The Week in Quantum Computing - Jan 25th
Issue #20
The Week in Quantum Computing. Brought to you by Sergio Gago (@piratecto) and The Quantum World Association.
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Quick Recap
This week is about money. France announces €1.8 billion fund for a “plan quantique” setting a high bar across Europe. A new SeriesA announced in Hefei, China for Origin Quantum. The Netherlands creates IMPAQT, a consortium of quantum computing startups. India partners up with AWS to develop QC. South Korea Q center partners with IonQ and a bold announcement: In 2026 the worldwide QC industry will exceed $7.1 billion.
But also quite a few developments. From majorana zero modes, to photonics. Including a wonderful paper summarizing everything that is possible today in the NISQ era.
Featured Content
Quantum Machine Learning is living its moment. Current NISQ algorithms like VQAs provide potential benefits by working with hybrid approaches. Although a recent paper tried to prove that training Variational Quantum Algorithms is an NP Hard which would add difficulties to the process (on top of complex ansatzes, barren plateaus, decoherence, etc…).
With all this, some people ask me: Can you go into QML without knowing classical ML? My answer is definetely no. You need to know the classical first before you try to improve it! Here are a bunch of cheatsheets and resources that helped me get in shape with ML: https://stanford.edu/~shervine/teaching/cs-229/
Where Quantum Technology Means Business™
The next Inside Quantum Technology Conference and Exhibition will be held online May 17-21, 2021. This will be the fourth such event and is the foremost gathering of business leaders, product developers, marketing strategists and investors anywhere in the world focused on quantum technology. We are anticipating that over 1,000 people will be attending this event from all over the world and from every area of quantum technology.
This conference includes panels and keynotes on eight topics critical to those seeking new business revenues from quantum-related opportunities.
Early Bird Registration Starts Today!
Only $49 Through 4 February
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
Princeton partners on $30 million grant to advance internet infrastructure
Princeton University researchers are partners on a major initiative to help shape the next generation of computer networks. The effort, known as Project Pronto, aims to build and test new types of flexible, programmable networks to advance network security, performance and innovation.
Link: https://ift.tt/3bPVOzo
January 17, 2021 at 12:33PM
Origin Quantum raises over 100m yuan in latest fundraising round
Hefei-based quantum computing enterprise Origin Quantum recently announced that it has raised over 100 million yuan ($15.45 million) in its series A round of fundraising.
The new round was led by China Internet Investment Fund and attracted investors including Guoxin Fund, CICC Qizhi, Chengdu Industrial Investment, CCB International, Zhongke Yucheng, Zhongtian Fortune, as well as Pangu Turing.
Link: https://ift.tt/35PrhxY
January 17, 2021 at 05:33PM
Dutch Quantum computing startups join hands to create IMPAQT consortium
On the 11th of December 2020, members of the IMPAQT consortium signed an agreement to collaborate on ensuring that different building blocks of QC are interfaced well. In the future, this will allow Quantum Computer manufacturers to easily integrate subsystems.
Link: https://ift.tt/2LzpVk6
January 17, 2021 at 05:33PM
Improving LIDAR and GPS: Breaking Through the Resolution Barrier With Quantum-Limited Precision
Researchers at Paderborn University have developed a new method of distance measurement for systems such as GPS, which achieves more precise results than ever before.
Link: https://ift.tt/3nTLB7F
January 18, 2021 at 09:33AM
Transforming quantum computing’s promise into practice
It was music that sparked William Oliver’s lifelong passion for computers. Growing up in the Finger Lakes region of New York, he was an avid keyboard player. “But I got into music school on voice,” says Oliver, “because it was a little bit easier.”
Link: https://ift.tt/39JecXZ
January 19, 2021 at 01:33PM
Telekom focuses on research into quantum technologies
Under the leadership of its research and development department, the Telekom Innovation Laboratories (T-Labs), Deutsche Telekom is participating in the PlanQK project (Platform and Ecosystem for Quantum-Assisted Artificial Intelligence), funded by the German Federal Ministry of the Economy.
Link: https://ift.tt/39JcndS
January 19, 2021 at 09:33PM
via Pocket https://www.telekom.com/en/media/media-information/archive/telekom-focuses-on-research-into-quantum-technologies-616020
Top 10 Quantum Computing Companies in 2021
Judging from the investments in the field, quantum computing seems like a promising yet competitive space. Let's understand what quantum computing is first! Quantum Computing is a domain with lots of questions, assumptions, and theories surrounding it.
Link: https://ift.tt/3qNgU5Z
January 19, 2021 at 09:33PM
Scientists' discovery is paving the way for novel ultrafast quantum computers
Researchers showed that microcrystals, synthesised on the basis of mixed optical fluoride crystal matrices doped with erbium, praseodymium and some other ions of rare earth elements, can work as qubits that enable ultrafast optical quantum computing. Credit: wikipedia.
Link: https://ift.tt/38MHBkN
January 19, 2021 at 09:33PM
New and Hardened Quantum Crypto System Notches "Milestone" Open-Air Test
Quantum cryptography remains the ostensibly impervious technology for which new hacks and potential vulnerabilities continue to be uncovered—perhaps ultimately calling into question its alleged unhackability.
Yet now comes word of a successful Chinese open-air test of a new generation quantum crypto system that allows for untrustworthy relay stations.
Link: https://ift.tt/2XTDsFA
January 19, 2021 at 11:33PM
One-dimensional quantum nanowires fertile ground for Majorana zero modes
Why is studying spin properties of one-dimensional quantum nanowires important? Quantum nanowires-which have length but no width or height-provide a unique environment for the formation and detection of a quasiparticle known as a Majorana zero mode.
Link: https://ift.tt/35UwlRy
January 20, 2021 at 08:33AM
MeitY to establish Quantum Computing Applications Lab in collaboration with AWS
In an initiative to apply quantum computing to advance India's science and technology development initiatives and bolster the economy, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in collaboration with AWS will establish a Quantum Computing Applications Lab in the country.
Link: https://ift.tt/2M4Nq4e
January 20, 2021 at 09:33AM
Macquare University Photonics study shoots lasers through diamonds for quantum encryption
Shooting a laser through a diamond produces a “random polarisation state”, making truly random patterns that are impossible to predict. Randomness is a surprisingly key ingredient in computing and technology, especially in the field of cryptography.
Link: https://ift.tt/3sF2JS0
January 20, 2021 at 09:33AM
Paper: Connecting ansatz expressibility to gradient magnitudes and barren plateaus
Parameterized quantum circuits serve as ansätze for solving variational problems and provide a flexible paradigm for programming near-term quantum computers. Ideally, such ansätze should be highly expressive so that a close approximation of the desired solution can be accessed. On the other hand, the ansatz must also have sufficiently large gradients to allow for training. Here, we derive a fundamental relationship between these two essential properties: expressibility and trainability. This is done by extending the well established barren plateau phenomenon, which holds for ansätze that form exact 2-designs, to arbitrary ansätze. Specifically, we calculate the variance in the cost gradient in terms of the expressibility of the ansatz, as measured by its distance from being a 2-design. Our resulting bounds indicate that highly expressive ansätze exhibit flatter cost landscapes and therefore will be harder to train. Furthermore, we provide numerics illustrating the effect of expressiblity on gradient scalings, and we discuss the implications for designing strategies to avoid barren plateaus.
Link: https://ift.tt/3sGuZUd
January 20, 2021 at 12:33PM
Aker BP Partners with Cambridge Quantum Computing to Develop Quantum Machine Learning Algorithms for Multiphase Flow
Cambridge Quantum Computing (“CQC”) is pleased to announce the results of their work with one of Europe’s largest independent energy companies, Aker BP.
Link: https://ift.tt/3bWeFJl
January 20, 2021 at 03:33PM
Industry leaders showcase solutions at Azure Quantum Developer Workshop
Learn from our industry-leading partners about the latest developments in quantum computing and optimization solutions at our second Azure Quantum Developer Workshop.
Link: https://ift.tt/3bUrS5q
January 20, 2021 at 06:33PM
Quantum-safe security firm evolutionQ publishes research report on Quantum Random Number Generators
evolutionQ published a research report on Quantum Random Number Generators (QRNGs) that is freely available for download on the evolutionQ website (https://ift.tt/2LKJV2L).
Link: https://ift.tt/3nHJq71
January 20, 2021 at 06:33PM
How Quantum Computers Could Usher In a Golden Age of Computing Power
Quantum computers could usher in a golden age of computing power, solving problems intractable on today’s machines. Since the 1940s, classical computers have improved at breakneck speed.
Link: https://ift.tt/3qPWXeP
January 20, 2021 at 10:33PM
A Tale of Colliding Electrons: Boosting the Accuracy of Chemical Simulations on Quantum Computers
Quantum computers are, by their very nature, well-suited to help scientists achieve breakthrough discoveries in chemistry by simulating intrinsically quantum mechanical objects like molecules more efficiently than classical computers can.
Link: https://ift.tt/39Pt9I9
January 21, 2021 at 08:33AM
We run and customize the IBM Qiskit tutorial for portfolio optimization (8 stocks) - and give you the source code
Jeffrey Cohen, President, US Advanced Computing Infrastructure, Inc. Jan 19, 2021, 4pm CDT Python source code attached to the bottom of this blog (file and github link) so you can run it too. We decide to bring the author up to speed on gate-based computing.
Link: https://ift.tt/3nXe64g
January 21, 2021 at 08:33AM
Emmanuel Macron présente un « plan quantique » de 1,8 milliard d’euros sur cinq ans
Le chef de l’Etat, Emmanuel Macron, doit présenter, jeudi matin 21 janvier, sur le plateau de Saclay un plan d’investissement national de 1,8 milliard d’euros dans les technologies quantiques, appelées à transformer l’informatique et l’industrie, a indiqué l’Elysée.
Link: https://ift.tt/3o49WHU
January 21, 2021 at 11:33AM
Venture Israel invests in Israel Quantir
Link: https://ift.tt/3o5vUdB
January 21, 2021 at 12:33PM
12 Events That Changed The Course of Quantum Information Science
For many people, the story of quantum computing (QC) and quantum information science (QIS) really began way back in 1927 at the Solvay Conference, in Belgium. Formally the fifth conference ever organized, the topic of agenda was on ‘Electrons and Photons’.
Link: https://ift.tt/2Mbf6o8
January 22, 2021 at 08:33AM
Paper: Noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) algorithms
A universal fault-tolerant quantum computer that can solve efficiently problems such as integer factorization and unstructured database search requires millions of qubits with low error rates and long coherence times. While the experimental advancement towards realizing such devices will potentially take decades of research, noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) computers already exist. These computers are composed of hundreds of noisy qubits, i.e. qubits that are not error-corrected, and therefore perform imperfect operations in a limited coherence time. In the search for quantum advantage with these devices, algorithms have been proposed for applications in various disciplines spanning physics, machine learning, quantum chemistry and combinatorial optimization. The goal of such algorithms is to leverage the limited available resources to perform classically challenging tasks. In this review, we provide a thorough summary of NISQ computational paradigms and algorithms. We discuss the key structure of these algorithms, their limitations, and advantages. We additionally provide a comprehensive overview of various benchmarking and software tools useful for programming and testing NISQ devices.
And Alan Aspuru-Guzik talking about it in a seminar:
Link: https://ift.tt/3o8GyAj
January 22, 2021 at 10:33AM
A curious observer’s guide to quantum mechanics, pt. 2: The particle melting pot
One of the quietest revolutions of our current century has been the entry of quantum mechanics into our everyday technology. It used to be that quantum effects were confined to physics laboratories and delicate experiments.
Link: https://ift.tt/2Y9Hnhr
January 22, 2021 at 10:33AM
The Worldwide Quantum Computing Industry will Exceed $7.1 Billion by 2026
Dublin, Jan. 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Quantum Computing Market by Technology, Infrastructure, Services, and Industry Verticals 2021 - 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
Link: https://ift.tt/3qHWLhn
January 22, 2021 at 10:33AM
IonQ and South Korea's Q Center Announce Three-Year Quantum Alliance
COLLEGE PARK, Md., /PRNewswire/ -- IonQ, the leader in quantum computing, today announced a three-year alliance with South Korea's Quantum Information Research Support Center, or Q Center.
Link: https://ift.tt/2LMaoNN
January 22, 2021 at 02:33PM
Pulser: a control software at the pulse-level for Pasqal quantum processors
Quantum processors have the potential to outperform classical computers on some of the hardest computational tasks. In order to reach a practical quantum advantage, a precise control over the quantum resources is required.
Link: https://ift.tt/3pc0Zxl
January 22, 2021 at 10:33PM
Quantum Computer Breakthrough: New Blueprint for Better, Faster Qubits
Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have put forward a detailed plan of how faster and better defined quantum bits — qubits — can be created.
Link: https://ift.tt/2Y2Ya5M
January 23, 2021 at 01:33AM