The Week in Quantum Computing - February 19th 2024 - Error Correction, Diraq's funding, QEC-D Benchmark, Tweezers, White house and Flowermons
Issue #173
The Week in Quantum Computing. Brought to you by Sergio Gago (@piratecto).
Quick Recap
Take your coffe for this one because we have a loaded week with significant research. A breakthrough in quantum entanglement has been achieved by a large team of researchers who managed to entangle up to 60 superconducting qubits in a GHZ state. Also a new super cool way (QCrank and QBart) to encode data in quantum states pushing for parallelization. Q-Ctrl adds some light into QEC regarding the error introduction in the devices. SEALSQ Corp has announced its entry into the AI chip market, backed by an advanced AIoT strategy. Australian quantum computing startup, Diraq, has raised $15M in a Series A-2 round, bringing its total funding to over $120M. Diraq is developing quantum processors using existing chipmaking technologies, aiming to leverage the semiconductor industry’s existing infrastructure. On-chip integration of single-photon sources at room temperature has been achieved by a team from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory and Ulm University.
Opinion - Have you seen this type of articles?
If you are in the quantum field, I’m sure you get from time to time these type of clickbaity articles. “Get rich with this 4 quantum computing stocks”. There are two types of those articles: The ones (like the screen above) that tell you to buy IBM, Alphabet and Amazon (which Quantum efforts are amazing, but a tiny fraction of the whole company and therefore impact on share price) or the ones focusing on the startups that went public in the last years (IonQ, Rigetti, D-Wave…) The latter are the usual ones that claim potential huge gains due to the volatility of those companies who went public mainly through SPACs.
I would only say this without providing investment advice: The reporters who write those articles don’t know much about quantum, and this industry and companies are not yet mature. Not on technology, not on market distribution, definetely not from an earnings per share perspective. You may invest in one of them and get a 30% bump, or a -50%. Today there is no clear hardware technology that will win “the qubit war” so investments in those stocks are either especulation, or an informed bet (or hope) from your side on their work and tech. Pick your side but don’t get fooled by those clickbait articles.
The Week in Quantum Computing
Paper: Schrödinger cats growing up to 60 qubits and dancing in a cat scar enforced discrete time crystal
A team of 33 researchers, including Zehang Bao and Qiujiang Guo, have successfully achieved genuine Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) entanglement with up to 60 superconducting qubits. This entanglement represents maximally entangled Schrödinger cat states, which are crucial in quantum physics and technology. The team has also innovatively applied Discrete Time Crystals (DTCs) to protect these fragile GHZ states from perturbations and allow dynamic switching during state evolution.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.08284v1
Making Quantum Error Correction practical
Quantum Error Correction (QEC) has been a focal point in recent quantum computing advancements, with Harvard's experiment sparking speculation about the onset of logically encoded quantum computing. QEC, an algorithm that identifies and rectifies errors in quantum computers, is being explored by Q-CTRL, a company specializing in stabilizing quantum hardware. Despite QEC's potential, it currently introduces more errors than it corrects, according to Michael J. Biercuk of Q-CTRL. He suggests that the algorithm's resource consumption often results in more errors, leading to a need for hardware to operate below the error threshold before running QEC.
https://q-ctrl.com/blog/making-quantum-error-correction-practical
SEALSQ Announces Groundbreaking Entry Into AI Chip Market With Advanced AIoT Strategy
SEALSQ Corp, a developer and seller of Semiconductors, PKI, and Post-Quantum technology hardware and software products, has announced its entry into the AI chip market. The move is underpinned by an advanced AIoT strategy, combining AI and IoT technologies to provide a fully integrated platform. The AIoT system will be the central brain of SEALSQ's ecosystem, which currently includes over 1.6 billion semiconductor-powered devices. A key component of the strategy is the use of advanced cybersecurity technology and IoT network of WISeKey, SEALSQ’s parent company.
Quantum-parallel vectorized data encodings and computations on trapped-ion and transmon QPUs
The study introduces two innovative data encoding techniques, QCrank and QBArt, which enhance quantum parallelism via uniformly controlled rotation gates. QCrank encodes real-valued data as rotations on data qubits, increasing storage capacity, while QBArt incorporates a binary representation of the data within the computational basis, requiring fewer quantum measurements. The techniques were applied to tasks like DNA pattern matching, Hamming weight computation, complex value conjugation, and binary image retrieval, all executed on the Quantinuum trapped-ion QPU. Supplementary benchmarking experiments were conducted on cloud-accessible QPUs from IBMQ and IonQ. The research indicates significant advancements in addressing the data encoding problem on NISQ hardware for quantum data analysis algorithms.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1038/s41598-024-53720-x
Quantum computing startup Diraq raises $15M to build qubits using traditional silicon chips
Australian quantum computing startup, Diraq, has raised $15M in a Series A-2 round led by Quantonation, with participation from Higgins Family Investments and the University of New South Wales, Sydney. This brings Diraq's total funding to over $120M. Diraq is developing quantum processors using existing chipmaking technologies, aiming to leverage the semiconductor industry’s existing infrastructure. This approach is different from companies like IBM and IonQ who use superconducting and ion-trapped counterparts. Diraq claims to have patents for a CMOS-based architecture for billions of qubits. CEO Andrew Dzurak emphasized the necessity of billions of qubits for cost-effective commercial quantum computing.
Breakthrough in single-photon integration holds promise for quantum computing, cryptography
A significant advancement in on-chip integration of single-photon sources at room temperature has been achieved by a team led by Boaz Lubotzky and Prof. Ronen Rapaport from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory and Ulm University. The key innovation is a hybrid metal–dielectric bullseye antenna, which facilitates efficient photon directionality, with front collection efficiencies of approximately 70% at numerical apertures as low as 0.5. This breakthrough simplifies future integration efforts and accelerates the development of practical quantum photonic devices, with potential applications in quantum computing, cryptography, and sensing.
https://phys.org/news/2024-02-breakthrough-photon-quantum-cryptography.html
France regulates exports of deep tech and Quantum Computing technologies
The French government has issued a decree effective from March 2024, regulating the export of quantum computing technologies and associated goods to non-EU countries. This move is in compliance with the European Union's regulation (UE) 2021/821, which governs the export, brokerage, technical assistance, transit, and transfer of dual-use goods. The decree also covers the export of equipment used in the design, development, production, testing, and inspection of advanced electronic components. This regulation underscores the strategic importance of quantum technologies and their potential dual-use implications.
https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000049120866
‘Unhackable’ quantum network demonstrated for first time in Malta
The first "unhackable" quantum communication network has been successfully demonstrated in Malta by the PRISM Consortium, partially funded by the EU. The technology, led by Merqury Cybersecurity Limited, aims to enhance cybersecurity systems. Professor André Xuereb, CEO of Merqury, explained that current encryption protocols are breakable, but quantum technology can neutralize this threat. The demonstration showcased quantum key distribution, a technology that can counteract the threat of data decryption by future quantum computers. The PRISM project, which aligns with the European Commission's efforts to develop a Europe-wide
Logical Quantum Processor Based On Reconfigurable Atom Arrays | Quantum Colloquium
Back in december we announced the MIT/QuEra work on logical qubits built with atom arrays. This prepsentation is great to dive deeper into it. Also they answer to IBM’s simulation of the experiment from last week and how it was not made to avoid it to make it simulable (which makes sense based on the size, however it still opens the door to build experiments that are classically not simulable)
Paper: On-Premises Superconducting Quantum Computer for Education and Research - IQM launches small device for research
A research paper titled "On-Premises Superconducting Quantum Computer for Education and Research" authored by Jami Rönkkö and 14 others, introduces a commercially available on-site quantum computer using superconducting technology. The system is presented as a tool for education, offering students insights into quantum theory and quantum computing. The authors also demonstrate its potential for research, replicating some recent achievements in the field. This quantum computer is expected to provide learning opportunities for future talent and contribute to technological progress.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.07315v1
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Releases Updated Critical and Emerging Technologies List
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has released an updated list of critical and emerging technologies (CETs) significant to U.S. national security. The 2024 update includes technologies like advanced computing, artificial intelligence, quantum information, and space technologies. OSTP Deputy Director for National Security, Stephen Welby, stated the list supports efforts to strengthen U.S. technological leadership and will be a resource for engaging allies to ensure CETs yield societal benefits aligned with democratic values.
Patent Landscape for Quantum Computing: A Survey of Patenting Activities for Different Physical Realization Methods
Quantum computing saw rapid advancements in 2023, particularly in scalable quantum computing and quantum error correction. Patenting activities hint at the pace of innovation and resource allocation in this field. The China National Intellectual Property Administration leads in quantum computing patent applications, followed by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the European Patent Office, and the Japan Patent Office. Superconducting quantum computing has the most patent applications, indicating its commercial maturity. However, photonic and trapped ion quantum computing are catching up quickly. Notably, the U.S. leads in R&D for quantum hardware, while China focuses on quantum software and applications. As commercially viable quantum computers emerge, manufacturers will likely face patent assertions.
Alibaba and Baidu Cash Out on Quantum Computing Stakes
Chinese tech giants Alibaba and Baidu have withdrawn from quantum computing research, closing their respective units and donating their equipment to Zhejiang University and the Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences. The reasons behind the decisions remain unclear, sparking speculations of a potential quantum computing 'winter' or a move by the Chinese government to control this strategically important technology. However, Tencent, another tech giant, recently shared its vision for quantum computing's convergence with cloud and high-performance computing. The Chinese government has also released a strategic document emphasizing quantum cloud platforms and industrial applications. Despite Alibaba and Baidu's exit, China's commitment to quantum computing appears undeterred.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/china-quantum-computer-alibaba-baidu
Fundamental equation for superconducting quantum bits revised
Physicists from Forschungszentrum Jülich and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have revised the fundamental equation for Josephson tunnel junctions, key components of superconducting quantum computers. The team, led by Professor Ioan Pop, discovered that the junctions are more complex than previously thought, with harmonics superimposed on the fundamental mode, potentially leading to quantum bits that are two to seven times more stable. The findings, supported by global experimental evidence, were published in Nature Physics by joint first authors Dr. Dennis Willsch and Dennis Rieger. The researchers believe that this discovery brings us one step closer to the creation of a fully universal superconducting quantum computer.
https://phys.org/news/2024-02-fundamental-equation-superconducting-quantum-bits.html
Flowermon: A superconducting qubit based on twisted cuprate van der Waals heterostructures
Researchers from the Institute for Complex Systems of CNR, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, and others have developed a new superconducting qubit, called "flowermon", based on twisted cuprate van der Waals heterostructures. Unlike traditional qubits that use conventional superconducting materials, flowermon leverages the unique symmetry of unconventional superconductors, enhancing robustness and removing the need for tuning or flux. The team's work, published in Physical Review Letters, shows that using materials with inherent symmetry can yield a robust qubit that doesn't require fine-tuning. The study also highlights the potential of twisted van der Waals cuprate heterostructures for creating superconducting circuits.
https://phys.org/news/2024-02-flowermon-superconducting-qubit-based-cuprate.html
Are we ready for the quantum economy?
The UK is preparing for a "quantum-enabled economy" by 2033, according to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). The country's second National Quantum Strategy, launched in March 2023, aims to develop a network of accessible quantum computers by 2035 and a future quantum internet. Other applications include navigation, sensing, and healthcare diagnosis. However, demand for quantum skills exceeds supply, with the need for quantum literacy across various professions. The Quantum Skills Taskforce Workshop, co-hosted by the UK government's Office for Quantum and techUK, gathered 60 industry and academia participants to discuss skill shortages and potential solutions. Quantum technologies will play a pivotal role in shaping the UK's future economy.
https://physicsworld.com/are-we-ready-for-the-quantum-economy/
A 'quantum leap' at room temperature: Ultra-low noise system achieves optical squeezing
Tobias J. Kippenberg and Nils Johan Engelsen from Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne have led a study that redefines the boundaries of quantum mechanics by achieving control of quantum phenomena at room temperature. Published in Nature, the study details an ultra-low noise optomechanical system that allows high precision study and manipulation of how light influences moving objects. The team overcame the challenge of thermal noise by using cavity mirrors and a 4mm drum-like device called a mechanical oscillator. This setup enabled the researchers to achieve "optical squeezing", demonstrating that quantum phenomena can be observed and controlled without the need for extremely low temperatures.
https://phys.org/news/2024-02-quantum-room-temperature-ultra-noise.html
VTT explores how to make communications smoother with quantum computing 6G era challenges connectivity
VTT, a leading European research institution, is investigating how quantum computing can alleviate network congestion due to the surge in information network users. The project, led by Senior Scientist Kari Seppänen, addresses combinatorial problems through hybrid algorithms combining quantum and classical computing, increasing network capacity and energy efficiency. The project involves Finnish companies like Nokia Bell Labs, Cumucore, and Unitary Zero Space. Seppänen highlighted that quantum computers can rapidly generate new solutions, evaluated using classical computers. The project, funded by Business Finland's Quantum Computing Campaign, aims to prove beneficial in the near future, potentially opening up new applications for quantum technologies.
Non-Abelian topological order and anyons on a trapped-ion processor
A team of researchers, including Mohsin Iqbal, Nathanan Tantivasadakarn, Ruben Verresen, and others, have achieved non-Abelian topological order on a trapped-ion processor. The team utilized an adaptive circuit on Quantinuum’s H2 trapped-ion quantum processor to create a ground-state wavefunction of D4 topological order on a 27 qubit kagome lattice, with a fidelity per site exceeding 98.4%. The study also demonstrated the control of anyons, quasiparticle excitations that are potential building blocks for fault-tolerant quantum computers.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06934-4
Pushing the quantum frontier for finance: JPMorgan Chase’s Marco Pistoia
JPMorgan Chase is advancing quantum technologies for the financial sector in partnership with the Q-NEXT quantum research center. Marco Pistoia, head of Global Technology Applied Research at JPMorgan Chase, highlights the importance of quantum technology in financial institutions, especially in securing confidential client data. The bank is part of Q-NEXT to provide input on the community's role in supporting financial institutions. JPMorgan Chase contributes to Q-NEXT's mission to develop technology for quantum communication networks, which promise significant enhancements in speed and accuracy for financial portfolios. The bank also focuses on establishing quantum-secured communication channels through quantum key distribution (QKD), an unconditionally secure technology.
https://www.anl.gov/article/pushing-the-quantum-frontier-for-finance-jpmorgan-chases-marco-pistoia
Paper: Quantum Algorithm Exploration using Application-Oriented Performance Benchmarks
The QED-C suite of Application-Oriented Benchmarks, developed by Thomas Lubinski and a team of 13 other researchers, provides a means to evaluate the performance of quantum computers in real-world applications. The team introduced a method for improving landscape coverage by varying algorithm parameters and added a VQE implementation of a Hydrogen Lattice simulation to the suite. They observed a decrease in accuracy with an increased number of qubits but only a slight increase in execution time. The team also explored the unique characteristics of a supervised machine-learning classification application as a benchmark.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.08985v1
Rigetti Computing Completes $75M Share Sale Agreement
Rigetti Computing, a key player in the quantum computing industry, has successfully raised $12.8 million in net proceeds. This was achieved by selling over 10 million shares to B. Riley Principal Capital II LLC, as part of an agreement established in August 2022.
It’s Time To Pop The Post-Quantum Crypto Bubble
Kevin Bocek, Chief Innovation Officer at Venafi, suggests that the hype around quantum cryptography readiness is misplaced and causing a diversion from real issues in cybersecurity. Instead of focusing on 'crypto-agility', Bocek argues that the real challenge lies in managing machine identities such as TLS certificates and code signing certificates, which will need to be replaced. He emphasizes the need for automation and governance in updating applications, rather than worrying about which cryptographic algorithm to use. Bocek points out that the Global 5000 does not dictate cryptographic choices; these are made by those developing applications for cloud services. He concludes that the key to navigating the complex quantum landscape lies in comprehensive governance and automated lifecycle management.
Diamond quantum memory with Germanium vacancy exceeds coherence time of 20 ms
Researchers at Ulm University in Germany have developed a diamond quantum memory using a Germanium vacancy (GeV) center, achieving a coherence time of over 20 milliseconds, a record in the field. The team, led by Katharina Senkalla, employed a two-fold strategy to overcome challenges related to phonon-mediated relaxation that affects coherence and memory time. The strategy involved mitigating phonon impact on quantum information using a Dilution Refrigerator and implementing meticulous spin refocusing with microwave pulses. The findings, published in Physical Review Letters, could inspire greater use of group-IV defects for quantum communication applications, potentially impacting industries like Amazon Web Services, which are exploring quantum networks based on group IV defects.
https://phys.org/news/2024-02-diamond-quantum-memory-germanium-vacancy.html
Continuous-time quantum walks for MAX-CUT are hot
A team of researchers from the London Centre for Nanotechnology and Newham Collegiate Sixth Form Centre have published a study on continuous-time quantum walks for MAX-CUT problems. The team leveraged the link between time-independent Hamiltonians and thermalisation to make heuristic predictions on the performance of these quantum walks. The predictions were found to depend on the number of triangles in the underlying MAX-CUT graph. The researchers also extended these results to time-dependent settings with multi-stage quantum walks and Floquet systems.
https://quantum-journal.org/papers/q-2024-02-13-1254/
Paper: Quantum Backtracking in Qrisp Applied to Sudoku Problems
Raphael Seidel and six other researchers have implemented the quantum backtracking algorithm proposed by Ashley Montanaro, using Qrisp, a high-level quantum programming language. This algorithm provides a quantum speed-up for many classical optimization algorithms and requires only a limited number of arbitrary angle gates. The team detailed the process of constructing accept and reject oracles for Sudoku problems and demonstrated solving 4x4 Sudoku instances with up to 9 empty fields. This is the first instance of a compilable implementation of this generality, marking a significant advancement in quantum software engineering.
Fascinating developments.
The news from DiraQ and Rigetti, combined with other news of funding rounds eralier this year, hints that last years investment slump wasn't due to the general slowdown of VC funding affecting the QC market, but that the AI mania syphoned the available capital and that things are returning to normal (more or less).
Anything quantum related at (or near) room temperature is also fascinating, because it hints at this tantalizing holy grail of room temperature QC, which is awesome, not in the least because dillution refrigeration is so frigging expensive.
And topological qubits on a trapped ion QC? I know topological qubits are still a loooong way off, but damn, that stuff has promise, even if thinking about it ties my brains in knots (or was that braids?)...