The Week in Quantum Computing - December 27th
The Week in Quantum Computing. Brought to you by Sergio Gago and The Quantum World Association.
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Quick Recap
The last week of the year. Arguably one of the most impactful ones for our industry, not just on the theoretical field but also on the engineering one and investment. This year has seen the biggest investment rounds and valuations, the biggest achieved quantum volumes and has unlocked developments and technologies that will continue paving the way towards our quantum future.
However, we still can’t solve real business classical problems with any advantage. We are still playing with toy models that are very relevant. But we are far away from a future where we see QC taking over the world. One little real development a day, keeps the hype away.
On the classical side, a neural network has been able to solve the Schrödinger equation using a new method (story below), where instead of approximating the mathematical terms they have simulated the electrons themselves. This is another example of quantum computing stepping on the shoulders of giants.
What will 2021 bring us? Werner Vogels, Amazon’s CTO recently did a keynote where he stated his 8 predictions, and of course Quantum Computing is one of them. You can see the full report here: https://aws.amazon.com/executive-insights/content/eight-predictions-how-technology-will-change-our-lives-in-2021/
In the meantime, have a great NYE and see you on the other side.
Featured Content
The best way to learn quantum mechanics is by playing. You can spend hours playing with the https://quantumflytrap.com/ game and toyinh with famous experiments like Mach-Zender or Zagnac, try to identify bombs without exploding them or just build your own setup.
Quantum Definitions (by @quantumfyed)
The folks at @quantumfyed are creating amazing infographies explaining quantum mechanics and quantum computing concepts. We will be posting some of them here. Follow them for great content: Twitter: https://twitter.com/quantumfyed and Instagram: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quantumfyed/
The Summary of the Week
Game: Photonics Quantum lab
Quantum "LEGO Bricks". An in-browser simulation & visualization of quantum mechanics. The go-to place for learning quantum before the quantum computing revolution takes off.
Link: https://ift.tt/2KjM45k
December 21, 2020 at 11:33PM
ColdQuanta and ParityQC aim at Quantum Advantage with Optimization problems
Solving industry-relevant problems using a quantum algorithm faster than any classical computer is considered the grand challenge of quantum computing.
Link: https://ift.tt/3az3aXm
December 22, 2020 at 10:33AM
Quantum Computers Will Speed Up the Internet’s Most Important Algorithm
The quantum circuit for QFFT (Quantum Fast Fourier Transform) is just one part of a much bigger puzzle that, once complete, will lay the foundation for future quantum algorithms, according to researchers at the Tokyo University of Science. The QFFT algorithm would process a single stream of data at the same speed as a classical FFT. However, the QFFT’s strength comes not from processing a single stream of data on its own but rather multiple data streams at once
Link: https://ift.tt/38qjUgN
December 22, 2020 at 10:33PM
Atos delivers its first GPU-accelerated Quantum Learning Machine to the Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC)
Atos today announces it will deliver its first GPU-accelerated Atos Quantum Learning Machine Enhanced (Atos QLM E), the world's highest-performing commercially available quantum simulator, to the Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC).
Link: https://ift.tt/3pat9bI
December 22, 2020 at 10:33PM
Celebrating 2020, Qiskit’s Best Year Yet
Link: https://ift.tt/3rofEav
December 22, 2020 at 11:33PM
Paper: Variational Quantum Algorithms
M. Cerezo, Andrew Arrasmith, Ryan Babbush, Simon C. Benjamin, Suguru Endo, Keisuke Fujii, Jarrod R. McClean, Kosuke Mitarai, Xiao Yuan, Lukasz Cincio and Patrick J. Coles
Applications such as simulating large quantum systems or solving large-scale linear algebra problems are immensely challenging for classical computers due their extremely high computational cost. Quantum computers promise to unlock these applications, although fault-tolerant quantum computers will likely not be available for several years. Currently available quantum devices have serious constraints, including limited qubit numbers and noise processes that limit circuit depth. Variational Quantum Algorithms (VQAs), which employ a classical optimizer to train a parametrized quantum circuit, have emerged as a leading strategy to address these constraints. VQAs have now been proposed for essentially all applications that researchers have envisioned for quantum computers, and they appear to the best hope for obtaining quantum advantage. Nevertheless, challenges remain including the trainability, accuracy, and efficiency of VQAs. In this review article we present an overview of the field of VQAs. Furthermore, we discuss strategies to overcome their challenges as well as the exciting prospects for using them as a means to obtain quantum advantage.
Link: https://ift.tt/34Abh1Z
December 23, 2020 at 11:33AM
Artificial Intelligence Solves Schrödinger’s Equation
A team of scientists at Freie Universität Berlin has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) method for calculating the ground state of the Schrödinger equation in quantum chemistry.
Link: https://ift.tt/3mDMwby
December 23, 2020 at 11:33AM
NASA scientists and partners achieve long-distance 'quantum teleportation' for the first time
For the first time, a team of scientists and researchers have achieved sustained, high-fidelity ‘quantum teleportation’ — the instant transfer of ‘qubits’, the basic unit of quantum information.
Link: https://ift.tt/3mDcnR3
December 23, 2020 at 01:33PM
Five — Plus One — Quantum Computing and Quantum Technology Predictions for 2021
Ummm. We won’t exactly miss 2020, but it was a pivotal year in the history of quantum technology. What will 2021 hold? We’ll take a stab at making some predictions.
Link: https://ift.tt/2M6MFb1
December 24, 2020 at 10:33AM
Why Quantum Computing's Future Lies in the Cloud
When real-world quantum applications begin appearing, cost, complexity, and other issues will likely float them into the cloud.
Link: https://ift.tt/37D3frd
December 24, 2020 at 05:33PM
Will Quantum Computing Make Gambling More Fair?
Quantum computing is touted as the next major technological leap that will allow humanity to free itself from the innate limitations of silicone-based processing and unlock a bright new future of potentially unlimited computational power.
Link: https://ift.tt/3o1Sqoc
December 25, 2020 at 10:33PM
AWS Braket powers simulators and hybrid systems to accelerate quantum computing
Quantum computing has the potential to solve computational problems that are beyond the reach of classical computers by harnessing the laws of quantum mechanics to process information in new ways.
Link: https://ift.tt/3p6a7U3
December 26, 2020 at 10:33AM
Quantum philosophy: 4 ways physics will challenge your reality
Imagine opening the weekend paper and looking through the puzzle pages for the Sudoku. You spend your morning working through this logic puzzle, only to realise by the last few squares there’s no consistent way to finish it. “I must have made a mistake,” you think.
Link: https://ift.tt/2WMBshC
December 26, 2020 at 10:33AM
Building a Quantum Network Using Tiny Nanoscale Nodes
This illustration of a nanoscale node created by the lab of Nick Vamivakas, professor of quantum optics and quantum physics, shows a closeup of one of an array pillars, each a mere 120 nanometers high. Each pillar serves as a location marker for a quantum state that can interact with photons.
Link: https://ift.tt/37Nls5m
December 26, 2020 at 11:33PM