Category Archives: Quantum Computing

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Classical computing is reaching its limit. Thus, there is a need to revolutionize the current form of computing. Towards this end, quantum computing is one of the promising computing paradigms. However, programming quantum computers differ significantly from classical computing due to novel features of quantum computing, such as superposition and entanglement. Thus, the Art, Science, and Engineering of Quantum Programming differ from classical programming.

Monday, April 17, 2023 to Wednesday, April 19, 2023

We are proud to be hosting the next Quantum Computing Theory in Practice (QCTIP) conference at Jesus College in Cambridge on 17-19 April 2023.

The conference will take place over 3 days, and together with our keynote speakers, poster sessions and invited talks, we will take stock of the newest developments in the field and map out the future of quantum computing. More details and further updates can be found at https://registration.qctip.com/qctip-2023

Thursday, December 15, 2022

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

We invite you to attend (online-only) Episode XLVI of the Warsaw Quantum Computing Group meetup!

On 15.12 at 18:00 UTC+1, Piotr Gawron will give a lecture on "Kernels, tensors, matrices and reservoirs the wild world of (Quantum) Machine Learning".

If you are interested, sign up by 14.12 (EOD UTC+1):https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdQfT2IK6twbiZJ8TIRYuQfyvUc2dHq...

The JARA Institute for Quantum Information (PGI-11) of the Juelich Research Centre in Germany offers at least one PhD position. The positions are funded by German and international collaborative projects. The research will focus on modeling superconducting devices, in particular qubits and resonators for quantum information and simulation applications, with the aim to understand and mitigate error sources. Comparison with experimental data will be integral part of the research.

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Quantiki | Quantum Information Portal and Wiki

Did physicists make a wormhole in the lab? Not quite, but a new experiment hints at the future of quantum simulations  The Conversation

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Did physicists make a wormhole in the lab? Not quite, but a new experiment hints at the future of quantum simulations - The Conversation

AI Summit and IoT World Austin Will Focus on Smart Mobility, Artificial Intelligence in the Everyday and Transformative Quantum Computing  Business Wire

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AI Summit and IoT World Austin Will Focus on Smart Mobility, Artificial Intelligence in the Everyday and Transformative Quantum Computing - Business...

Few companies have worked as long or as broadly to develop superconducting-based qubits and quantum computers as IBM. Last month IBM posted a perspective paper The Future of Quantum Computing with Superconducting Qubits on arXiv and which has also been accepted but not yet published by the Journal of Applied Physics. Not a quick read, this work presents a fairly comprehensive review of what IBM thinks is needed to advance superconducting-based quantum computing, warts and all.

There are, of course, many qubit technologies being explored (superconducting, neutral atoms, trapped ions, photonics, etc.) upon which to base quantum computing platforms. Its not yet clear which, if any, will become dominant or which may emerge as more effective for particularly applications. Among the common challenges facing all of the qubit technologies are: how to scale up quantum system size (qubit counts); development and deployment effective error correction and error mitigation; and the need for hybrid architectures leveraging both classical and quantum systems.

The IBM authors[i] note, for example, that For quantum computing to succeed in changing what it means to compute, we need to change the architecture of computing. Quantum computing is not going to replace classical computing but rather become an essential part of it. We see the future of computing being a quantum-centric supercomputer where QPUs, CPUs, and GPUs all work together to accelerate computations.

This latest perspective from IBM presents deeper dive into many specific issues facing superconducting-based quantum computing, many of which are shared by other qubit modalities. For close watchers of the unfolding quantum technology landscape, the study is well worth reading.

Capturing the key points of the paper in sufficient detail in a short article is impractical. With apologies for the length of the excerpt, here is the studys conclusion which summarizes most of the central ideas:

We have charted how we believe that quantum advantage in some scientifically relevant problems can be achieved in the next few years. This milestone will be reached through (1) focusing on problems that admit a super-polynomial quantum speedup and advancing theory to design algorithmspossibly heuristicbased on intermediate depth circuits that can out- perform state-of-the-art classical methods, (2) the use of a suite of error mitigation techniques and improvements in hardware-aware software to maximize the quality of the hardware results and extract useful data from the output of noisy quantum circuits, (3) improvements in hardware to increase the fidelity of QPUs to 99.99% or higher, and (4) modular architecture designs that allow parallelization (with classical communication) of circuit execution. Error mitigation techniques with mathematical performance guarantees, like PEC (probabilistic error correction), albeit carrying an exponential classical processing cost, provide a mean to quantify both the expected run time and the quality of processors needed for quantum advantage. This is the near-term future of quantum computing.

Progress in the quality and speed of quantum systems will improve the exponential cost of classical processing required for error mitigation schemes, and a combination of error mitigation and error correction will drive a gradual transition toward fault-tolerance. Classical and quantum computations will be tightly integrated, orchestrated, and managed through a serverless environment that allows developers to focus only on code and not infrastructure. This is the mid-term future of quantum computing.

Finally, we have seen how realizing large-scale quantum algorithms with polynomial run times to enable the full range of practical applications requires quantum error correction, and how error correction approaches like the surface code fall short of the long-term needs owing to their inefficiency in implementing non-Clifford gates and poor encoding rate. We outlined a way forward provided by the development of more efficient LDPC codes with a high error threshold, and the need for modular hard- ware with non-2D topologies to allow the investigation of these codes. This more efficient error correction is the long-term future of quantum computing.

The full paper contains a fair amount of detail on key topics and is best read in full.

Link to pre-print of IBM paper (The Future of Quantum Computing with Superconducting Qubits), https://arxiv.org/abs/2209.06841

[i] Sergey Bravyi,1 Oliver Dial,1 Jay M. Gambetta,1 Dar o Gil,1 and Zaira Nazario1 IBM Quantum, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, USA

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IBM Study Charts Future of Superconducting-based Quantum Computing - HPCwire

TOKYO, CAMBRIDGE, England and BROOMFIELD, Colo., Oct. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitsui & Co., Ltd ("Mitsui") and Quantinuum have signed a strategic partnership agreement to collaborate in the delivery of quantum computing in Japan and the Asia-Pacific region.

Mitsui, which is committed to digital transformation, and Quantinuum, one of the world's leading quantum computing companies, integrated across hardware and software, have entered this strategic partnership to develop quantum computing use cases, which are expected to drive significant business transformation and innovation in the future.

Mitsui and Quantinuum will accelerate collaboration, cooperation, and development of new business models. They will jointly pursue quantum application development and provide value added services to organizations working across a variety of quantum computing domains, which is expected to be worth US$450B US$850B worldwide by 2040.*

Yoshio Kometani, Representative Director, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Information Officer of Mitsui & Co., Ltd. stated:"We are very pleased with the strategic partnership between Mitsui and Quantinuum. By combining Quantinuum's cutting-edge quantum computing expertise and diverse quantum talents with Mitsui's broad business platform and network, we will work together to provide new value to our customers and create new business value in a wide range of industrial fields."

Ilyas Khan, Founder and CEO of Quantinuum stated:"The alliance between Mitsui and Quantinuum demonstrates our shared commitment to accelerating quantum computing across all applications and use cases in a diverse range of sectors, including chemistry, finance, and cybersecurity. Today's announcement reinforces our belief in the global quantum leadership shown by corporations and governments in Japan, pioneered by corporate leaders like Mitsui."

Details of the Strategic Partnership

Collaboration areas and applications

Recent Achievements by Quantinuum

About Mitsui & Co., Ltd.

Location: 1-2-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Established: 1947

Representative: Kenichi Hori, President and Representative Director

Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (8031: JP) is a global trading and investment company with a diversified business portfolio that spans approximately 63 countries in Asia, Europe, North, Central & South America, The Middle East, Africa and Oceania.

Mitsui has about 5,500 employees and deploys talent around the globe to identify, develop, and grow businesses in collaboration with a global network of trusted partners. Mitsui has built a strong and diverse core business portfolio covering the Mineral and Metal Resources, Energy, Machinery and Infrastructure, and Chemicals industries.

Leveraging its strengths, Mitsui has further diversified beyond its core profit pillars to create multifaceted value in new areas, including innovative Energy Solutions, Healthcare & Nutrition and through a strategic focus on high-growth Asian markets. This strategy aims to derive growth opportunities by harnessing some of the world's main mega-trends: sustainability, health & wellness, digitalization and the growing power of the consumer.

Mitsui has a long heritage in Asia, where it has established a diverse and strategic portfolio of businesses and partners that gives it a strong differentiating edge, provides exceptional access for all global partners to the world's fastest growing region and strengthens its international portfolio.

For more information on Mitsui & Co's businesses visit, https://www.mitsui.com/jp/en/index.html

About Quantinuum

Location: Cambridge, U.K., Broomfield, Colorado, U.S.A.

Established: December 2021 (through the merger of Honeywell Quantum Solutions (U.S.) and Cambridge Quantum Computing (U.K.))

Representative: Ilyas Khan, CEO; Tony Uttley, COO; Shuya Kekke, CEO & Representative Director, Japan

Quantinuum is one of the world's largest integrated quantum computing companies, formed by the combination of Honeywell Quantum Solutions' world-leading hardware and Cambridge Quantum's class-leading middleware and applications. Science-led and enterprise-driven, Quantinuum accelerates quantum computing and the development of applications across chemistry, cybersecurity, finance, and optimization. Its focus is to create scalable and commercial quantum solutions to solve the world's most pressing problems in fields such as energy, logistics, climate change, and health. The company employs over 480 individuals, including 350 scientists, at nine sites across the United States, Europe, and Japan.

Selected major customers (in Japan): Nippon Steel Corporation, JSR Corporation

http://www.quantinuum.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1923231/Quantinuum.jpgPhoto - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1923232/Quantinuum_System_Model.jpg

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Strategic Partnership Agreement to Develop the Quantum Computing Market in Japan and Asia-Pacific - PR Newswire

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PsiQuantum today announced a $22.5 million contract with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in Rome, N.Y., to formalize their partnership in quantum computing. This project enables a collaboration between PsiQuantum and AFRL on quantum photonic chips, which are used to control and process qubits based on single photons particles of light. These advanced quantum photonic chips will be co-designed by PsiQuantum and AFRL and manufactured at GlobalFoundries semiconductor fab in Malta, N.Y.

This contract further advances the photonic approach to quantum computing, a strategy that is based on the idea of leveraging existing, mature semiconductor manufacturing capabilities to accelerate the path to scale. PsiQuantum is building an error-corrected, utility-scale quantum computer, with the intention of unlocking unprecedented breakthroughs in climate, healthcare, finance, energy, agriculture, transportation, communications, and beyond.

The deep silicon photonics expertise of PsiQuantum is critical in our mission to not only accelerate the advancement and deployment of quantum information science, but in developing capabilities to meet the needs of the emerging national security landscape, said Dr. Michael Hayduk, Deputy Director at AFRL. The partnership with PsiQuantum supports both the United States Department of Defenses and AFRLs missions of pursuing long-term, broad-based research programs that ultimately lead to world-changing applications across multiple industries.

This partnership was enabled by the $25 million in federal funding announced in April by the U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer to advance the partnership between AFRL, PsiQuantum, and GlobalFoundries as part of the Fiscal Year 2022 spending package.

The future of quantum computing technology is being developed right here in Upstate New York, and PsiQuantum, GlobalFoundries, and the Rome Air Force Research Lab are leading us into the next frontier, said Senator Schumer. I was proud to deliver the federal funding to grow this partnership, that will strengthen our national security, create good-paying jobs, and further fuel Upstate New Yorks leadership in the tech economy to help the U.S. stay ahead of all rivals, including China, in technological innovation.

Photonic quantum computing has long been an underappreciated approach to delivering a quantum computer, said PsiQuantum co-founder and CEO Jeremy OBrien. Now, as the world is converging on the conclusion that useful applications will require large-scale systems involving networking and mature semiconductor manufacturing, photonics is coming to the fore in the global race for utility-scale quantum computing. We are working with the group at AFRL, who are distinguished in having long been fellow travelers in the field of quantum photonics. This is a very exciting contract, and we are delighted to have established this partnership.

PsiQuantum is the global leader in photonic quantum computing. In May 2021, PsiQuantum and strategic partner GlobalFoundries revealed a quantum computing manufacturing breakthrough: the first manufacturable single photon detector in a silicon chip. The detector is the component that is used to read out the value of the qubit, i.e. whether it is in a zero or one state. PsiQuantum is now able to manufacture large numbers of these detectors using GlobalFoundries advanced semiconductor foundry a significant step on the path to the large-scale quantum systems that are necessary for useful applications.

About PsiQuantum

Powered by breakthroughs in silicon photonics and fault-tolerant quantum architecture, PsiQuantum is building the first utility-scale quantum computer to solve some of the worlds most important challenges. PsiQuantums approach is based on photonic qubits, which have significant advantages at the scale required to deliver a fault-tolerant, general-purpose quantum computer. With quantum chips now being manufactured in a world-leading semiconductor fab, PsiQuantum is uniquely positioned to deliver quantum capabilities that will drive advances in climate, healthcare, finance, energy, agriculture, transportation, communications, and beyond. To learn more, visit http://www.psiquantum.com.

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2022 PsiQuantum. PsiQuantum and the PsiQuantum logo are registered or pending registration trademarks of PsiQuantum, Corp., in the United States and other countries.

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PsiQuantum and Air Force Research Laboratory Announced $22.5M Contract to Accelerate Path to Build the World's First Utility-Scale Quantum Computer -...

Replete with tunneling particles, electron wells, charmed quarks and zombie cats, quantum mechanics takes everything Sir Isaac Newton taught about physics and throws it out the window.

Every day, researchers discover new details about the laws that govern the tiniest building blocks of the universe. These details not only increase scientific understanding of quantum physics, but they also hold the potential to unlock a host of technologies, from quantum computers to lasers to next-generation solar cells.

But theres one area that remains a mystery even in this most mysterious of sciences: the quantum mechanics of nuclear fuels.

Until now, most fundamental scientific research of quantum mechanics has focused on elements such as silicon because these materials are relatively inexpensive, easy to obtain and easy to work with.

Now, Idaho National Laboratory researchers are planning to explore the frontiers of quantum mechanics with a new synthesis laboratory that can work with radioactive elements such as uranium and thorium.

An announcement about the new laboratory appears online in the journalNature Communications.

Uranium and thorium, which are part of a larger group of elements called actinides, are used as fuels in nuclear power reactors because they can undergo nuclear fission under certain conditions.

However, the unique properties of these elements, especially the arrangement of their electrons, also means they could exhibit interesting quantum mechanical properties.

In particular, the behavior of particles in special, extremely thin materials made from actinides could increase our understanding of phenomena such as quantum wells and quantum tunneling (see sidebar).

To study these properties, a team of researchers has built a laboratory around molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), a process that creates ultra-thin layers of materials with a high degree of purity and control.

The MBE technique itself is not new, said Krzysztof Gofryk, a scientist at INL. Its widely used. Whats new is that were applying this method to actinide materials uranium and thorium. Right now, this capability doesnt exist anywhere else in the world that we know of.

The INL team is conducting fundamental research science for the sake of knowledge but the practical applications of these materials could make for some important technological breakthroughs.

At this point, we are not interested in building a new qubit [the basis of quantum computing], but we are thinking about which materials might be useful for that, Gofryk said. Some of these materials could be potentially interesting for new memory banks and spin-based transistors, for instance.

Memory banks and transistors are both important components of computers.

To understand how researchers make these very thin materials, imagine an empty ball pit at a fast-food restaurant. Blue and red balls are thrown in the pit one at a time until they make a single layer on the floor. But that layer isnt a random assortment of balls. Instead, they arrange themselves into a pattern.

During the MBE process, the empty ball pit is a vacuum chamber, and the balls are highly pure elements, such as nitrogen and uranium, that are heated until individual atoms can escape into the chamber.

The floor of our imaginary ball pit is, in reality, a charged substrate that attracts the individual atoms. On the substrate, atoms order themselves to create a wafer of very thin material in this case, uranium nitride.

Back in the ball pit, weve created layer of blue and red balls arranged in a pattern. Now we make another layer of green and orange balls on top of the first layer.

To study the quantum properties of these materials, Gofryk and his team will join two dissimilar wafers of material into a sandwich called a heterostructure. For instance, the thin layer of uranium nitride might be joined to a thin layer of another material such as gallium arsenide, a semiconductor. At the junction between the two different materials, interesting quantum mechanical properties can be observed.

We can make sandwiches of these materials from a variety of elements, Gofryk said. We have lots of flexibility. We are trying to think about the novel structures we can create with maybe some predicted quantum properties.

We want to look at electronic properties, structural properties, thermal properties and how electrons are transported through the layers, he continued. What will happen if you lower the temperature and apply a magnetic field? Will it cause electrons to behave in certain way?

INL is one of the few places where researchers can work with uranium and thorium for this type of science. The amounts of the radioactive materials and the consequent safety concerns will be comparable to the radioactivity found in an everyday smoke alarm.

INL is the perfect place for this research because were interested in this kind of physics and chemistry, Gofryk said.

In the end, Gofryk hopes the laboratory will result in breakthroughs that help attract attention from potential collaborators as well as recruit new employees to the laboratory.

These actinides have such special properties, he said. Were hoping we can discover some new phenomena or new physics that hasnt been found before.

In 1900, German physicist Max Planck first described how light emitted from heated objects, such as the filament in a light bulb, behaved like particles.

Since then, numerous scientists including Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr have explored and expanded upon Plancks discovery to develop the field of physics known as quantum mechanics. In short, quantum mechanics describes the behavior of atoms and subatomic particles.

Quantum mechanics is different than regular physics, in part, because subatomic particles simultaneously have characteristics of both particles and waves, and their energy and movement occur in discrete amounts called quanta.

More than 120 years later, quantum mechanics plays a key role in numerous practical applications, especially lasers and transistors a key component of modern electronic devices. Quantum mechanics also promises to serve as the basis for the next generation of computers, known as quantum computers, which will be much more powerful at solving certain types of calculations.

Uranium, thorium and the other actinides have something in common that makes them interesting for quantum mechanics: the arrangement of their electrons.

Electrons do not orbit around the nucleus the way the earth orbits the sun. Rather, they zip around somewhat randomly. But we can define areas where there is a high probability of finding electrons. These clouds of probability are called orbitals.

For the smallest atoms, these orbitals are simple spheres surrounding the nucleus. However, as the atoms get larger and contain more electrons, orbitals begin to take on strange and complex shapes.

In very large atoms like uranium and thorium (92 and 90 electrons respectively), the outermost orbitals are a complex assortment of party balloon, jelly bean, dumbbell and hula hoop shapes. The electrons in these orbitals are high energy. While scientists can guess at their quantum properties, nobody knows for sure how they will behave in the real world.

Quantum tunneling is a key part of any number of phenomena, including nuclear fusion in stars, mutations in DNA and diodes in electronic devices.

To understand quantum tunneling, imagine a toddler rolling a ball at a mountain. In this analogy, the ball is a particle. The mountain is a barrier, most likely a semiconductor material. In classical physics, theres no chance the ball has enough energy to pass over the mountain.

But in the quantum realm, subatomic particles have properties of both particles and waves. The waves peak represents the highest probability of finding the particle. Thanks to a quirk of quantum mechanics, while most of the wave bounces off the barrier, a small part of that wave travels through if the barrier is thin enough.

For a single particle, the small amplitude of this wave means there is a very small chance of the particle making it to the other side of the barrier.

However, when large numbers of waves are travelling at a barrier, the probability increases, and sometimes a particle makes it through. This is quantum tunneling.

Quantum wells are also important, especially for devices such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) and lasers.

Like quantum tunneling, to build quantum wells, you need alternating layers of very thin (10 nanometers) material where one layer is a barrier.

While electrons normally travel in three dimensions, quantum wells trap electrons in two dimensions within a barrier that is, for practical purposes, impossible to overcome. These electrons exist at specific energies say the precise energies needed to generate specific wavelengths of light.

About Idaho National LaboratoryBattelle Energy Alliance manages INL for the U.S. Department of Energys Office of Nuclear Energy. INL is the nations center for nuclear energy research and development,and alsoperforms research in each of DOEs strategic goal areas: energy, national security, science and the environment. For more information, visitwww.inl.gov.Follow us on social media:Twitter,Facebook,InstagramandLinkedIn.

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New laboratory to explore the quantum mysteries of nuclear materials - EurekAlert

Cerebras Systems has secured another U.S. government win for its wafer scale engine chip which is considered the largest chip in the world.

The companys chip technology will be part of a research project sponsored by the National Nuclear Security Administration to find future computing technologies to assess the nuclear weapons stockpile.

The NNSA and its partners will assess the chips capabilities as part of an initiative to research post-exascale technologies.

The NNSAs Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) program is researching technologies that could be 40 times faster than the upcoming exascale system called El Capitan, which will be hosted at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California.

The U.S. Department of Energy has said that the El Capital supercomputer, which will be the first multi-exaflops system in the U.S., will go online in 2023 or 2024, according to a 25-year ASC accomplishments report published this month. The system is being built by HPE in collaboration with AMD, and Livermore Lab has already taken delivery of three testbed systems.

The Cerebras system could become a part of the Department of Energys program to evaluate experimental systems, which is called Advanced Architecture Prototype Systems. The first AAPS system, called Astra, was a petaflops-system based on Arm processors. A followup system, codenamed Vanguard-2, is currently being built. Development of the next AAPS system, Vanguard-3, will start in 2026, according to the ASC roadmap.

The post-exascale program is also considering quantum computing and other novel hardware, computer architecture, and software; the likely trajectory of relevant hardware and software technologies; and the ability of the U.S. industrial base to meet NNSAs needs, according to the project page.

NNSAs goal is to improve the computing capability of the Stockpile Stewardship Program, which involves the assessment of the current nuclear arsenal. The annual program helps the government simulate and evaluate nuclear weapons without real-world testing. Better computing capabilities will improve the testing capabilities.

The Cerebras wafer-scale engine, which has 850,000 cores and 2.6 trillion transistors, was already being evaluated by the U.S. government. The Argonne National Laboratory, which focuses on scientific research, was assessing Cerebras chip as an alternative to GPUs for artificial intelligence applications. The NNSA and affiliate labs that include Los Alamos, Sandia and Lawrence Livermore are focused on nuclear stockpiles and other weapons technologies. At Livermore, Cerebrass first-generation CS-1 machine was integrated into the NNSAs unclassified Lassen supercomputer in 2020.

As a startup, its extremely difficult to win the trust and get access to the workloads, even to see if youre good at them, Andrew Feldman, CEO of Cerebras, told HPCwire.

The NNSA project allows Cerebras to collaborate with a whole new class of customer, Feldman said.

Cerebras chips have also been used by private sector companies that include GlaxoSmithKline and TotalEnergies. The WSE-2 chip is finding more acceptance in the private and public domain, and the product has matured as more applications are found and AI models mature.

In the software world, they say the first thing to do is get in customers hands. In the hardware world, it takes us years to build chips and get systems. Then we have to get them in customers hands and learn as quickly as we can, Feldman said.

Cerebras chip has made its mark in scientific and research applications, but its not yet in front of corporate customers for everyday use. Google Cloud and AWS have put up instances of their homegrown AI chips for such applications, but Cerebras chip is significantly faster, and can be integrated into high-performance computing workflows.

Were not going to be an exclusive cloud seller. Were going to continue to deliver to customers, who, for whatever reason, also want on premise solutions, Feldman said.

Cerebras would love to partner with major cloud providers, Feldman said, adding you have to earn that. That takes time.

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Cerebras Chip Part of Project to Spot Post-exascale Technology - HPCwire

Accelerating advances in quantum computingare serving as powerful reminders that the technology is rapidly advancing toward commercial viability. In just the past few months, for example, a research center in Japan announced a breakthrough in entangling qubits (the basic unit of information in quantum, akin to bits in conventional computers) that could improve error correction in quantum systems and potentially make large-scale quantum computers possible. And one company in Australia has developed software that has shown in experiments to improve the performance of any quantum-computing hardware.

As breakthroughs accelerate, investment dollars are pouring in, and quantum-computing start-ups are proliferating. Major technology companies continue to develop their quantum capabilities as well: companies such as Alibaba, Amazon, IBM, Google, and Microsoft have already launched commercial quantum-computing cloud services.

Of course, all this activity does not necessarily translate into commercial results. While quantum computing promises to help businesses solve problems that are beyond the reach and speed of conventional high-performance computers, use cases are largely experimental and hypothetical at this early stage. Indeed, experts are still debating the most foundational topics for the field (for more on these open questions, see sidebar, Debates in quantum computing).

Still, the activity suggests that chief information officers and other leaders who have been keeping an eye out for quantum-computing news can no longer be mere bystanders. Leaders should start to formulate their quantum-computing strategies, especially in industries, such as pharmaceuticals, that may reap the early benefits of commercial quantum computing. Change may come as early as 2030, as several companies predict they will launch usable quantum systems by that time.

To help leaders start planning, we conducted extensive research and interviewed 47 experts around the globe about quantum hardware, software, and applications; the emerging quantum-computing ecosystem; possible business use cases; and the most important drivers of the quantum-computing market. In the report Quantum computing: An emerging ecosystem and industry use cases, we discuss the evolution of the quantum-computing industry and dive into the technologys possible commercial uses in pharmaceuticals, chemicals, automotive, and financefields that may derive significant value from quantum computing in the near term. We then outline a path forward and how industry decision makers can start their efforts in quantum computing.

An ecosystem that can sustain a quantum-computing industry has begun to unfold. Our research indicates that the value at stake for quantum-computing players is nearly $80 billion (not to be confused with the value that quantum-computing use cases could generate).

Because quantum computing is still a young field, the majority of funding for basic research in the area still comes from public sources (Exhibit 1).

Exhibit 1

However, private funding is increasing rapidly. In 2021 alone, announced investments in quantum-computing start-ups have surpassed $1.7 billion, more than double the amount raised in 2020 (Exhibit 2). We expect private funding to continue increasing significantly as quantum-computing commercialization gains traction.

Exhibit 2

Hardware is a significant bottleneck in the ecosystem. The challenge is both technical and structural. First, there is the matter of scaling the number of qubits in a quantum computer while achieving a sufficient level of qubit quality. Hardware also has a high barrier to entry because it requires a rare combination of capital, experience in experimental and theoretical quantum physics, and deep knowledgeespecially domain knowledge of the relevant options for implementation.

Multiple quantum-computing hardware platforms are under development. The most important milestone will be the achievement of fully error-corrected, fault-tolerant quantum computing, without which a quantum computer cannot provide exact, mathematically accurate results (Exhibit 3).

Exhibit 3

Experts disagree on whether quantum computers can create significant business value before they are fully fault tolerant. However, many say that imperfect fault tolerance does not necessarily make quantum-computing systems unusable.

When might we reach fault tolerance? Most hardware players are hesitant to reveal their development road maps, but a few have publicly shared their plans. Five manufacturers have announced plans to have fault-tolerant quantum-computing hardware by 2030. If this timeline holds, the industry will likely establish a clear quantum advantage for many use cases by then.

The number of software-focused start-ups is increasing faster than any other segment of the quantum-computing value chain. In software, industry participants currently offer customized services and aim to develop turnkey services when the industry is more mature. As quantum-computing software continues to develop, organizations will be able to upgrade their software tools and eventually use fully quantum tools. In the meantime, quantum computing requires a new programming paradigmand software stack. To build communities of developers around their offerings, the larger industry participants often provide their software-development kits free of charge.

In the end, cloud-based quantum-computing services may become the most valuable part of the ecosystem and can create outsize rewards to those who control them. Most providers of cloud-computing services now offer access to quantum computers on their platforms, which allows potential users to experiment with the technology. Since personal or mobile quantum computing is unlikely this decade, the cloud may be the main way for early users to experience the technology until the larger ecosystem matures.

Most known use cases fit into four archetypes: quantum simulation, quantum linear algebra for AI and machine learning, quantum optimization and search, and quantum factorization. We describe these fully in the report, as well as outline questions leaders should consider as they evaluate potential use cases.

We focus on potential use cases in a few industries that research suggests could reap the greatest short-term benefits from the technology: pharmaceuticals, chemicals, automotive, and finance. Collectively (and conservatively), the value at stake for these industries could be between roughly $300 billion and $700 billion (Exhibit 4).

Exhibit 4

Quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize the research and development of molecular structures in the biopharmaceuticals industry as well as provide value in production and further down the value chain. In R&D, for example, new drugs take an average of $2 billion and more than ten years to reach the market after discovery. Quantum computing could make R&D dramatically faster and more targeted and precise by making target identification, drug design, and toxicity testing less dependent on trial and error and therefore more efficient. A faster R&D timeline could get products to the right patients more quickly and more efficientlyin short, it would improve more patients quality of life. Production, logistics, and supply chain could also benefit from quantum computing. While it is difficult to estimate how much revenue or patient impact such advances could create, in a $1.5 trillion industry with average margins in earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of 16 percent (by our calculations), even a 1 to 5 percent revenue increase would result in $15 billion to $75 billion of additional revenues and $2 billion to $12 billion in EBIT.

Quantum computing can improve R&D, production, and supply-chain optimization in chemicals. Consider that quantum computing can be used in production to improve catalyst designs. New and improved catalysts, for example, could enable energy savings on existing production processesa single catalyst can produce up to 15 percent in efficiency gainsand innovative catalysts may enable the replacement of petrochemicals by more sustainable feedstock or the breakdown of carbon for CO2 usage. In the context of the chemicals industry, which spends $800 billion on production every year (half of which relies on catalysis), a realistic 5 to 10 percent efficiency gain would mean a gain of $20 billion to $40 billion in value.

The automotive industry can benefit from quantum computing in its R&D, product design, supply-chain management, production, and mobility and traffic management. The technology could, for example, be applied to decrease manufacturing processrelated costs and shorten cycle times by optimizing elements such as path planning in complex multirobot processes (the path a robot follows to complete a task) including welding, gluing, and painting. Even a 2 to 5 percent productivity gainin the context of an industry that spends $500 billion per year on manufacturing costswould create $10 billion to $25 billion of value per year.

Finally, quantum-computing use cases in finance are a bit further in the future, and the advantages of possible short-term uses are speculative. However, we believe that the most promising use cases of quantum computing in finance are in portfolio and risk management. For example, efficiently quantum-optimized loan portfolios that focus on collateral could allow lenders to improve their offerings, possibly lowering interest rates and freeing up capital. It is earlyand complicatedto estimate the value potential of quantum computingenhanced collateral management, but as of 2021, the global lending market stands at $6.9 trillion, which suggests significant potential impact from quantum optimization.

In the meantime, business leaders in every sector should prepare for the maturation of quantum computing.

Until about 2030, we believe that quantum-computing use cases will have a hybrid operating model that is a cross between quantum and conventional high-performance computing. For example, conventional high-performance computers may benefit from quantum-inspired algorithms.

Beyond 2030, intense ongoing research by private companies and public institutions will remain vital to improve quantum hardware and enable moreand more complexuse cases. Six key factorsfunding, accessibility, standardization, industry consortia, talent, and digital infrastructurewill determine the technologys path to commercialization.

Leaders outside the quantum-computing industry can take five concrete steps to prepare for the maturation of quantum computing:

Leaders in every industry have an uncommon opportunity to stay alert to a generation-defining technology. Strategic insights and soaring business value could be the prize.

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Quantum computing use cases--what you need to know | McKinsey

In Building 13 on MITs campus, there sits a half-a-million-dollar piece of equipment that looks like a long stretched-out chandelier, with a series of gold discs connected by thin silver pipes. The equipment, known as a dilution refrigerator, is a key player in PhD student Alex Greenes research, as it houses all their experiments. My life gets shaped around its rhythms, they say.

The first time Greene helped put new samples in the fridge, they were working with a postdoc at midnight on a Friday, blasting Danish screamo music. Ever since, the fridge has led them on both exciting and frustrating adventures throughout their PhD research on reducing errors in quantum computing systems.

Greene grew up in northern New Jersey with their identical twin, Jamie. The two were extremely competitive as children, and outside of school, they stayed busy through running, pole vaulting, and rock climbing. Their dad is a neurologist and their mom is a former electrical engineer who worked at Bell Labs, a research lab known for pioneering key technology for computers and phones.

In 2010, Alex and Jamie both came to MIT as undergraduates. Alex had been interested in biomedical engineering during high school, But then I discovered that I hate working in wet labs, where scientists handle chemicals and biological materials, they say. Another influence was Carl Sagans Contact, a science fiction book about an astronomer searching for extraterrestrial intelligence. It got me hooked on physics, Greene says.

As an MIT undergraduate, Greene double-majored in physics and in electrical engineering and computer science. They found a home in the field of quantum computing, where researchers are working to build extremely powerful computers by leveraging physics concepts in quantum mechanics.

Greene stayed at MIT to pursue an MEng in quantum computing, working at the Lincoln Laboratory. There, they researched ways to improve a technology called trapped ion quantum computing, which uses atoms suspended in the air and controlled by lasers.

After completing their masters, they pivoted to a different technology called superconducting quantum computing. Instead of suspended atoms, this technology uses tiny electric circuits that are exceptional at carrying electric current. To control these circuits, researchers only need to send electric signals.

For this project, Greene wanted to work with MIT Professor William Oliver, who directs the Center for Quantum Engineering in the Research Laboratory of Electronics. Once again, Greene chose to stay at the Institute this time to pursue their PhD.

Adding randomness to quantum computers

Someday, quantum computers might solve problems beyond the reach of normal classical computers, enabling immense progress in many applications. However, manipulating hardware so it exhibits quantum behavior is challenging from a technological perspective. Currently, quantum computers, including superconducting ones, struggle with high error rates that limit the length and complexity of the programs they can run. Most experimental research in quantum computing is focused on addressing those errors.

Greene is working to make superconducting quantum computers more accurate by reducing the impact of these errors. To test their ideas, they need to run experiments on superconducting circuits. But for these circuits to work, they need to be cooled down to extremely low temperatures, around -273.13 degrees Celsius within 0.02 degrees away from the coldest possible temperature in the universe.

This is where the chandelier-like dilution fridge comes into play. The fridge can easily reach the required cold temperatures. But sometimes it misbehaves, sending Greene on side quests to fix its problems.

Greenes most arduous side quest involved chasing down a leak in one of the fridges pipes. The pipes carry an expensive and rare gas mixture used to cool the fridge, which Greene couldnt afford to lose. Fortunately, even with the leak, the fridge was designed to remain functional without losing any mixture for around two weeks at a time. But, to keep the fridge in service, Greene had to constantly restart and clean it over a five-day process. After roughly seven stressful months, Greene and their lab mate finally located and fixed the leak, allowing Greene to resume their research at full speed.

To strategize how to effectively improve the accuracy of superconducting quantum computers, Greene needed to first take stock of the different types of errors in these systems. In quantum computing, there are two categories of errors: incoherent and coherent errors. Incoherent errors are random errors that occur even when the quantum computer is idling, while coherent errors are caused by imperfect control of the system. In quantum computers, coherent errors are often the worst culprits in system inaccuracies; researchers have mathematically shown that coherent errors compound much faster than incoherent errors.

To avoid the nasty compounding inaccuracies of coherent errors, Greene employed a clever tactic: disguising these errors to look like incoherent errors. If you [strategically] introduce a little bit of randomness into superconducting circuits, you can get coherent errors to compound as slowly as incoherent errors, they say. Other researchers in the field are also employing randomness tactics in different ways, Greene notes. Nevertheless, through their research, Greene is helping to pave the way for more accurate superconducting quantum computers.

Improving water sanitation in Pakistan

Outside of research, Greene is constantly engaged in a whirlwind of activities, adding new hobbies while painstakingly removing old ones to make room in their busy schedule. Over the years, their hobbies have included glassblowing, singing in a local queer choir, and competitive rock climbing. Currently, they spend their weekends working on home improvement projects with their partner at their rainbow-colored co-op.

For the past year and a half, Greene has also been involved with water sanitation projects through classes with MIT D-Lab, a project-based program that works with low-income communities around the world. Taking classes in D-Lab was something that I always wanted to do from undergrad but I never had time for it, they say. They were finally able to fit D-Lab into their schedule by using the classes to help fulfill their PhD requirements.

For one project, theyre developing a system to effectively and cheaply filter out harmful excess fluoride from water supplies in Pakistan. Its unintuitive that fluoride is bad because we have fluoride in our toothpaste, they say. But actually, too much fluoride changes the hardness of your teeth and bones. One idea that they and their collaborators are exploring is to build a water filtration system using clay, an established yet cheap fluoride removal method.

A visiting assistant professor from Pakistan, who was participating in the D-Lab class, had originally pitched the fluoride filtration project. When the class ended, the professor returned to Pakistan but still kept the project going. Greene is now working virtually with the professor to help figure out the best type of clay for filtering out fluoride. Through their experiences with D-Lab, Greene sees themselves continuing to volunteer on water sanitation projects in the long term.

Greene plans to finish their PhD this December. After 12 years at MIT, Greene aims to leave the Institute to work at a quantum computing company. Its a really great time to be in the field in industry, they say. Companies are starting to scale up [quantum computing] technology.

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Making quantum computers more accurate | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT News