D-Wave Systems Inc. has announced that it has built a quantum annealer with over 1000 qubits. Previously, D-Wave promised to deliver 1152 qubit systems in March 2015.
D-Wave's quantum computer runs a quantum annealing algorithm to find the lowest points, corresponding to optimal or near optimal solutions, in a virtual "energy landscape." Every additional qubit doubles the search space of the processor. At 1000 qubits, the new processor considers 21000 possibilities simultaneously, a search space which dwarfs the 2512 possibilities available to the 512-qubit D-Wave Two. In fact, the new search space contains far more possibilities than there are particles in the observable universe.
The new processors comprise over 128,000 Josephson junctions (tunnel junctions with superconducting electrodes) in a 6-metal layer planar process with 0.25µm features, believed to be the most complex superconductor integrated circuits ever built.
The press release goes on to explain that the new generation of D-Wave processors runs at a 40% colder temperature (closer to absolute zero than before), reduces noise levels, and allows for "new modes of use."
A blog post explains that specific delivered systems will vary in qubit count, but should have around 1152 qubits.
(Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Tuesday June 23 2015, @05:47PM
NBF [nextbigfuture.com] seems to think that it could go slightly over 1152 qubits because there are 2048 to choose from. As with all D-wave news, take it with a grain of salt. I'd like to see D-Wave offering a compelling performance boost over classical computing, and a slight variation in qubits isn't going to matter when the old one was 512 qubits and the applications are so narrow. The 1152 qubit "Washington" systems are not available yet, so there's nothing concrete about performance.
#quints
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(Score: 5, Informative) by Ethanol-fueled on Tuesday June 23 2015, @07:52PM
T-T-T-Two Hundred-Thousand!!!!!!!!!!
(Score: 5, Funny) by takyon on Tuesday June 23 2015, @08:26PM
mfw you get the informative mod instead of me
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(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 23 2015, @10:34PM
I would settle for something plaster about performance, then.