Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by janrinok on Tuesday June 23 2015, @05:24PM   Printer-friendly
from the but-does-it-run-linux? dept.

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.


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 23 2015, @11:09PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 23 2015, @11:09PM (#200140)

    Protip: coldness isn't measured. Temperature is measured.

    Starting Score:    0  points
    Moderation   +2  
       Insightful=1, Informative=1, Total=2
    Extra 'Insightful' Modifier   0  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2015, @01:09PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 24 2015, @01:09PM (#200357)

    Moreover if the system is colder, the temperature is not colder, but lower. A "colder temperature" doesn't make sense.

    Note that with "lower" also the 40% makes sense again.