Honeywell, Google bring practical quantum computers a big step closer:
In a research paper released Wednesday, Honeywell said it had ganged together multiple physical qubits -- the storage and processing units of quantum computers -- so that they could withstand disturbances from outside forces like vibration and electromagnetic emissions.
The results arrived one week after Google published a paper in Nature Communications also showing logical qubits overpowering errors. Google's approach, however, didn't achieve full error correction: its method only could handle one of two error types at a time instead of both simultaneously, and it couldn't fix errors it detected. That's why Honeywell is claiming its full error correction achievement as a first.
"Big enterprise-level problems require precision and error-corrected logical qubits to scale successfully," said Tony Uttley, Honeywell Quantum Solutions' president, in a statement.
[...] Honeywell demonstrated its technique on its 10-qubit H1 quantum computer. Seven of the qubits stored data while the remaining three "ancilla" qubits shepherded the error correction process, which is governed by a conventional computer that steers qubits back on track when a problem is detected.
[...] Honeywell didn't actually perform any computation during its demonstration, but showed that it could initialize the system, correct qubit errors during operations, and read the results afterward.
Using the smallest possible number of physical qubits to make a logical qubit is an important consideration in improving quantum computers. Today's machines only have a few dozen qubits at best, and many expect quantum computers to need thousands of logical qubits to become really useful. Google said in May it expects to require about 1,000 physical qubits for each logical qubit as it moves to deliver a practical quantum computer by 2029.
Journal References:
1.) Ryan-Anderson, C., Bohnet, J. G., Lee, K., et al. Realization of real-time fault-tolerant quantum error correction, (DOI: https://arxiv.org/abs/2107.07505)
2.) Zijun Chen, Kevin J. Satzinger, Juan Atalaya, et al. Exponential suppression of bit or phase errors with cyclic error correction [open], Nature (DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03588-y)
(Score: 3, Touché) by Snotnose on Friday July 23 2021, @05:44AM (1 child)
We threw a shit-ton of resources into making this reliable and failed. We can't even do basic ECC with quantum bits while doing useful work, let alone crack Dr Evil's root password.
But we did make ivory tower progress, so please keep the money faucet full open so we can keep cranking out papers and keep our tenure safe.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 24 2021, @03:32AM
Is Bitcoin mining something quantum computing will upset the apple cart?
I've never understood Bitcoin mining, where I apparently receive a proof of work that I expended so much energy.
Can I raise cattle, expending much earth resources, land, water, fuel, corn, and my time, to produce nice, tasty, porterhouse steaks...then destroy them so as to receive a chit of certification as proof of work, then trade these chits among the money people as a tradeable commodity?
Am I doing wrong to mine Bitcoin, knowing the problems the power company is having keeping the lights on?
Am I doing wrong changing leaking washers instead just when water dripping down the drain...even if the money people will issue me tradeable chits as proof of wasting water?
Or will they consider kids sharing music on the internet a more serious issue (DMCA).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 23 2021, @11:33AM (2 children)
Cut to the chase... where's our quantum porn?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 23 2021, @11:39AM (1 child)
Technically, wouldn't that be transvestites since they exist in a superposition of basis states?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 23 2021, @03:27PM
I think genderfluid is more what you're looking for...