Daily Archives: July 18, 2021

Quantum Computing Is Coming. What Can It Do? – Harvard Business Review

Posted: July 18, 2021 at 5:34 pm

Digital computing has limitations in regards to an important category of calculation called combinatorics, in which the order of data is important to the optimal solution. These complex, iterative calculations can take even the fastest computers a long time to process. Computers and software that are predicated on the assumptions of quantum mechanics have the potential to perform combinatorics and other calculations much faster, and as a result many firms are already exploring the technology, whose known and probable applications already include cybersecurity, bio-engineering, AI, finance, and complex manufacturing.

Quantum technology is approaching the mainstream. Goldman Sachs recently announced that they could introduce quantum algorithms to price financial instruments in as soon as five years. Honeywell anticipates that quantum will form a $1 trillion industry in the decades ahead. But why are firms like Goldman taking this leap especially with commercial quantum computers being possibly years away?

To understand whats going on, its useful to take a step back and examine what exactly it is that computers do.

Lets start with todays digital technology. At its core, the digital computer is an arithmetic machine. It made performing mathematical calculations cheap and its impact on society has been immense. Advances in both hardware and software have made possible the application of all sorts of computing to products and services. Todays cars, dishwashers, and boilers all have some kind of computer embedded in them and thats before we even get to smartphones and the internet. Without computers we would never have reached the moon or put satellites in orbit.

These computers use binary signals (the famous 1s and 0s of code) which are measured in bits or bytes. The more complicated the code, the more processing power required and the longer the processing takes. What this means is that for all their advances from self-driving cars to beating grandmasters at Chess and Go there remain tasks that traditional computing devices struggle with, even when the task is dispersed across millions of machines.

A particular problem they struggle with is a category of calculation called combinatorics. These calculations involve finding an arrangement of items that optimizes some goal. As the number of items grows, the number of possible arrangements grows exponentially. To find the best arrangement, todays digital computers basically have to iterate through each permutation to find an outcome and then identify which does best at achieving the goal. In many cases this can require an enormous number of calculations (think about breaking passwords, for example). The challenge of combinatorics calculations, as well see in a minute, applies in many important fields, from finance to pharmaceuticals. It is also a critical bottleneck in the evolution of AI.

And this is where quantum computers come in. Just as classical computers reduced the cost of arithmetic, quantum presents a similar cost reduction to calculating daunting combinatoric problems.

Quantum computers (and quantum software) are based on a completely different model of how the world works. In classical physics, an object exists in a well-defined state. In the world of quantum mechanics, objects only occur in a well-defined state after we observe them. Prior to our observation, two objects states and how they are related are matters of probability.From a computing perspective, this means that data is recorded and stored in a different way through non-binary qubits of information rather than binary bits, reflecting the multiplicity of states in the quantum world. This multiplicity can enable faster and lower cost calculation for combinatoric arithmetic.

If that sounds mind-bending, its because it is. Even particle physicists struggle to get their minds around quantum mechanics and the many extraordinary properties of the subatomic world it describes, and this is not the place to attempt a full explanation. But what we can say is quantum mechanics does a better job of explaining many aspects of the natural world that classical physics does, and it accommodates nearly all of the theories that classical physics has produced.

Quantum translates, in the world of commercial computing, to machines and software that can, in principle, do many of the things that classical digital computers can and in addition do one big thing classical computers cant: perform combinatorics calculations quickly. As we describe in our paper, Commercial Applications of Quantum Computing, thats going to be a big deal in some important domains. In some cases, the importance of combinatorics is already known to be central to the domain.

As more people turn their attention to the potential of quantum computing, applications beyond quantum simulation and encryption are emerging:

The opportunity for quantum computing to solve large scale combinatorics problems faster and cheaper has encouraged billions of dollars of investment in recent years. The biggest opportunity may be in finding more new applications that benefit from the solutions offered through quantum. As professor and entrepreneur Alan Aspuru-Guzik said, there is a role for imagination, intuition, and adventure. Maybe its not about how many qubits we have; maybe its about how many hackers we have.

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Quantum Computing Is Coming. What Can It Do? - Harvard Business Review

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Quantum Computing Inc. to list on Nasdaq, expand Qatalyst visibility – ZDNet

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Quantum Computing Inc. (QCI) will list on the Nasdaq on Thursday in a graduation from the over-the-counter market.

The move will give QCI more visibility for its flagship Qatalyst platform, which aims to deliver quantum computing without complex programming and code and quantum experts.

QCI's listing comes as the quantum computing space is heating up. IonQ will soon be public via a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) deal. In addition, Honeywell is merging with Cambridge Quantum. QCI is pre-revenue, but is availability on Amazon Web Services and its Braket quantum marketplace.

According to QCI, Qatalyst gives enterprises the ability to use quantum computing to solve supply chain, logistics, drug discovery, cybersecurity and transportation issues. QCI will trade under the QUBT ticker, which was used for its over-the-counter listing.

Here are some key points about Qatalyst:

The components of Qatalyst include APIs, services, portals and access to compute resources.

Qatalyst components

Robert Liscouski, CEO of QCI, said in a recent shareholder letter:

Much of the market continues to focus on pure quantum for quantum's sake. However, the simple reality is that delivering business value with quantum in the near term will not come from quantum alone. It can only be derived from the sophisticated combination of classical and quantum computing techniques that is enabled today with Qatalyst.

In June, QCI said it entered a 3-year agreement with Los Alamos National Labratory to run exascale and petascale simulations.

Liscouski said the Nasdaq listing will bring more liquidity, shareholders and visibility to the company. As of Dec. 31, QCI had $15.2 million in cash, a net loss of $24.73 million and no revenue.

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Startup hopes the world is ready to buy quantum processors – Ars Technica

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Early in its history, computing was dominated by time-sharing systems. These systems were powerful machines (for their time, at least) that multiple users connected to in order to perform computing tasks. To an extent, quantum computing has repeated this history, with companies like Honeywell, IBM, and Rigetti making their machines available to users via cloud services. Companies pay based on the amount of time they spend executing algorithms on the hardware.

For the most part, time-sharing works out well, saving companies the expenses involved in maintaining the machine and its associated hardware, which often includes a system that chills the processor down to nearly absolute zero. But there are several customerscompanies developing support hardware, academic researchers, etc.for whom access to the actual hardware could be essential.

The fact that companies aren't shipping out processors suggests that the market isn't big enough to make production worthwhile. But a startup from the Netherlands is betting that the size of the market is about to change. On Monday, a company called QuantWare announced that it will start selling quantum processors based on transmons, superconducting loops of wire that form the basis of similar machines used by Google, IBM, and Rigetti.

Transmon-based qubits are popular because they're compatible with the standard fabrication techniques used for more traditional processors; they can also be controlled using microwave-frequency signals. Their big downside is that they operate only at temperatures that require liquid helium and specialized refrigeration hardware. These requirements complicate the hardware needed to exchange signals between the very cold processor and the room-temperature hardware that controls it.

Startup companies like D-Wave and Rigetti have set up their own fabrication facilities, but MatthijsRijlaarsdam, one of QuantWare's founders, told Ars that his company is taking advantage of an association with TU Delft, the host of the Kavli Nanolab. This partnership lets QuantWare do the fabrication without investing in its own facility. Rijlaarsdam said the situation shouldn't be a limiting factor, since he expects that the total market likely won't exceed tens of thousands of processors over the entirety of the next decade. Production volumes don't have to scale dramatically.

The initial processor the company will be shipping contains only five transmon qubits. Although this is well below anything on offer via one of the cloud services, Rijlaarsdam told Ars that the fidelities of each qubit will be 99.9 percent, which should keep the error rate manageable. He argued that, for now, a low qubit count should be sufficient based on the types of customers QuantWare expects to attract.

These customers include universities interested in studying new ways of using the processor and companies that might be interested in developing support hardware needed to turn a chip full of transmons into a functional system. Intel, for example, has been developing transmon hardware control chips that can tolerate the low temperatures required (although the semiconductor giant can also easily make its own transmons as needed).

That last aspectdeveloping a chip around which others could build a platformfeatures heavily in the press release that QuantWare shared with Ars. The announcement makes frequent mention of the Intel 4004, an early general-purpose microprocessor that found a home in a variety of computers.

Rijlaarsdam told Ars that he expects the company to increase its qubit count by two- to four-fold each year for the next few years. That's good progress, but it will still leave the company well behind the roadmap of competitors like IBM for the foreseeable future.

Rijlaarsdam also suggested that quantum computing will reach what he called "an inflection point" before 2025. Once this point is reached, quantum computers will regularly provide answers to problems that can't be practically calculated using classical hardware. Once that point is reached, "the market will be a multibillion-dollar market," Rijlaarsdam told Ars. "It will also grow rapidly, as the availability of large quantum computers will accelerateapplication development."

But if that point is reached before 2025, it will arrive at a time when QuantWare's qubit count is suited for the current market, which he accurately described as "an R&D market." QuantWare's solution to the awkward timing will be to develop quantum processors specialized for specific algorithms, which can presumably be done using fewer qubits. But those won't be aren't available for the company's launch.

Obviously, it's debatable whether there's a large market of companies anxiously awaiting the opportunity to install liquid helium dilution refrigerators in their office/lab/garage. But the reality is that there is almost certainly some market for an off-the-shelf quantum processorat least partly composed of other quantum computing startups.

That's not quite equivalent to the situation that greeted the Intel 4004. But it may be significant in that we seem to be getting close to the point where some of Ars' quantum-computing coverage will need to move out of the science section and over to IT, marking a clear shift in how the field is developing.

Listing image by QuantWare

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Startup hopes the world is ready to buy quantum processors - Ars Technica

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The Future of Data Encryption: What You Need to Know Now – FedTech Magazine

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Making Encryption Harder, Better, Faster and Stronger

In response, the industry is advancing encryption on several fronts. Some efforts are focused on increasing key sizes to protect against brute-force decryption. Other efforts are looking at new cryptographic algorithms. For example, the National Institute of Standards and Technology isevaluating a next-generation public key algorithm intended to be quantum safe.

The trouble is that most quantum-safe algorithms arent efficient in classical computer architectures. To address this problem, the industry is focused on developing accelerators to speed up algorithms on x86 platforms.

A third area of research ishomomorphic encryption, an amazing concept that allows users to perform calculations on encrypted data without first decrypting it. So, an analyst who needs to can query a database containing classified information without having to ask an analyst with higher clearance to access the data or request that the data be declassified.

A big advantage of homomorphic encryption is that it protects data in all its states at rest (stored on a hard drive), in motion (transmitted across a network) or in use (while in computer memory). Another boon is that its quantum safe, because its based on some of the same math as quantum computing.

A downside is that homomorphic encryption performs very poorly on traditional computers, because its not designed to work with them. The industry is collaborating to develop x86-style instructions to make these new cryptosystems operate at cloud speeds. Practical applications are still a few years away, but were confident well get there.

EXPLORE:How can agencies combat encrypted attacks on government traffic?

In the interim, a new encryption capability has emerged that organizations can take advantage of right now:confidential computing. Confidential computing safeguards data while its being acted upon in computer memory; for example, while a user is conducting analytics on a database.

Confidential computing works by having the CPU reserve a section of memory as a secure enclave, encrypting the memory in the enclave with a key unique to the CPU. Data and application code placed in the enclave can be decrypted only within that enclave, on that CPU. Even if attackers gained root access to the system, they wouldnt be able to read the data.

With the latest generation of computer processors, a two-CPU server can create a 1 terabyte enclave. That enables organizations to place an entire database or transaction server inside the enclave.

The functionality is now being extended with the ability to encrypt all of a computers memory with minimal impact on performance. Total memory encryption uses a platform-specific encryption key thats randomly derived each time the system is booted up. When the computer is turned off, the key goes away. So even if cybercriminals stole the CPU, they wouldnt be able to access the memory.

Confidential computing transforms the way organizations approach security in the cloud, because they no longer have to implicitly trust the cloud provider. Instead, they can protect their data while its in use, even though its being hosted by a third party.

One major cloud provider already offers a confidential computing service to the federal government, and more will surely follow. Agencies can now build enclave-based applications to protect data in use in a dedicated cloud that meets government security and compliance requirements.

The need for strong data encryption wont go away, and the encryption challenges will only increase as quantum computing emerges over the next several years. In the meantime, innovative new encryption capabilities are delivering tighter cybersecurity to agencies today, and the industry is investing in the next generation of cryptosystems to protect government information for the next 25 years.

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Quantware Launches the World’s First Commercially Available Superconducting Quantum Processors, Accelerating the Advent of the Quantum Computer. -…

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Delft, Netherlands -- July 15, 2021 -- Today Dutch startup QuantWare has launched the worlds first commercially available superconducting processor for quantum computers (QPU). This is the first time superconducting quantum processors have been available off the shelf, a development with the potential to significantly accelerate the quantum computing revolution.

Quantum technology promises to significantly expand the amount of data computers are able to process, which could have huge implications for fields such as A.I., medicine, business intelligence, and cybersecurity. But the quantum industry is still young and scaling is difficult. Companies building parts for quantum computers need qubits, the microscopic objects that make quantum computing possible, but it is often cost prohibitive for them to produce them themselves. QuantWares superconducting QPUs eliminate that barrier and may be instrumental in accelerating the development of the quantum computer market.

Superconducting is the leading and most mature approach to quantum processors - Google achieved quantum supremacy in 2019 using superconducting QPUs. While other QPUs are already available off the shelf, this is the first time a superconducting QPU has been easily available in productised form, leveling the playing field for quantum experimentation.

QuantWares proprietary product, Soprano, is a 5-qubit QPU. In an article published by Ars Technica, QuantWare shared that the fidelities of each qubit will be 99.9 percent, which should keep the error rate manageable. 5 qubits is sufficient for the immediate customer base QuantWare expects to attract, namely research institutions and university labs.

The race towards useful Quantum Computation is heating up, but still reserved to a small group of companies. By making QPUs more available, we will speed up the development of practical quantum-driven solutions to the worlds biggest problems. said QuantWare co-founder Dr. Alessandro Bruno.

Another way to achieve Quantum Advantage is by designing a chip specifically for a particular application. The startup wants to exploit this by making co-designed QPUs together with software companies to allow them to develop processors specialized in their algorithms.

QuantWare was founded in 2020 by quantum engineer Dr. Alessandro Bruno and Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) graduate MSc Matthijs Rijlaarsdam. They met while doing research at QuTech, a quantum technology research institute at TU Delft in the Netherlands. The company recently closed their pre-seed funding round, meaning the company has now raised 1.15M. They plan to quickly expand their team and upgrade their processors towards higher qubit numbers. One of their growth goals for the rest of the year is to expand fabrication capabilities and partnerships - QuantWare hopes to become a collaborative bridge between quantum companies worldwide. The company is already looking for new operational facilities, as they expect to outgrow their current building within months. QuantWares first two products, Crescendo and Soprano, are now available for pre-order.

Investors

About QuantWare

QuantWare builds super-conducting quantum processors and related hardware. The processors lie at the heart of quantum computers and are crucial for conducting research in this field. By providing processors, QuantWare is making quantum research accessible to researchers and startups. The company also develops technology that will increase the computational power of processors beyond current restrictions. QuantWares innovations are creating a new standard for quantum processors.

About UNIIQ

UNIIQ is a 22 million investment fund focused on the proof-of-concept phase, which helps entrepreneurs in West Holland bring their unique innovation to market faster. UNIIQ offers entrepreneurs the seed capital to achieve their plans and bridge the riskiest phase from concept to promising business. A consortium, including Erasmus MC, TU Delft, Leiden University and the regional development agency InnovationQuarter, created the fund. In 2021, Erasmus University Rotterdam also joined the fund. UNIIQ is made possible by the European Union, the Province of South Holland and the municipalities of Rotterdam, The Hague and Leiden. InnovationQuarter is responsible for the fund management.

About FORWARD.one

FORWARD.one is a VC fund focussed on investing in high-tech start-ups and scale-ups. With a team of financial professionals and technology entrepreneurs, FORWARD.one actively supports its portfolio companies to achieve their goals and ambitions. After successfully deploying the first fund in 11 promising start-ups, FORWARD.one has recently launched its second fund with a size of 100m. With this fund FORWARD.one will continue to invest in ambitious high-tech entrepreneurs and their companies.https://www.forward.one/

About Rabobank Startup & Scale-up Team

Start-ups and scale-ups are the innovators of the economy, contributing significantly to solving societal challenges, and are the main engine for economic growth and employment in the Netherlands. This target group therefore represents great commercial and strategic value for Rabobank. The Startup & Scale-up Team helps entrepreneurs who share this mission to grow sustainably by opening up their (international) network, by providing knowledge and funding.

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Quantware Launches the World's First Commercially Available Superconducting Quantum Processors, Accelerating the Advent of the Quantum Computer. -...

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Covid isolation hits auto, Tom Tom’s Virtual Horizon, BMW/Amazon quantum computing – the week – just-auto.com

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Nissans Sunderland plant was affected as workers were pinged by the over zealous NHS app

UK COVID-19 test and trace app isolation warnings are on the verge of shutting factories across Britain, labour body, Unite told Just Auto this week.Reports were flooding in across the UK of multiple industries particularly manufacturing seeing significant numbers of staff having to isolate at home following the National Health Service app telling them they had been in contact with a COVID-19-hit person.The issue seemed to have hit the automotive sector especially hard, according to the union, and yesterday (15 July), media speculation was focusing on up to 900 Nissan staff having to stay at home after being pinged by the health app. We also heard of a similar effect at BMWs Rolls-Royce. Production in certain areas of the plant has been adjusted as we manage a number of staff being required to self-isolate following close contact with COVID-19, Nissan said in a statement. Unite reckoned some sites were struggling to operate due to hundreds of staff being off at once with one major engine supplier telling the union delays to orders were so severe, work might be permanently moved to China. English authorities say those who have received double vaccinations wont need to self-isolate after 16 August but major pressure is now being brought to bear on the government to bring that date forward.

TomTom has launched Virtual Horizon, which it said was the only map-based all-in-one ADAS software from a single company that helps passenger and commercial vehicles anticipate the road ahead.The software for automakers provides a connection between digital maps and ADAS functionality, allowing vehicles to see beyond the range of their sensors.The supplier maintains the new product is designed to democratise ADAS by supporting vehicles without embedded navigation, as well as the most technologically advanced automated vehicles.The software translates map data into actionable information for drivers and vehicles.For example, if there is a sharp bend in the road or a change in the speed limit ahead, it will warn drivers in non-automated vehicles to prepare to take action, while the software in automated vehicles will enable more informed and intelligent decision making without the involvement of the driver.

BMW and Amazon have combined to set a challenge for researchers, startups and pioneering companies from the global quantum computing community aimed at solutions for specific industrial challenges. The BMW Group Quantum Computing Challenge will be run in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS).The challenge encourages entrants to come up with innovative quantum algorithms and test their solutions on real quantum computing technologies. Quantum computing holds potential to address challenging problems in the automotive sector in complex optimisation, materials research, and in the form of quantum machine learning automated driving.

Toyota and CaetanoBus, the Portuguese bus manufacturing company, announced co-branding of the e.City Gold battery electric city bus and the H2.City Gold fuel cell electric bus.Since 2019, TME, has integrated Toyotas fuel cell technology into the hydrogen city buses manufactured by CaetanoBus, supplying fuel cell stacks, hydrogen tanks and other key components. More recently, in December 2020, Toyota Caetano Portugal (TCAP) became the direct shareholder of CaetanoBus, to support rapid expansion from its core business to the development and sales of zero-emission buses.

Uwe Hochgeschurtz, currently CEO, Renault Germany, Austria and Switzerland, was this week named Opel brand CEO from 1 September, 2021, at a time when the unique German brand of Stellantis is expanding its commercial activities, including in China, and entering the electrification era. The new chief will replace Michael Lohscheller who has decided to pursue a new challenge outside Stellantis. Hochgeschurtz will report directly to Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares. He started his auto industry career in 1990 at Ford before joining VW in 2001 and Renault in 2004.

Foxconn has said it was talking with state officials about building electric vehicles in Wisconsin, part of the major Apple suppliers move to diversify income streams. Foxconn and Fisker said in May they had finalised a vehicle assembly deal. They did not identify a location, but Fiskers CEO said Foxconns Wisconsin site was a possibility. Last April, Foxconn drastically scaled back a planned $10bn factory in Wisconsin, confirming its retreat from a project that former US president Donald Trump once called the eighth wonder of the world and was supposed to build cutting-edge flat-panel display screens.A month earlier, Foxconns chairman said it might make electric vehicles (EVs) at the Wisconsin site, though could decide on Mexico, and would make a decision this year.

Chinas new vehicle market declined by a further 12.4% to 2.015m units in June 2021 from 2.3m in the same month of last year, according to passenger car and commercial vehicle wholesale data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).This was the second consecutive monthly decline for the market which local analysts blamed on continued shortages of semiconductors affecting output among some of the countrys key automakers.Overall vehicle production fell by 16.5% year-on-year last month, according to the association. Underlying demand for vehicles in the country remained strong with the market having already recovered to pre-pandemic levels driven by strong pent-up demand and low interest rates.

Knorr-Bremse said it had stopped pursuing a potential acquisition of a majority stake in Hella.Following what the supplier described as careful analysis, the executive board determined the possible transfer of key technologies and products to its own product portfolio would not result in the realisation of expected synergies.Knorr-Bremse maintained the primary focus remained organic growth and it continued to explore opportunities to increase the value of the company through acquisitions or partnerships.We have always considered opportunities for value-enhancing transactions with leading international companies, which is why we looked at Hella, said CEO, Jan Mrosik.However, we did not see the necessary synergies in the potential transfer of competencies, particularly in the commercial vehicle sector. As a result, we determined this acquisition would not create sufficient additional value for our shareholders.

As Nissan launched its latest Qashqai in Europe, we spoke to Andrew Humberstone, Nissan Motors GB managing director. The new Qashqai also brings the first deployment of Nissans e-POWER drive system to Europe, sales of which are scheduled to start following those of the mild-hybrid version. To meet the typical needs of European consumers and their daily drive, the e-POWER system has been upgraded for the new Qashqai with the adoption of Nissans world-first variable compression ratio petrol engine as the dedicated electricity generating unit. The result, Nissan says, is a compact, high-output electrified system that, thanks also to the high combustion efficiency of the engine, delivers more efficiency. Sales will start with the mild-hybrid version, while the e-POWER version will follow later.

The proliferation of electric vehicles over the last decade, combined with Teslas rise to prominence has brought with it a new wave of electric vehicle startups. With investors keen to splash the cash to find the next Tesla, many innovative companies are springing up, each claiming to be a revolution in the electric vehicle market. Canoo is yet another EV startup aiming to carve out a slice of the market, but what sets it apart from the rest?

As volumes rise rapidly, the supply of precious metals for EV batteries is emerging as an issue for the long-term. Is there a solution of abundance on the ocean floor?

In the latest guest article written exclusively for Just Auto, Dato Madani Sahari, the CEO of Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii), outlines the importance of efforts to develop Malaysias advanced technology platforms alongside its human capital.

Have a nice weekend.

Graeme Roberts, Deputy Editor, Just Auto, GlobalData

GlobalData can provide actionable insights to drive your company forward

GlobalData can provide actionable insights to drive your company forward

28 Aug 2020

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Harvard-led physicists have taken a major step in the competition with quantum computing – Illinoisnewstoday.com

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image: Dolev Bluvstein (from left), Mikhail Lukin, and Sepehr Ebadi have developed a special type of quantum computer known as a programmable quantum simulator. Evadi is adjusting the devices that make them possible to see More

Credits: Rose Lincoln / Harvard Staff Photographer

A team of physicists at the Harvard MIT Ultra-Cryogenic Atomic Center and other universities have developed a special type of quantum computer known as a programmable quantum simulator that can operate at 256 qubits or qubits.

The system sheds light on the host of complex quantum processes, ultimately helping to bring real-world breakthroughs in materials science, communications technology, finance, and many other areas. It shows a big step towards building. Overcome research hurdles beyond the capabilities of todays fastest supercomputers. Qubits are the basic building blocks of quantum computers and are the source of their enormous processing power.

This moves the field to a new territory that no one has ever been to, said Mikhail Lukin, a professor of physics at George Vasmer Leverett, co-director of the Harvard Quantum Initiative and one of the senior authors of the study. Stated.Published in the journal today Nature.. We are entering a whole new part of the quantum world.

According to Sepehr Ebadi, a physics student at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard and the lead author of the study, the unprecedented combination of size and programmability of the system is at the forefront of the quantum computer competition. The mysterious nature of the substance on a very small scale greatly improves its processing power. Under the right circumstances, increasing the cue bit means that the system can store and process more information exponentially than the traditional bits on which a standard computer runs.

The number of quantum states possible with just 256 qubits exceeds the number of atoms in the solar system, Evadi explained the vast size of the system.

Already, the simulator allows researchers to observe some exotic quantum states that have never been experimentally realized, and is accurate enough to serve as an example in a textbook showing how magnetism works at the quantum level. Quantum phase transition research can be performed.

These experiments provide powerful insights into the quantum physics that underlie material properties and help scientists show how to design new materials with exotic properties.

The project uses a significantly upgraded version of the platform developed by researchers in 2017 that was able to reach a size of 51 qubits. The old system allowed researchers to capture ultra-low temperature rubidium atoms and place them in a particular order using a one-dimensional array of individually focused laser beams called optical tweezers.

This new system allows atoms to be assembled into a two-dimensional array of optical tweezers. This increases the achievable system size from 51 qubits to 256 qubits. Tweezers allow researchers to arrange atoms in a defect-free pattern and create programmable shapes such as squares, honeycombs, or triangular grids to design different interactions between cubits.

The flagship product of this new platform is a device called the Spatial Light Modulator, which is used to form the light wave front and generate hundreds of individually focused optical tweezers beams, Ebadi said. Mr. says. These devices are essentially the same as those used in computer projectors to display images on the screen, but we have adapted them as an important component of quantum simulators.

The initial loading of atoms into optical tweezers is random, and researchers need to move the atoms to place them in the shape of the target. Researchers use a second set of moving optical tweezers to drag the atom to the desired position, eliminating the initial randomness. Lasers give researchers complete control over the placement of atomic cubits and their coherent quantum manipulation.

Other senior authors of this study include Professors Svil Sachidef and Marcus Greiner of Harvard University, Stanford University, University of California Berkeley, and Insbrook University of Austria, who worked on the project with Professor Vladin Vretti of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Includes scientists. Austrian Academy of Sciences and QuEra Computing Inc. in Boston.

Our work is part of a very fierce, highly visible global competition to build larger, better quantum computers, said Harvard University Physics Researcher. Tout Wang, one of the authors of the paper, said. Overall effort [beyond our own] There are leading academic research institutes involved and major private sector investments from Google, IBM, Amazon, and many others.

Researchers are currently working on improving the system by improving laser control over qubits and making the system more programmable. They are also actively exploring how systems can be used in new applications, from exploring the exotic forms of quantum materials to solving challenging real-world problems that can be naturally encoded into qubits. doing.

This study enables a huge number of new scientific directions, Evadi said. We are far from the limits of what we can do with these systems.

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Harvard-led physicists have taken a major step in the competition with quantum computing

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The 5 Most Politically Incorrect Guns – Field & Stream

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The modern era suffers from an excess of sensitivity. Im sure you know the type. People who get offended at the drop of a hat and who tremble with indignation when they encounter someone with a contrary worldview. A lot of these folks find firearms deeply, deeply troubling. Well, I say theres no better cure for that than exposure therapy. So heres a list of my favorite politically incorrect guns that Id like to get into these peoples hands. A few shots downrange with these firearms will adjust anybodys attitude for the better.

Scene: Dusty gun range. Shooter pulls M590 Shock-N-Saw from case. Sensitive Guy: What would you everneedthat for? Shooter: Smacks Sensitive Guy upside the head.

One thing thats nice about having the right to own guns is that you dontneedany justification. We dontneed fifty types of toothpaste at Wal Mart, but there they are. We live in a society of wants. So simply wanting one is reason enough.

And this is a gun I wanted the moment it was introduced.

Its foundation is a basic 590 pump-action. It comes in 12 gauge, has a 3-inch chamber, and can hold five rounds in the tubular magazine and one in the pipe.

The cylinder-bored barrel has been cut down to 14.375 inches (which is the most precise measurement youll ever see published about a Mossberg) and is crowned with come along compliance teeth, a feature I think all politically incorrect guns should incorporate.

The pump has a rail along the bottom for mounting a light, laser, etc., and it has a handle that goes above the barrel that lets you wield the shotgun like a chainsaw while working the action. With the smooth rounded-off handle, the shotgun measures just under 26.5 inches from stem to stern. The receiver features the large and functional tang safety thats standard on all 590s.

Theres nothing better for slaying clay targets placed along a dirt berm.

I dont know about you, but for the longest time my gun collection lacked a certain belt fed quality. That wounded me to the core. The FN guys channeled their inner Bill Clinton, felt my pain, and the result was the M249S semiauto series.

This is a replica of the militarys M249 SAW light machine gun, and you can run it with 30-round magazines or, instead, you can choose to not be a wimp and let it chew through 200-round belts of 5.56x45mmas the gods intendedwhich is the fancy name for the 5.56 NATO/.223 Rem.

It comes in a couple configurations but the coolest by far is the Para trim. Per FNs website, the Para was designed for airborne, armored infantry, and close-quarters combat (CQC) operations with a shorter barrel and collapsible buttstock, making it the gnarliest politically incorrect gun out there.

The 16.1-inch barrel has a 1:7 right-hand twist, so it will work well with heavy-for-caliber .224-inch caliber bullets. The ideal load for this is Black Hills Ammo Mk 262 Mod 1-C 77-grain OTMs, which has been my go-to for multi-gun competition and even deer hunting. Its accurate, retains energy downrange, and hits hard. Black Hills loads this ammo to a standard of sub-2-inch 10-shot groups at 300 yards, which is outstanding.

The M249S runs off a closed-bolt gas-operated system, has a steel frame, an included steel bipod, a flip-up feed tray cover (be still my beating heart!), and an integrated MIL-STD-1913 rail (aka Pic rail) for mounting optics. Naked, with no optic or ammo, it weighs about 16 pounds.

Hauling this thing up to the firing line by the integrated carry handle confirms Level 11 Baller status.

And it only costs $8,799, so you might as well order two.

Of all the guns out there, AR pistols are the most likely to make the antis lose bladder control. And at the far end of AR pistols is this beasta compact thumper that spits out 600-grain bullets at 1,480 fps. Welcome to the AR500 Auto Max.

The 500 Auto Max is a rimless cartridge that mimics the potent 500 Smith & Wesson. Like its parent case, the 500 Auto Max is a versatile round, able to accommodate bullets from 275 to 700 grains.

It is the brainchild of Big Horn Armory founder Greg Buchel who worked with Buffalo Bore Ammunition to develop the round.

To accommodate such a large round requires a much heavier barrel than a typical AR-15, so the pistol tips the scales at about 9 pounds.

The handguard has a full-length rail along the top and three small pic rail sections at 3-, 6-, and 9-oclock. Those sections actually work well as hand stops to keep your forward hand from drifting out over the muzzle brake and the rails at 3 and 9 also have QD sling mounts incorporated into them.

Shooting the Auto Max is a visceral experience, one that is felt throughout the body, and is fun as hell. If any of these politically incorrect guns can knock some sense into the haters, this is the one.

Since were on a roll with the ugly black guns, heres the truck gun that rides along just about any time I venture into the wilds.

Ive rocked a number of Primary Weapons Systems rifles over the years, in both .223s and .308s, but the MK107 Mod 2 is my favorite to date, in part because it epitomizes how politically incorrect guns look.

It has a 7.75-inch barrel (topped with PWSs CQB 556 muzzle device) on one end and an SB Tactical SBA3 pistol brace on the other, making it compact, handy, and able to be wielded effectively in confined spaces. (Overall length adjusts from 24.5 to 27 inches on mine.)

PWS is one of the industry leaders when it comes to making short-barrel ARs run reliably and they long ago worked out the kinks in their long-stroke gas-piston actions. This one comes with a regulator that can be set to three different positions to tune the gun to your liking when running suppressors, different types of ammo, or other muzzle devices.

I run 55-grain polymer tipped .223 ammo in mine, which is great for coyotes, but also works extremely well for home protection as it has good terminal ballistics but wont over-penetrate through walls, making it a safer option than most defensive pistol ammo.

Since Im kinda lazy about reloading, I like to run it with my Magpul PMAG D-60.

I topped mine with a Trijicon SRS sight and clamped a Surefire Scout Light Pro to the handguard to turn it into a true night fighter. I also added a single-point sling that clips into the QD receiver at the base of the buffer tube.

The pistols ergonomics are excellent and it requires very little range time before it starts to feel like a natural extension of your body. Its an AR that inspires an extra level of confidence.

No factory rifle has the ability to go long like the AI AXSR. With mine, chambered in .300 Norma Magnum, I was able to absolutely wreck a 16-inch plate on a hostage target at over a mile during Gunsite Academys four-day XLR class. And that was with Black Hills ammo loaded with 212-grain Berger Hybridsnot some crazy (and time-consuming) hand load.

The AXSR is the commercial version of AIs military sniper rifle, and in my opinion is superior to the duty version in terms of some of its refinements, such as the Arca rail interface along the handguard and in front of the receiver. These AIs are built to a standard of ruggedness well beyond the capabilities of any normal custom long-range rifle and are able to run in the worst conditions imaginable. (The test protocol that AI puts its rifles through with respect to heat, cold, dust, mud, ice, water, and drop tests from various heights is utterly sadistic.)

That, coupled with the ability to accurately place rounds on targets at 2,200 yards and switch barrels and calibers on the fly, makes the AXSR downright scary and unique among politically incorrect guns. Of course, you need an optic equal to the rifle and for this work, you cant beat the Nightforce ATACR 7-3556 first-focal plane scope with the Mil-XT reticle.

To adequately describe the feature set on this rifle would require a separate, in-depth story, but some of the highlights include: next-level ergonomics and user adjustability that makes shooting big, booming cartridges less fatiguing while improving accuracy; the ability to field strip and service all major components while requiring minimal tools to do so; an excellent user-adjustable two-stage trigger; rock-solid accessory mounting with the Keyslot interface; a chassis that indexes the magazines for superior feeding of ammunition; and more.

Read Next: The 10 Most Accurate Rifles Weve Ever Tested (Plus, the Most Accurate Rifle Cartridges)

The faint of heart will wonder whether that kind of performance is something that should be available to us filthy peasants. To which I reply the best kind of shooting is when it takes your bullet three seconds or more to reach the target.

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Opinion: How to change the mechanism of cancel culture – Post Register

Posted: at 5:33 pm

Im writing this letter to explain my personal philosophy when thinking about the complex issues of cancel culture, free speech and censorship.

Cancel culture is driven by public opinion and economics. Cancelations occur when an employees speech infraction generates public attention that threatens an employers profits, influence or reputation. People with politically incorrect opinions and views are being coerced into silence under threat of the loss of their livelihood.

Is there a way to change the mechanism of cancel culture? Businesses will always have to make a profit, and people will always have different opinions on what is appropriate, so how can we make sure the freedom of speech is protected? Ive been considering this question for a few weeks now, and Ive come to the conclusion that personal tolerance is the only way to eliminate the toxic cancel culture that forces people into conformity and stifles the opportunity for open debate.

So, what is my personal philosophy? Even though I believe my opinions are the right opinions, and I wish others would share my view of the world, I realize that if I never encounter anything in my community that offends me, Im not living in a free society. Even though I may disagree with someones opinion, I realize that the fact that we have different opinions is a testament to our freedom. This has helped me develop a tolerance for others opinions, and I believe its the only way we can ensure people arent canceled for offensive speech.

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Opinion: How to change the mechanism of cancel culture - Post Register

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Video review | Never Me Season 2 is even more fun and politically incorrect – Designer Women

Posted: at 5:33 pm

Season 2 of Never Have I Ever debuted on Netflix and editor Renato Marafon brings the review on video.

Fun, light and tart, the series is a find in the streaming catalog.

Watch the review:

Revision | I Never returns with a sour, hilarious and much needed season 2

The series was created by Lang Fisher and Mindy Kaling.

Enjoy watching:

In the recently published chapters, Devi has the courage to make bold decisions as she grapples with her tumultuous relationship with her mother, new loves, and the arrival of new classmates at school.

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan stars in the production. Poorna Jagannathan, Richa Shukla, Darren Barnet, Aitana Rinab Perez, John McEnroe, Hanna Stein, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Jaren Lewison, Ramona Young and Lee Rodriguez.

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Video review | Never Me Season 2 is even more fun and politically incorrect - Designer Women

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