Microsoft says its figured out how to improve error rates in quantum computing, bringing quantum computing closer to a commercial state.
The company worked in collaboration with quantum computing hardware maker Quantinuum to improve the performance of the qubit the very basic unit of quantum computing. Qubits work by holding two different phases at once (instead of just a one and a zero, its both), but they arent very stable, making it easy for them to lose data. Researchers can now create several logical qubits, or qubits that are more stable while holding these different states.
Krysta Svore, vice president of advanced quantum development at Microsoft, told The Verge in an interview that because qubits are prone to errors, researchers needed to find a way to stabilize them.
We need reliable quantum computing, and not just in theory; we need to demonstrate that it can work in practice, Svore says. I like to think of it as putting noise-cancelling headphones on the qubits.
She says that these more reliable qubits help quantum computing graduate from level one, the more foundational level with qubits prone to mistakes and are usually referred to as noisy, to the next level, where scientists can run more calculations correctly and scale up the technology for more commercial use.
Other quantum computing experts welcomed Microsoft and Quantinuums advancement. Henry Yuen, associate professor of computer science at Columbia and a theoretical computer scientist, tells the Verge via email this may just be the beginning of more discoveries that make quantum computing easier.
Were far from the final destination, but the signposts are getting more frequent and are indicating that some major milestones are coming up soon, Yuen says. Im sure there will be bigger and better demonstrations of quantum fault tolerance coming soon.
Microsoft brought its qubit-virtualization system, which Svore says abstracts groups of physical qubits together, to Quantiuums quantum computer to create virtual logical qubits.
With it, users could create qubits with a longer fault tolerance, or time without encountering an error. The team created four reliable logical qubits from only 30 physical qubits. Previously, the scientific consensus was that hundreds of physical qubits were needed to make a couple of logical qubits that didnt fail, and they would have taken decades to create.
The teams ran 14,000 calculations without losing the quantum state and found they improved the error rate by a factor of 800 over physical qubits. Svore says the system could detect and fix errors without destroying the logical qubit and keeping the string of calculations going.
Microsoft is now figuring out how to bring this capability to Azure Quantum Elements, its platform for scientists to use AI, high-performance computing, and quantum computing to run scientific experiments.
Yuen says that while he thinks the term quantum virtualization may be Microsofts branding for error-correcting code, its findings could be scalable for other quantum computing companies to try on their own.
Quantum computing has always seemed like far into the future innovation, despite the idea and experimentation being around for decades. Companies such as IBM, Microsoft, and Google have been trying to make quantum computing reliable, safe, cost-effective, and, more importantly, useful for years.
Quantinuum chief product officer Ilyas Khan and senior director of offering management Jenni Strabley said in a blog post that they plan to continue improving the system to create more reliable logical qubits.
In the short term with a hybrid supercomputer powered by a hundred reliable logical qubits, we believe that organizations will be able to start to see scientific advantages and will be able to accelerate valuable progress toward some of the most important problems that mankind faces such as modeling the materials used in batteries and hydrogen fuel cells or accelerating the development of meaning-aware AI language models, Quantinuum said in its post.
Now, with Microsoft and Quantiuums work, its up to others to see if they can replicate the same thing.
Go here to see the original:
Microsoft says it's cracked the code on an important quantum computing problem - The Verge
- Mathematician breaks down how to defend against quantum ... - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- Here Is Everything You Need to Know About Quantum Computers - Interesting Engineering [Last Updated On: March 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 18th, 2017]
- Quantum Computing Market Forecast 2017-2022 | Market ... [Last Updated On: March 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 18th, 2017]
- What is Quantum Computing? Webopedia Definition [Last Updated On: March 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 18th, 2017]
- Quantum computing is about to disrupt the government contracts market - Bloomberg Government (blog) [Last Updated On: April 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 22nd, 2017]
- Scientists: We Have Detected the Existence of a Fundamentally New State of Matter - Futurism [Last Updated On: April 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 22nd, 2017]
- What Sorts Of Problems Are Quantum Computers Good For? - Forbes [Last Updated On: April 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 22nd, 2017]
- quantum computing - WIRED UK [Last Updated On: April 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 22nd, 2017]
- Inside Microsoft's 'soup to nuts' quantum computing ramp-up - Computerworld Australia [Last Updated On: April 29th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 29th, 2017]
- Molecular magnets closer to application in quantum computing - Next Big Future [Last Updated On: May 15th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 15th, 2017]
- The Bizarre Quantum Test That Could Keep Your Data Secure - WIRED [Last Updated On: May 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 18th, 2017]
- IBM boosts power of quantum computing processors as it lays ... - www.computing.co.uk [Last Updated On: May 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 22nd, 2017]
- IBM makes leap in quantum computing power - ITworld [Last Updated On: May 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: May 22nd, 2017]
- Toward mass-producible quantum computers | MIT News - MIT News [Last Updated On: June 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 2nd, 2017]
- Purdue, Microsoft Partner On Quantum Computing Research | WBAA - WBAA [Last Updated On: June 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 2nd, 2017]
- Tektronix AWG Pulls Test into Era of Quantum Computing - Electronic Design [Last Updated On: June 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 2nd, 2017]
- Google to Achieve "Supremacy" in Quantum Computing by the End of 2017 - Big Think [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2017]
- Quantum Computing Becomes More Accessible - Scientific American [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2017]
- Qudits: The Real Future of Quantum Computing? - IEEE Spectrum - IEEE Spectrum [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2017]
- Alkermes and IBM's quantum computing. Who'll be the big winner? Malcolm Berko - Durham Herald Sun [Last Updated On: July 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 6th, 2017]
- Quantum Computers Made Even More Powerful with New microchip generating 'Qudits' - TrendinTech [Last Updated On: July 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 8th, 2017]
- Quantum Computing Record Broken - Wall Street Pit [Last Updated On: July 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 8th, 2017]
- Technique for measuring and controlling electron state is a ... - UCLA Newsroom [Last Updated On: July 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 9th, 2017]
- Quantum cheques could be a forgery-free way to move money - New Scientist [Last Updated On: July 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 10th, 2017]
- Quantum-computer node uses two different ion species - physicsworld.com [Last Updated On: July 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 10th, 2017]
- Quantum Computers vs Bitcoin How Worried Should We Be? - The Merkle [Last Updated On: July 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 10th, 2017]
- Why you might trust a quantum computer with secretseven over ... - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: July 12th, 2017] [Originally Added On: July 12th, 2017]
- Physicists Take Big Step Towards Quantum Computing and ... - Universe Today [Last Updated On: August 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 1st, 2017]
- Quantum Computing Market Worth 495.3 Million USD by 2023 | 08 ... - Markets Insider [Last Updated On: August 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 10th, 2017]
- China uses a quantum satellite to transmit potentially unhackable data - CNBC [Last Updated On: August 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 10th, 2017]
- Blind quantum computing for everyone - Phys.org - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: August 12th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 12th, 2017]
- Quantum Computing Is Real, and D-Wave Just Open ... - WIRED [Last Updated On: August 12th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 12th, 2017]
- Machine learning tackles quantum error correction - Phys.Org [Last Updated On: August 15th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 15th, 2017]
- Quantum Internet Is 13 Years Away. Wait, What's Quantum Internet? - WIRED [Last Updated On: August 15th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 15th, 2017]
- Physicists Have Made Exotic Quantum States From Light - Futurism [Last Updated On: August 16th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 16th, 2017]
- $495.3 Million Quantum Computing Market 2017 by Revenue Source, Application, Industry, and Geography - Global ... - PR Newswire (press release) [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 18th, 2017]
- How quantum mechanics can change computing - The Conversation US [Last Updated On: August 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 23rd, 2017]
- Introducing Australia's first quantum computing hardware company - Computerworld Australia [Last Updated On: August 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 23rd, 2017]
- IEEE Approves Standards Project for Quantum Computing ... - insideHPC [Last Updated On: August 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 23rd, 2017]
- Commonwealth Bank investing in Australia's first quantum computer company - Which-50 (blog) [Last Updated On: August 25th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 25th, 2017]
- How quantum mechanics can change computing - San Francisco ... - San Francisco Chronicle [Last Updated On: August 25th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 25th, 2017]
- Quantum Computing Is Coming at Us Fast, So Here's Everything You Need to Know - ScienceAlert [Last Updated On: August 27th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 27th, 2017]
- Quantum computing event explores the implications for business - Cambridge Network [Last Updated On: August 30th, 2017] [Originally Added On: August 30th, 2017]
- Microsoft's Aussie quantum computing lab set to scale up next-gen ... - ARNnet [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2017]
- An Entirely New Type of Quantum Computing Has Just Been Invented - Futurism [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2017]
- Microsoft just upped its multi-million bet on quantum computing - ZDNet [Last Updated On: September 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: September 7th, 2017]
- Here's what quantum computing is and why it matters [Last Updated On: October 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: October 6th, 2017]
- What will you actually use quantum computing for? | ZDNet [Last Updated On: October 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: October 11th, 2017]
- Quantum Computing | Intel Newsroom [Last Updated On: October 13th, 2017] [Originally Added On: October 13th, 2017]
- Intel Takes First Steps To Universal Quantum Computing [Last Updated On: October 13th, 2017] [Originally Added On: October 13th, 2017]
- Qudits: The Real Future of Quantum Computing? - IEEE Spectrum [Last Updated On: October 13th, 2017] [Originally Added On: October 13th, 2017]
- quantum computing - engadget.com [Last Updated On: October 13th, 2017] [Originally Added On: October 13th, 2017]
- Quantum computing - news.microsoft.com [Last Updated On: November 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: November 1st, 2017]
- IBM's processor pushes quantum computing ... - engadget.com [Last Updated On: November 16th, 2017] [Originally Added On: November 16th, 2017]
- Yale Professors Race Google and IBM to the First Quantum ... [Last Updated On: November 16th, 2017] [Originally Added On: November 16th, 2017]
- Quantum Computing Is the Next Big Security Risk | WIRED [Last Updated On: December 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: December 8th, 2017]
- Microsoft offers developers a preview of its quantum ... [Last Updated On: December 12th, 2017] [Originally Added On: December 12th, 2017]
- New silicon structure opens the gate to quantum computers [Last Updated On: December 14th, 2017] [Originally Added On: December 14th, 2017]
- Quantum Computing Explained | What is Quantum Computing? [Last Updated On: December 21st, 2017] [Originally Added On: December 21st, 2017]
- What is Quantum Computing? | SAP News Center [Last Updated On: December 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: December 23rd, 2017]
- Is Quantum Computing an Existential Threat to Blockchain ... [Last Updated On: December 25th, 2017] [Originally Added On: December 25th, 2017]
- IBM puts its quantum computer to work in relaxing, nerdy ASMR ... [Last Updated On: January 8th, 2018] [Originally Added On: January 8th, 2018]
- Quantum computing is going to change the world. Here's what ... [Last Updated On: January 8th, 2018] [Originally Added On: January 8th, 2018]
- The Era of Quantum Computing Is Here. Outlook: Cloudy ... [Last Updated On: January 26th, 2018] [Originally Added On: January 26th, 2018]
- What is quantum computing? - Definition from WhatIs.com [Last Updated On: February 5th, 2018] [Originally Added On: February 5th, 2018]
- Senate bills would make quantum computing a priority [Last Updated On: June 10th, 2018] [Originally Added On: June 10th, 2018]
- Two Quantum Computing Bills Are Coming To Congress [Last Updated On: July 5th, 2018] [Originally Added On: July 5th, 2018]
- Quantum Computing Market Research Report- Forecast 2022 | MRFR [Last Updated On: August 1st, 2018] [Originally Added On: August 1st, 2018]
- What Is Quantum Computing? The Complete WIRED Guide | WIRED [Last Updated On: August 22nd, 2018] [Originally Added On: August 22nd, 2018]
- Quantum Computing | USRA [Last Updated On: August 30th, 2018] [Originally Added On: August 30th, 2018]
- The quantum computing race the US cant afford to lose [Last Updated On: September 3rd, 2018] [Originally Added On: September 3rd, 2018]
- The reality of quantum computing could be just three years ... [Last Updated On: September 12th, 2018] [Originally Added On: September 12th, 2018]
- US takes first step toward a quantum computing workforce ... [Last Updated On: September 17th, 2018] [Originally Added On: September 17th, 2018]
- China bet big on quantum computing. Now the ... - money.cnn.com [Last Updated On: September 17th, 2018] [Originally Added On: September 17th, 2018]
- China bet big on quantum computing. Now the US races to ... [Last Updated On: October 26th, 2018] [Originally Added On: October 26th, 2018]
- A new type of quantum computer has smashed every record ... [Last Updated On: December 21st, 2018] [Originally Added On: December 21st, 2018]
- IBM unveils its first commercial quantum computer [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2019] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2019]
- IBM thinks outside of the lab, puts quantum computer in a box [Last Updated On: January 11th, 2019] [Originally Added On: January 11th, 2019]
- Quantum Computing | The MIT Press [Last Updated On: January 11th, 2019] [Originally Added On: January 11th, 2019]
- CES 2019: IBM's Q System One Is the Rock Star Quantum ... [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2019] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2019]