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from the able-to-solve-the-travelling-salesman-problem-in-just-6-years dept.
Google, NASA, and Universities Space Research Association (USRA) run a joint research lab called the Quantum Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (QuAIL). That partnership has used a 512-qubit D-Wave Two quantum annealer, upgraded to the 1,152-qubit D-Wave 2x, and is now upgrading again to the company's latest D-Wave 2000Q system (2048 qubits):
Google, NASA, and the USRA are now buying the latest generation D-Wave quantum computer, as well, to further explore its potential. The new D-Wave 2000Q is not just up to 1,000 times faster than the previous generation, but it also has better controls, allowing QuAIL to tweak it for its algorithms. QuAIL is now looking at developing machine learning algorithms that can take advantage of D-Wave's latest quantum annealing computer.
[...] D-Wave also announced that it will help the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) establish a quantum computing research center for defense and intelligence purposes. D-Wave's role will be to aid the Virginia Tech staff in developing applications and software tools for its quantum annealing computers. [...] Because D-Wave is not a universal quantum computer, like what Google and IBM plan to build over the next few years, it is not expected to be useful in cracking encryption. Virginia Tech plans to also focus on developing machine learning algorithms for the D-Wave computers.
Previously: Trees Are the New Cats: D-Wave Used for Machine Vision
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 15 2017, @01:16AM (5 children)
I keep hearing that D-Wave is a sketchy company that lies about its product, and then I see Google and NASA, who should know what they're talking about, give them more and more money. I don't know the least bit about quantum mechanics to figure out who's telling the truth, and I suspect 99.9999999% of everybody else doesn't either. If all three companies were laundering money in a giant billion dollar pyramid scheme, this is exactly what it would look like.
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Wednesday March 15 2017, @01:35AM
Those aren't true quantum computers, but operate on quantum-enough principles. It's a good first step for civilian announcements, even if they don't have access to the true O.G. shit, nigga.
Like how that plane with all of those Freescale geeks got lost over East Asia.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 15 2017, @02:04AM (2 children)
I have no idea if it is legit but I do know some people tend to ridicule what they don't understand.
(Score: 1) by anubi on Wednesday March 15 2017, @08:53AM
Yeh, but a lot of us have sure had our share of supposedly "intellectual superiors" misleading us on...
Religion
Investment Opportunities
World Conditions
Free Energy Machines
E-Cats
... and so on ...
That if it won't pass our bullshit detectors, past experience shows its likely a scam.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Wednesday March 15 2017, @04:35PM
To be fair, quantum entanglement and the observer effect are kind of the "fart and a unicorn pops out" of physics. Even Einstein didn't buy it for quite awhile.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 15 2017, @02:06AM
In the beginning, they were very reluctant to describe what they had and they avoided discussing limitations. This smells like fraud, but is understandable. Now they are more open about things.
The device is quantum, but limited. In the non-quantum world, consider the difference between Java bytecode and the Berkeley Packet Filter bytecode, which is limited by not supporting backward jumps. Another example is early computers: some stored program code in memory, while others could only take code by having a person move wires.
Even if we get "proper" quantum computers, this device can still have a market if it has more qubits or a lower cost.