The Week in Quantum Computing - December 16th - Quantum supremacy lies under a Willow tree. Quantum Brilliance, Munich Quantum Valley, SpinMagIC, Nvidia
Quick Recap
The problem with releasing a newsletter on Mondays, is that when someone breaks the mold on tuesday you have to bite your tongue for 6 days. THANK YOU GOOGLE.
Munich Quantum Valley is set to transition from research to commercial applications in 2024, with a robust team of 70 principal investigators and 400 scientists. SpinMagIC, a start-up from the University of Stuttgart, is advancing quantum sensor technology for the food industry, supported by Germany's Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection. The National Reconstruction Fund Corporation's $13 million investment in Quantum Brilliance aims to establish a quantum diamond foundry in Australia. Nvidia, Rigetti, and Quantum Machines have made progress by using AI to automate the calibration of quantum systems, a crucial step towards scalable quantum computing. Also collaborating with Nvidia, Infleqtion's delivery of the first materials science application powered by logical qubit. Research by Vladyslav Bohun and colleagues on matrix product state methods and a study on Quantum Reservoir Computing for drug discovery highlight the expanding scope of quantum applications. Quantinuum has also released a system with 50 logical qubits and 98% fidelity running a GHZ state.
And yes: Google unveiled its latest quantum chip, Willow, which promises exponential error reduction and the potential to outperform supercomputers in specific tasks. Google claimed two things (well, three if you count the many worlds computation interpretation). 1. That they computed “something” in 5 minutes that otherwise it would take 10 septillion years (don’t bother counting the numbers). And 2. They have built an error correcting code that escales with the number of qubits. I.e. now we can build corrected qubits as long as we figure out how to condense fabrication properly. (Note on 1: Yeah, random circuit sampling, i.e. a completely useless benchmark problem that solves nothing). Don’t get me wrong. This is impressive and a key stepstone in the journey towards FTQC. But we still have a long ways to go. Seeing the media just taking on the multivese and the septillions, misses the point.
The meme goes to Martin Bauer
Now, I could write a very long detailed opinion on the implications of this and how they did it. But I would be reinventing the wheel in a very poor way. Instead, I really urge you to read Scott Arronson’s article on it, and Olivier Ezratty’s.
Now, some ask: How is this related to other logical qubit claims from other companies? Here’s a nice thread with a great debate:
The Week in Quantum Computing
Munich Quantum Valley Begins to Produce Commercial Benefits
Munich Quantum Valley, a state and federally funded initiative in Bavaria, is transitioning from research to commercial applications in 2024. With around 70 principal investigators and 400 scientists, the project is a significant player in the quantum computing landscape. This shift is crucial as it reflects the broader trend of quantum research moving towards tangible economic benefits. The initiative's success could influence similar projects globally, showcasing how government-backed research can drive technological advancements.
https://www.eetimes.eu/munich-quantum-valley-begins-to-produce-commercial-benefits/
Start-up brings quantum sensor to market maturity
SpinMagIC, a start-up from the University of Stuttgart, is advancing quantum sensor technology to market maturity, targeting the food industry to measure product shelf life. Supported by the EXIST research transfer program from Germany's Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection, the team includes doctoral researchers Belal Alnajjar and Anh Chu from the University of Stuttgart, and Michele Segantini and Jakob Fitschen from Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB). Prof. Jens Anders and Prof. Klaus Lips, experts in electron spin resonance (ESR), guide the project. Anders emphasizes, "This quantum sensor technology is already just around the corner."
Meet Willow, our state-of-the-art quantum chip
In December 2024, Google unveiled its latest quantum chip, Willow, marking a significant advancement in quantum computing. Willow achieves exponential error reduction as it scales up, a breakthrough in quantum error correction, a challenge pursued for nearly 30 years. Hartmut Neven, Founder of Google Quantum AI, emphasized Willow's ability to perform computations in under five minutes that would take a supercomputer 10 septillion years, showcasing its potential to solve complex problems beyond classical computing's reach. Published in *Nature*, the findings demonstrate Willow's capability to reduce errors while increasing qubits, achieving "below threshold" error rates. This development is a pivotal step towards commercially viable quantum computers, potentially revolutionizing fields like medicine, energy, and AI. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, might say, "Each step forward in quantum computing brings us closer to solving complex problems that classical computers cannot."
https://blog.google/technology/research/google-willow-quantum-chip/
Go inside the Google Quantum AI lab to learn about how quantum computing works
https://blog.google/technology/research/behind-the-scenes-google-quantum-ai-lab/
Aaronson: The Google Willow thing
Google has unveiled "Willow," a 105-qubit superconducting chip, marking a significant milestone in quantum computing. This development, announced at the Q2B conference and detailed in a Nature paper, showcases Google's progress in error-corrected surface code qubits and a new quantum supremacy experiment using Random Circuit Sampling. Notably, Google's advancements include doubling qubit numbers since 2019 and enhancing coherence time by a factor of five. However, Google's Sergio Boixo notes that achieving a "true" fault-tolerant qubit requires further progress, particularly in two-qubit gate error rates. The experiment's claim of requiring ~10^25 years for classical simulation highlights the challenges in verification, underscoring the need for efficiently verifiable quantum supremacy experiments.
https://scottaaronson.blog/?p=8525
Analysis on Google Willow
https://www.oezratty.net/wordpress/2024/inside-google-willow/
NRFC announces $13 million investment in Quantum Brilliance to build Australia’s first quantum diamond foundry
The National Reconstruction Fund Corporation (NRFC) has invested $13 million in Quantum Brilliance, a company specializing in diamond quantum technology. This funding aims to establish one of the world's first quantum diamond foundries in Australia. Quantum Brilliance's initiative is significant as it represents a pivotal step in advancing quantum computing infrastructure, potentially enhancing the scalability and accessibility of quantum technologies. The investment underscores the growing interest and commitment to developing quantum computing capabilities, particularly in leveraging diamond-based quantum devices, which are known for their room-temperature operation and potential for integration into existing systems
Paper: Scalable and shallow quantum circuits encoding probability distributions informed by asymptotic entanglement analysis
In a recent study by Vladyslav Bohun and colleagues, a novel approach using matrix product state (MPS) methods has been proposed to construct scalable and shallow quantum circuits for encoding probability distributions. This method leverages asymptotic entanglement analysis, allowing for efficient encoding with a linear number of gates. The research highlights the use of Tensor Cross Interpolation to achieve utility-scale quantum circuits, validated on heavy-tailed distributions like Lévy distributions, crucial in finance. The circuits were tested on IBM quantum devices, scaling up to 64 qubits. This advancement suggests a significant step towards practical quantum computing applications, particularly in fields requiring complex probability distribution modeling.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.05202v1
Nvidia, Rigetti, Quantum Machines Deliver AI-Powered Quantum Computing
In a significant development for quantum computing in 2024, Nvidia, Rigetti, and Quantum Machines have successfully applied AI to automate the calibration of a 9-qubit Rigetti quantum processing unit. This collaboration, hosted at the Israeli Quantum Computing Center, aims to address the complex calibration challenges that hinder scaling quantum systems. Yonatan Cohen, CTO of Quantum Machines, highlights the exponential difficulty of manual calibration as systems grow. The use of AI tools like Quantum Elements and Qruise could accelerate algorithmic progress, bridging the gap to quantum utility. Meanwhile, venture funding in quantum startups has surged to $1.5 billion in 2024, signaling strong investor confidence.
Paper: Robust Quantum Reservoir Computing for Molecular Property Prediction
In a recent study, researchers Daniel Beaulieu, Milan Kornjaca, Zoran Krunic, Michael Stivaktakis, Thomas Ehmer, Sheng-Tao Wang, and Anh Pham explore the potential of Quantum Reservoir Computing (QRC) for predicting molecular properties, a crucial aspect of drug discovery. Unlike traditional quantum machine learning algorithms that struggle with vanishing gradients, QRC does not require gradient evaluation, offering a promising alternative. The study highlights QRC's robustness, particularly with smaller datasets, which is significant for pharmaceutical research where data can be limited. Additionally, the use of the Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP) technique reveals that quantum reservoir embeddings are more interpretable in lower dimensions.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.06758v1
Infleqtion Delivers First Quantum Material Design Application Powered by Logical Qubits and NVIDIA CUDA-Q
Infleqtion has announced a groundbreaking achievement in quantum computing by delivering the first materials science application powered by logical qubits, utilizing NVIDIA's CUDA-Q. This marks a significant milestone in the practical application of quantum computing, as logical qubits are crucial for error correction and reliable computation, addressing one of the major hurdles in the field. The collaboration with NVIDIA highlights the importance of integrating advanced quantum algorithms with classical computing power. This development could accelerate the design of new materials, potentially revolutionizing industries reliant on material science.
https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/logical-qubits-cuda-q-demo/
Connecting qubit islands with quantum bridges
In a significant advancement for quantum computing, QuTech researchers have successfully performed coherent logic operations between spin qubits separated by 250 micrometers on the same chip, a feat published in Nature Physics. This distance is notably larger than the typical 100 nm, opening new avenues for scalable quantum networks. The study utilized superconducting resonators to connect these qubits, demonstrating the potential for large-scale quantum processors on a single chip. The research, led by Dijkema & Xue, highlights the importance of reducing electrical noise and enhancing qubit-resonator coupling to further scale quantum systems.
https://qutech.nl/2024/12/09/connecting-qubit-islands-with-quantum-bridges/
Key Challenges Leading to NQCG's Closure
Nordic Quantum Computing Group AS (NQCG), Europe's first quantum computing startup, has ceased operations as of December 6, 2024. Despite its pioneering efforts, NQCG faced insurmountable challenges due to Norway's lack of a national quantum strategy, inadequate scientific infrastructure, and insufficient government funding of NOK 70 million annually. The absence of a "Startup Visa" and a prohibitive 37.84% exit tax further hindered talent acquisition. Additionally, a 107% increase in ownership taxes since 2021 and a retroactive exit tax effective from March 2024 discouraged investment and expansion.
Paper: Millikelvin Si-MOSFETs for Quantum Electronics
In a significant advancement for quantum computing, researchers led by Nikolai Yurttagül have developed fully depleted silicon-on-insulator MOSFETs optimized for cryogenic temperatures, achieving a subthreshold swing of 0.3 mV/dec at 420 mK. This breakthrough addresses the power consumption challenges of silicon CMOS electronics, a major obstacle in fault-tolerant quantum computation. The study, supported by the Simons Foundation, highlights the potential for very-large-scale integration of cryo-CMOS electronics, crucial for ultra-low temperature applications. "Matching power dissipation to the thermal budget is key for quantum electronics," notes co-author Janne Lehtinen.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.01077v1
Finnish Company Arctic Instruments raises funds for Quantum Computer Amplifiers
Arctic Instruments, a VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland spinout, has secured €2.35 million to advance superconducting microwave amplifiers crucial for quantum computing. These amplifiers are essential for accurate qubit state readout, a key challenge in scaling quantum computers. CEO Joonas Govenius emphasizes their role in improving amplifier quality and consistency. Lifeline Ventures led the funding, with Timo Ahopelto highlighting Arctic's solution to a critical quantum computing challenge. VTT's Tauno Vähä-Heikkilä praised the commercialization of long-term research. As quantum computers expand beyond 100 qubits, requiring thousands of amplifiers, Arctic Instruments' technology is pivotal in meeting this demand, underscoring the importance of robust components in quantum computing's evolution.
Quantinuum shows 50 logical qubits
Quantinuum has unveiled a quantum system featuring 50 logical qubits with over 98% fidelity, marking the largest system using the Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger (GHZ) state. This advancement is crucial for scalable, error-corrected quantum computing. Dr. David Hayes, Director of Computational Theory and Design at Quantinuum, emphasized the need for capable hardware, software, and collaborative design for industry-scale quantum computing. Quantinuum's quantum charge coupled device (QCCD) hardware offers all-to-all connectivity, supporting diverse error correction codes and a new programming language for complex circuits. Collaborations with Microsoft and the University of Colorado at Boulder have enhanced code efficiency. This development follows Google's announcement of a 105-qubit processor, highlighting the competitive race in quantum computing innovation.
https://www.eenewseurope.com/en/quantinuum-shows-50-logical-qubits/
QED-C Report Explores Potential Use of Quantum Sensors for Biomedical Applications
The Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C) has released a report highlighting the transformative potential of quantum sensors in biomedical applications. Key members, including the NIH and SandboxAQ, emphasize that these sensors could revolutionize diagnostics and treatment by enabling more accurate, less invasive techniques. Notably, optically pumped magnetometers might advance early diagnosis of diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Celia Merzbacher, QED-C Executive Director, notes the immediate benefits and challenges, such as data insufficiency and regulatory hurdles. Geetha Senthil from NIH underscores the revolutionary potential in healthcare.
Mitigating exponential concentration in covariant quantum kernels for subspace and real-world data
In a recent study, researchers including Gabriele Agliardi and colleagues have tackled the challenges of applying fidelity quantum kernels to real-world and synthetic data, focusing on mitigating exponential concentration issues. The study highlights the use of covariant quantum kernels in classification tasks, which can outperform classical methods when data group structures are exploited. However, scaling these methods to over 100 qubits has been problematic due to exponential concentration. The team introduced a novel error mitigation strategy, Bit Flip Tolerance (BFT), achieving classification accuracies comparable to classical support vector classifiers (SVCs) on IBM devices with up to 156 qubits. Notably, BFT improved accuracy from 33% to 80% on real-world data with 40+ qubits, showcasing significant progress in quantum machine learning applications.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.07915v1
D-Wave Announces Successful Completion of $175 Million At-the-Market Equity Offerings
D-Wave Quantum Inc., a key player in the quantum computing sector, has successfully completed $175 million in at-the-market equity offerings. This financial milestone is crucial as it underscores investor confidence in D-Wave's quantum annealing technology, which is distinct from the gate-based quantum computing pursued by companies like IBM and Google. CEO Alan Baratz stated, "This capital will accelerate our roadmap to deliver practical quantum applications." The funding is expected to bolster D-Wave's efforts in expanding its quantum cloud services and enhancing its hybrid quantum-classical solutions. In 2024, as the quantum computing race intensifies, D-Wave's financial boost positions it to potentially lead in niche applications, emphasizing the growing importance of diverse quantum approaches.
Beyond NISQ: The Megaquop Machine
At the Q2B 2024 Conference, John Preskill highlighted the challenges and potential of moving beyond the NISQ (Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum) era towards fault-tolerant quantum computing. He introduced the concept of "megaquop" machines, capable of executing millions of quantum operations, which could surpass current classical and NISQ capabilities. However, achieving this requires significant advancements in error correction and fault tolerance. Google Quantum AI's Willow processor shows promise, with improved error rates and real-time decoding capabilities, but challenges like cosmic ray-induced errors persist. Preskill emphasized the need for rapid error syndrome decoding to maintain logical clock speed, a critical factor for future quantum computing advancements. The journey to fault-tolerant quantum computing remains arduous yet promising.
https://quantumfrontiers.com/2024/12/14/beyond-nisq-the-megaquop-machine/