloud system based on quantum logic gates, which enabled owners and users of quantum computers around the world to pool their resources together, expanding the use of the devices outside of specialized research labs. Before long, the widespread use of quantum software and algorithms for specific research scenarios began to look increasingly realistic.

At the time, however, the technology still required high levels of expertise to operate. Without specific knowledge of the quantum processes involved, researchers in fields such as biology, chemistry, materials science, and drug development could not make full use of them. Further progress would be needed before the advantages of quantum computing could be widely applied outside the field of quantum mechanics itself.

Now, the Q4Q team aims to build on these previous advances using user-friendly quantum algorithms and software packages to realize quantum simulations of physical systems. Where the deeply complex properties of these systems are incredibly difficult to recreate within conventional computers, there is now hope that this could be achieved using large systems of qubits.

To recreate the technologies that could realistically become widely available in the near future, the teams experiments will incorporate noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices which contain relatively large numbers of qubits, and by themselves are prone to environmental errors.

In their projects, the Q4Q team identifies three particular aspects of molecules and solid materials that could be better explored through the techniques they aim to develop. The first of these concerns the band structures of solids which describe the range of energy levels that electrons can occupy within a solid, as well as the energies they are forbidden from possessing.

Secondly, they aim to describe the vibrations and electronic properties of individual molecules each of which can heavily influence their physical properties. Finally, the researchers will explore how certain aspects of quantum annealing can be exploited to realize machine-learning algorithms which automatically improve through their experience of processing data.

As they apply these techniques, the Q4Q team predicts that their findings will lead to a better knowledge of the quantum properties of both molecules and solid materials. In particular, they hope to provide better descriptions of periodic solids, whose constituent atoms are arranged in reliably repeating patterns.

Previously, researchers struggled to reproduce the wavefunctions of interacting quantum particles within these materials, which relate to the probability of finding the particles in particular positions when observed by a user. Through their techniques, the Q4Q team aims to reduce the number of qubits required to capture these wavefunctions, leading to more realistic quantum simulations of the solid materials.

Elsewhere, the Q4Q team will account for the often deeply complex quantum properties of individual molecules made up of large groups of atoms. During chemical reactions, any changes taking place within these molecules will be strongly driven by quantum processes, which are still poorly understood. By developing plugins to existing quantum software, the team hopes to accurately recreate this quantum chemistry in simulated reactions.

If they are successful in reaching these goals, the results of their work could open up many new avenues of research within a diverse array of fields especially where the effects of quantum mechanics have not yet been widely considered. In particular, they will also contribute to identifying bottlenecks of current quantum processing units, which will aid the design of better quantum computers.

Perhaps most generally, the Q4Q team hopes that their techniques will enable researchers to better understand how matter responds to external perturbations, such as lasers and other light sources.

Elsewhere, widely accessible quantum software could become immensely useful in the design of new pharmaceutical drugs, as well as new fertilizers. By ascertaining how reactions between organic and biological molecules unfold within simulations, researchers could engineer molecular structures that are specifically tailored to treating certain medical conditions.

The ability to simulate these reactions could also lead to new advances in the field of biology as a whole, where processes involving large, deeply complex molecules including proteins and nucleic acids are critical to the function of every living organism.

Finally, a better knowledge of the vibrational and electronic properties of periodic solids could transform the field of materials physics. By precisely engineering structures to display certain physical properties on macroscopic scales, researchers could tailor new materials with a vast array of desirable characteristics: including durability, advanced interaction with light, and environmental sustainability.

If the impacts of the teams proposed research goals are as transformative as they hope, researchers in many different fields of the technological endeavor could soon be working with quantum technologies.

Such a clear shift away from traditional research practices could in turn create many new jobs with required skillsets including the use of cutting-edge quantum software and algorithms. Therefore, a key element of the teams activity is to develop new strategies for training future generations of researchers. Members of the Q4Q team believe that this will present some of the clearest routes yet towards the widespread application of quantum computing in our everyday lives.

This article was authored by the Q4Q team, consisting of lead investigator Rosa Di Felice, Anna Krylov, Marco Fornari, Marco Buongiorno Nardelli, Itay Hen and Amir Kalev, in Scientia. Learn more about the team, and find the original article here.

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The future of scientific research is quantum - TNW

Krysta Svore, general manager of Microsoft Quantum, explains how quantum computing hardware works during a Seattle science conference in 2020. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle)

Microsoft and KPMG are getting set to test Azure Quantums capabilities on the sorts of real-world problems that should give quantum computing an edge over traditional approaches.

Such problems have to do with optimizing systems and networks, such as where best to place cellular phone towers or how to allocate investments to match a clients priorities relating to risks vs. rewards.

Optimization problems are found in many industries and are often difficult to solve using traditional methods which can accelerate optimization, Krysta Svore, general manager of Microsoft Quantum, explained today in a blog post. Emulating these quantum effects on classical computers has led to the development of quantum-inspired optimization (QIO) algorithms that run on classical hardware.

Such algorithms reflect the quantum perspective, in which information doesnt necessarily take the form of rigid ones and zeroes but can instead reflect a range of values simultaneously during processing. The beauty of QIO algorithms is that they dont need to run on honest-to-goodness quantum processors, which are still in their infancy.

The Microsoft-KPMG partnership gives both companies a chance to tweak the algorithms and how theyre used to maximize Azure Quantums QIO capabilities.

The Azure Quantum platform allows us to explore numerous different solver approaches utilizing the same code, helping to minimize re-work and improve efficiency, said Bent Dalager, global head of KPMGs Quantum Hub. The shared goal for these initial projects is to build solution blueprints for common industry optimization problems using Azure Quantum, which we can then provide to more clients at scale.

This isnt the first time for Microsofts quantum computing team has experimented with real-world optimization challenges: A couple of years ago, researchers at Microsoft and Ford used QIO algorithms to analyze strategies for smoothing out the Seattle areas traffic snarls. Preliminary studies showed a decrease of more than 70% in congestion and an 8% reduction in average travel time.

Last year, Toyota Tsusho and a Japanese startup called Jij used Azure Quantum to optimize the timing of traffic signals. They found that QIO algorithms could reduce the waiting time for drivers stopped at red lights by about 20%, saving an average of about 5 seconds for each car. And California-based Trimble turned to Azure Quantum to identify the most efficient routes for fleets of vehicles, ensuring that fewer trucks run empty.

The Microsoft-KPMG project will start out focusing on benchmarking solutions for optimizing financial services portfolios and telecommunications operations.

Portfolio optimization has to do with balancing the mix of investments to minimize risk and maximize profit while staying within a given budget. As financial options get more complex, it becomes difficult to assess those options using a brute-force analytical approach but QIO algorithms are well-suited to take on the challenge.

Quantum-inspired optimization could also increase the efficiency of voice-over-LTE telecom networks, leading to a better user experience for customers. Down the line, the project could look into optimization strategies for cell tower placement, mobile handover between cell towers, and staff scheduling for call centers.

The teams plan to share results in the coming months, Svore said.

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Microsoft and KPMG will try out quantum algorithms on real-world problems - GeekWire

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

AI Training Is Outpacing Moores LawSamuel K. Moore | IEEE SpectrumThe increase in transistor density would account for a little more than doubling of performance between the early version of the MLPerf benchmarks and those from June 2021. But improvements to software as well as processor and computer architecture produced a 6.8-11-fold speedup for the best benchmark results.

Tiny Salt-Grain-Sized Camera Snaps Hi-Res Full-Color ImagesMichael Irving | New AtlasResearchers at Princeton and the the University of Washington have developed a tiny camera, the size of a grain of salt, which can snap sharp, full-color images. Its made with ametasurface that captures light, which could be scaled up to turn entire surfaces into sensors. The resulting images are far more crisp than other small sensors.

Grasping Robotic Drone Can Land on a Branch Like a Freakin BirdGeorge Dvorsky | GizmodoSNAGs feet and legs were modeled after those of peregrine falcons, but instead of wings, this robot achieves flight with a quadcopter drone. Made from lightweight materials, it can carry 10 times its own weight. The bots bones are made from 3D-printed plastic, while its muscles and tendons are built from motors and fishing line.

Microsoft Makes Breakthrough in Quest to Use DNA as Data StoragePhillip Tracy | GizmodoThe company announced in a new research paper the first nanoscale DNA storage writer, which the research group expects to scale for a DNA write density of 25 x 10^6 sequences per square centimeter, or three orders of magnitude (1,000x) more tightly than before. What makes this particularly significant is that its the first indication of achieving the minimum write speeds required for DNA storage.

Renewables Are Set to SoarJames Temple | MIT Technology ReviewNew renewable electricity capacity will set another record this year, at 290 gigawatts, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency. By 2026, global capacity from these carbon-free sources will rise more than 60% over last years levels, the intergovernmental research organization now projects. In addition, renewables will account for 95% of the overall capacity growth in the power sector over that period.

Quantum Simulators Create a Totally New Phase of MatterCharlie Wood | QuantaToday the Cambridge group unveiled their most significant discovery yet:the detection of an elusive state of matter known as a quantum spin liquid, which exists outside the century-old paradigm outlining the ways in which matter can organize. It confirms a nearly 50-year-old theory predicting the exotic state. It also marks a step toward the dream of building a truly useful universal quantum computer.

How Much Has Quantum Computing Actually Advanced?Dan Garisto | IEEE SpectrumLately, it seems as though the path to quantum computing has more milestones than there are miles. For a measured perspective on how much quantum computing is actually advancing as a field, we spoke withJohn Martinis, a professor of physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the former chief architect ofGoogles Sycamore.

The Movement to Hold AI Accountable Gains More SteamKhari Johnson | WiredNew Yorks City Council last month adopted a law requiring audits of algorithms used by employers in hiring or promotion. The law, the first of its kind in the nation, requires employers to bring in outsiders to assess whether an algorithm exhibits bias based on sex, race, or ethnicity. Employers also must tell job applicants who live in New York when artificial intelligence plays a role in deciding who gets hired or promoted.

Image Credit: Pierre Chtel-Innocenti / Unsplash

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This Week's Awesome Tech Stories From Around the Web (Through December 4) - Singularity Hub

This week, Amazons Web Services (AWS) kicked off its tenth re:Invent conference, an event where it typically announces the biggest changes in the cloud computing industrys dominant platform. This years news includes faster chips, more aggressive artificial intelligence, more developer-friendly tools, and even a bit of quantum computing for those who want to explore its ever-growing potential.

Amazon is working to lower costs by boosting the performance of its hardware. Their new generation of machines powered by the third generation of AMDs EPYC processors, the M6a, is touted as offering a 35% boost in price/performance over the previous generation of M5a machines built with the second generation of the EPYC chips. Theyll be available in sizes that range from two virtual CPUs with 8GB of RAM (m6a.large) up to 192 virtual CPUs and 768GB of RAM (m6a.48xlarge).

AWS also notes that the chips will boast always-on memory encryption and rely on faster custom circuitry for faster encryption and decryption. The feature is a nod to users who worry about sharing hardware in the cloud and, perhaps, exposing their data.

The company is also rolling out the second generation of its ARM-based Gravitron processors and marrying them with a fast GPU, the NVIDIA T4G Tensor Core. These new machines, known as the G5g, also promise to offer lower prices for better performance. AWS estimates that some game streaming loads, for instance, will be 30% cheaper on these new chips, a better price point that may encourage more game developers to move their computation to the cloud. The GPU on the chips could also be attractive to machine learning scientists training models, who will also value the better performance.

This price sensitivity is driving the development of tools that optimize hardware configuration and performance. A number of companies are marketing services that manage cloud instances and watch for over-provisioned machines. Amazon expanded its own Compute Optimizer tool to include more extensive metrics that can flag resources that arent being used efficiently. Theyre also extending the historical record to three months so that peaks that may appear at the end of months or quarters will be detectable.

In addition to addressing price-performance ratios, Amazon is looking to please developers by simplifying the process of building and running more complex websites. A number of the announcements focus on enhancing tools that automate many of the small tasks that take up developer resources.

For instance, the new version of EventBridge, the service used to knit together websites by passing messages connected to events, Amazon says, is directly wired to the S3 data storage layer so changes to the data or some of the metadata associated with it will automatically trigger events. The new version also offers more enhanced filtering, which is designed to make it simpler to spin up smarter code.

Developers who base their workloads on containers will find things a bit faster because AWS is building a pull-through cache for the public containers in the Elastic Container Registry. This will simplify and speed up the work of deploying code built on top of these public containers. Amazon also anticipates that it could improve security by providing a more trustworthy path for the code.

There is also a greater emphasis on helping developers find the best way to use AWS. Code reviews, for instance, can now rely upon AIs trained to spot security leaks triggered when developers inadvertently include passwords or other secrets in publicly accessible locations. This new part of the AWS tool CodeGuru will catch some of the most embarrassing security lapses that have bedeviled companies using AWS in the past. The tool works with AWSs own repository, CodeCommit, as well as other popular version-tracking locations like BitBucket or GitHub.

AWS is also opening up its model version of a modern AWS app, the so-called Well-Architected Framework. Now, development teams will be able to add their own custom requirements as lenses. This will make it simpler for development teams to extend the AWS model to conform to their internal best practices.

Finally, AWS is offering a chance to hit the fast-forward button and experiment with the next generation of technology. Their RoboRunner, first launched in 2018, lets users create simulations of robots working and exploring. Companies adding autonomy to their assembly lines and factories can test algorithms. At the conference, Amazon opened a new set of features that simulate not just single robots but fleets cooperating as they work together to finish a job. This new layer, called IoT RoboRunner, relies upon the TaskManager to organize the workflow that can be specified as Lambda functions.

For those with an eye toward the deepest part of the future where quantum computers may dominate, AWS is expanding and simplifying its cloud quantum offering called Braket. Users can write quantum algorithms and rent time on quantum processors without long-term commitment. This week, AWS announced that this Braket service can now run quantum algorithms as hybrid jobs. After the software is created using a local simulator, it can be handed off to AWS, which will allocate time on a quantum processor and store the results in an S3 bucket. For now, theres no integration with the cost-saving tools like Compute Optimizer, but if quantum computing grows more successful its certain to be announced at a future version of re:Invent.

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AWS re:Invent: Faster chips, smarter AI, and developer tools grab the spotlight - VentureBeat

SYDNEY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Q-CTRL, an emerging leader producing intuitive and scalable quantum control engineering solutions to accelerate the development of quantum technology, today announced a Series B fundraise of $25 million (USD) led by Airbus Ventures. The current capital raise will augment the teams quantum control efforts, enabling Q-CTRL to realize new data-as-a-service markets powered by quantum sensing for acceleration, gravity, and magnetic fields.

Airbus Ventures is joined by a range of existing syndicate members in leading the investment round, including new investor Ridgeline Partners.

Airbus Ventures is delighted to lead Q-CTRLs Series B financing round. The teams impressive quantum control software suite enables speed and agility at a moment of rapid acceleration for the entire quantum industry, said Dr. Lewis Pinault, Airbus Ventures Partner based in Tokyo. At Airbus Ventures, were particularly excited about Q-CTRLs widening span of advanced applications and solutions, including lunar development, geospatial intelligence, and Earth observation, all increasingly critical in the global effort to address the accelerating planetary system crises we now face.

This opportunistic investment follows Q-CTRLs oversubscribed Series A in July 2019 and is focused on the companys dramatic addition of quantum sensing to its successful quantum computing business unit, and expansion of its core quantum control infrastructure software efforts.

The company is currently developing space-qualified quantum sensors via the Moon-to-Mars supply chain capability program and through the Seven Sisters Consortium led by Fleet Space. Its quantum sensing client portfolio already includes major commercial and government engagements with Advanced Navigation, the Australian Department of Defence, the Air Force Research Lab, and the Australian Space Agency.

Quantum sensing uses the fragility of quantum hardware as an asset to enable new ways to measure underground water, monitor space weather, and navigate without a global positioning system, said Prof. Michael J. Biercuk, founder and CEO of Q-CTRL. However, like quantum computing, interference from the outside world degrades system performance when quantum sensors are taken from the lab out into the field.

Combatting this degradation using quantum control is Q-CTRLs specialty, and the team is now pioneering the development of software-defined quantum sensors, leveraging our expertise to boost sensor performance in real field environments by orders of magnitude.

Q-CTRLs vision has always been to enable all applications of quantum technology, and this new fundraise accelerates our mission to deliver real value to the space, defense, and commercial sectors, said Biercuk.

This financing announcement comes on the heels of major technical and product achievements recently announced by Q-CTRL. This includes technical demonstrations using core Q-CTRL technology to improve the performance of quantum algorithms executed on real quantum computers by greater than 2500% - results that dramatically exceeded projections made at their Series A.

In addition, recognizing the critical need to attract new entrants to the field, Q-CTRL recently launched Black Opal, the first interactive quantum technology education program.

To learn more about Q-CTRL, please visit: q-ctrl.com

About Q-CTRLQ-CTRL is building the quantum technology industry by overcoming the fundamental challenge in the field hardware error and instability. Q-CTRLs quantum control infrastructure software for R&D professionals and quantum computing end users delivers the highest performance error-suppressing techniques globally, and provides a unique capability accelerating the pathway to the first useful quantum computers. This foundational capability also applies to a new generation of quantum sensors, and enables Q-CTRL to shape and underpin every application of quantum technology.

Q-CTRL has assembled the worlds foremost team of expert quantum-control engineers, providing solutions to many of the most advanced quantum computing and sensing teams globally. Q-CTRL has been an inaugural member of the IBM Quantum Startup network since 2018, and recently announced a partnership with Transport for NSW, delivering its enterprise infrastructure software to transport data scientists exploring quantum computing. Q-CTRL is funded by SquarePeg Capital, Sierra Ventures, Sequoia Capital China, Data Collective, Horizons Ventures, Main Sequence Ventures, In-Q-Tel, Airbus Ventures, and Ridgeline Partners. The company has international headquarters in Sydney, Los Angeles, and Berlin.

About Airbus VenturesHeadquartered in Silicon Valley, with offices in Toulouse and Tokyo, Airbus Ventures is a fast-moving, early-stage venture capital company that independently funds and supports startups impacting the aerospace industry. Airbus Ventures has helped aspiring innovators reach new dimensions of achievement since 2015.

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Q-CTRL Announces $25 Million (USD) Series B Financing Round Led by Airbus Ventures - Business Wire

Lets explore some of the top five disruptive technologies that are transforming the tech-driven future.

The world is shifting towards a new industrial revolution known as Industry 4.0 with the constant urge to innovate products and services with advanced technologies. This tremendous leap has helped to gain revenue and drive a countrys economy per year despite experiencing unprecedented times. Now, the community can have unlimited in-depth knowledge to have the motivation to build something useful for all kinds of industries. Disruptive technologies are transforming the tech-driven future with smart functionalities and have started impacting different aspects of our lives. Multiple industries are reaping the benefits of these disruptive technologies to boost performance, revenue, and customer engagement. Technology is popular for shaping the future by keeping up with the market trends and customer taste and preference. Organizations are busy with adopting and leveraging automation and smart applications to mark a new territory of innovations in the tech-driven future. Government authorities have started investing millions of dollars in the research and development labs and start-ups to have the urge to create something new every day for the welfare of society. The huge explosion in online mode and virtual assistants is providing a widespread implementation of innovative tech products across the world. Lets explore some of the top five disruptive technologies that are transforming the tech-driven future.

Artificial intelligence is one of the top five disruptive technologies as well as the fastest-growing fields in the tech domain. AI models are thriving in the current situation and hold immense potential to show its growth in the tech-driven future. It is gaining popularity owing to its versatility and advanced solutions. Scientists and researchers are leveraging AI into science and research, cybersecurity, data analysis, and other industries across the world. The automation helps in boosting performance without any potential human error and driving higher revenue in the tech-driven future. Digital transformation is possible only because of artificial intelligence. The global AI market size is expected to hit US$360.36 billion in 2028 with a CAGR of 33.6%.

Robots are now a major part of all kinds of industries across the world. The implementation of robotics and artificial intelligence has created industry-sized robots, military robots, mobile robots, micro robots, and many more. The global robotics market is estimated to reach US$189.36 billion in 2027 with a CAGR of 13.5%. It is still a myth that this disruptive technology will take over human jobs in the tech-driven future. The mission of robotics is to create a hybrid environment in different industries to boost efficiency as well as meet customer satisfaction. The robotics industry keeps innovating new kinds and sizes of robots for different purposes with hi-tech sensors and human-like in cognitive ability.

IoT or Internet of Things has immense potential and a plethora of opportunities to transform the tech-driven future with an integration of 5G wireless network or 6G and so on. The constant innovation of smart devices for industrial purposes as well as household chores has helped IoT to gain popularity. Companies are focused on creating more advanced bionic or AI chips to communicate data over an internet connection across the world. There is estimation that there will be around 21 billion IoT devices in the tech-driven future and the global IoT market size will reach US$1,386 billion in 2026 with a CAGR of 10.53%.

Cloud computing is set to transform the tech-driven future with different types of clouds such as public, private, multi, and hybrid. Organizations are quickly adopting cloud computing to start the practice of utilizing remote server or a network of remote servers for effective data management. It is one of the significant tools of information technology (IT) and the world is waiting for future advancements to transform the future. The global cloud computing market size is projected to hit US$1,251.09 billion in 2028 with a CAGR of 19.1%. Cloud computing is one of the disruptive technologies that has the potential to gain huge popularity in the future despite different kinds of cyberattacks.

Quantum computing is making major breakthroughs in scientific fields with quantum mechanics and binary numbers. Quantum computers are helping to solve complex mathematical problems and exploring the undiscovered materials in the world. Quantum computing is gaining importance for the rise in more complicated problems as well as solving non-linear problems efficiently and effectively. Multiple companies have identified the focus area and have started commercializing quantum computers and other parts such as quantum circuits, quantum cloud, quantum cognition, and many more. The quantum computing market size is set to reach US$1,765 million by 2026 at a CA

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Atom Computing

Atom Computing describes itself as a company obsessed with building the worlds most scalable quantum computers out of optically trapped neutral atoms. The companyrecently revealed it had spent the past two years secretly building a quantum computer using Strontium atoms as its units of computation.

Headquartered in Berkeley, California, Benjamin Bloom and Jonathan King founded the company in 2018 with $5M in seed funds. Bloom received his PhD in physics from the University of Colorado, while King received a PhD in chemical engineering from California Berkeley.

Atom Computing received $15M in Series A funding from investorsVenrock, Innovation Endeavors, and Prelude Ventures earlier this year. The company also received three grants from the National Science Foundation.

Atom Staff

Rob Hays, a former Intel, and Lenovo executive was recently named CEO of the company. Atom Computingsstaff of quantum physicists and design engineers fully complements quantum-related disciplines and applications.This month Atom Computing signaled its continued momentum by adding twoquantum veterans to key positions within the company:

Qubit technologies

While traditional computers use magnetic bits to represent a one or a zero for computation, quantum computers usequantum bits or qubits to represent a one or a zero or simultaneously any number in between.

Todays quantum computers use several different technologies for qubits. But regardless of the technology, a common requirement for all quantum computing qubits is that it must be scalable, high quality, and capable of fast quantum interaction with each other.

IBM uses superconducting qubits on its huge fleet of about twenty quantum computers. Although Amazon doesnt yet have a quantum computer, it plans to build one using superconducting hardware. Honeywell and IonQ both use trapped-ion qubits made from a rare earth metal called ytterbium. In contrast, Psi Quantum and Xanadu use photons of light.

Atom computing chose to use different technology -nuclear-spin qubits made from neutral atoms.Phoenix, the name of Atoms first-generation, gate-based quantum computer platform, uses 100 optically trapped qubits.

Atom Computings quantum platform

First-Generation Quantum Computer, Phoenix, Berkeley,

The Phoenix platform uses a specific type of nuclear-spin qubits created from an isotope of Strontium, a naturally occurring element. Strontium is a neutral atom. At the atomic level, neutral atoms have equal numbers of protons and electrons. However, isotopes of Strontium have varying numbers of neutrons. These differences in neutrons produce different energy levels in the atom. Atom Computing uses the isotope Strontium-87 and takes advantage of its unique energy levels to create spin qubits.

Qubits need to remain in a quantum state long enough to complete computations. The length of time that a qubit can retain its quantum state is its coherence time. Since Atom Computings neutral atom qubits are natural rather than manufactured, no adjustments are needed to compensate for differences between qubits. That contributes to its stability and relatively long coherence time in a range greater than 40 seconds compared to a millisecond for superconducting or a few seconds for ion-trapping systems. Moreover, a neutral atom has little affinity for other atoms, making the qubits less susceptible to noise.

Neutral atom qubits offer many advantages that make them suitable for quantum computing. Here are just a few:

How neutral atom quantum processors work

Atom Computing

The Phoenix quantum platform uses lasers as proxies for high-precision, wireless control of the Strontium-87 qubits. Atoms are trapped in a vacuum chamber using optical tweezers controlledby lasers at very specific wavelengths, creatingan array of highly stable qubits captured in free space.

First, a beam of hot strontium moves the atoms into the vacuum chamber. Next, multiple lasers bombard each atom with photons to slow their momentum to a near motionless state, causing its temperature to fall to near absolute zero. This process is called laser cooling and it eliminates the requirement for cryogenics and makes it easier to scale qubits.

Then, optical tweezers are formed in a glass vacuum chamber, where qubits are assembled and optically trapped in an array. One advantage of neutral atoms is that the processors array is not limited to any specific shape, and it can be either 2D or 3D. Additional lasers create a quantum interaction between the atoms (called entanglement) in preparation for the actual computation. After initial quantum states are set and circuits are established, then the computation is performed.

The heart of Phoenix, showing where the Atom Computings qubits entangle. (First-Generation Quantum ... [+] Computer, Phoenix - Berkeley, California)

Going forward

Atom Computing is working with several technology partners. It is also running tests with a small number of undisclosed customers. The Series A funding has allowed it to expand its research and begin working on the second generation of its quantum platform. Its a good sign that Rob Hays, CEO, believes Atom Computing will begin generating revenue in mid-2023.

Atom Computing is a young and aggressive company with promising technology. I spoke with Denise Ruffner shortly after she joined Atom. Her remarks seem to reflect the optimism of the entire company:

"I am joining the dream team - a dynamic CEO with experience in computer development and sales, including an incredible Chief Product Officer, as well as a great scientific team. I am amazed at how many corporations have already reached out to us to try our hardware. This is a team to bet on."

Analyst notes

Note: Moor Insights & Strategy writers and editors may have contributed to this article.

Moor Insights & Strategy, like all research and tech industry analyst firms, provides or has provided paid services to technology companies. These services include research, analysis, advising, consulting, benchmarking, acquisition matchmaking, or speaking sponsorships. The company has had or currently has paid business relationships with 88,A10 Networks,Advanced Micro Devices, Amazon,Ambient Scientific,AnutaNetworks,Applied Micro,Apstra,Arm, Aruba Networks (now HPE), AT&T, AWS, A-10 Strategies,Bitfusion, Blaize, Box, Broadcom, Calix, Cisco Systems, Clear Software, Cloudera,Clumio, Cognitive Systems, CompuCom,CyberArk,Dell, Dell EMC, Dell Technologies, Diablo Technologies,Dialogue Group,Digital Optics,DreamiumLabs, Echelon, Ericsson, Extreme Networks, Flex, Foxconn, Frame (now VMware), Fujitsu, Gen Z Consortium, Glue Networks, GlobalFoundries, Revolve (now Google), Google Cloud,Graphcore,Groq,Hiregenics,HP Inc., Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Honeywell, Huawei Technologies, IBM,IonVR,Inseego, Infosys,Infiot,Intel, Interdigital, Jabil Circuit, Konica Minolta, Lattice Semiconductor, Lenovo,Linux Foundation,Luminar,MapBox, Marvell Technology,Mavenir, Marseille Inc, Mayfair Equity, Meraki (Cisco),Mesophere, Microsoft, Mojo Networks, National Instruments, NetApp, Nightwatch, NOKIA (Alcatel-Lucent), Nortek,Novumind, NVIDIA,Nutanix,Nuvia (now Qualcomm), ON Semiconductor, ONUG, OpenStack Foundation, Oracle, Panasas,Peraso, Pexip, Pixelworks, Plume Design, Poly (formerly Plantronics),Portworx, Pure Storage, Qualcomm, Rackspace, Rambus,RayvoltE-Bikes, Red Hat,Residio, Samsung Electronics, SAP, SAS, Scale Computing, Schneider Electric, Silver Peak (now Aruba-HPE), SONY Optical Storage,Springpath(now Cisco), Spirent, Splunk, Sprint (now T-Mobile), Stratus Technologies, Symantec, Synaptics, Syniverse, Synopsys, Tanium, TE Connectivity,TensTorrent,TobiiTechnology, T-Mobile, Twitter, Unity Technologies, UiPath, Verizon Communications,Vidyo, VMware, Wave Computing,Wellsmith, Xilinx,Zayo,Zebra,Zededa, Zoho, andZscaler.Moor Insights & Strategy founder, CEO, and Chief Analyst Patrick Moorhead is a personal investor in technology companiesdMYTechnology Group Inc. VI andDreamiumLabs.

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Atom Computing: A Quantum Computing Startup That Believes It Can Ultimately Win The Qubit Race - Forbes

Oakland News Now

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CNBCs Eamon Javers reports on the U.S. drive to lead the race for quantum computing. Javers speaks with IonQ president and CEO, Peter Chapman, and

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Note from Zennie62Media and OaklandNewsNow.com : this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call The Third Wave of Media. The uploaded video is from a YouTube channel. When the YouTube video channel for CNBC News uploads a video it is automatically uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective here, on top of our is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours is the use of the existing YouTube social graph on any subject in the World. Now, news is reported with a smartphone and also by promoting current content on YouTube: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary, or having a camera crew to shoot what is already on YouTube. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.

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