The Week in Quantum Computing - January 11th. (18th Issue)
The Week in Quantum Computing. Brought to you by Sergio Gago (@piratecto) and The Quantum World Association.
Do you like this Newsletter? Like, share and subscribe! :) (or do the three things in superposition :) ).
Quick Recap
(Spanish content follows: First of all, @samuelgil from Suma Positiva has written a wonderful bullshit-free intro post on Quantum Computing: https://www.sumapositiva.com/p/quantumcomputing and since he was kind enough to mention me, now I have the pleasure to welcome quite a few of you new readers to my newsletter! ) (and for my usual readers, if you speak spanish I encourage you to read some of Samuel’s excellent write ups!)
It seems everybody is back from holidays and showing those results that did not make the cut in december. A new financing round last week: QuantumXchange raises $13,5M in a series A on a $58M post-money valuation (which is aligned with the common numbers we are seeing) , China advancing and gaining superiority (not supremacy!) in communications and good advances in a huge milestione towards a Quantum Internet. While Asia continues growing, new public projects and grants that pave the research way both in the Americas and Europe.
On the research side, a theory on hidden simmetries could help scale and build less noisy qubits (our holy grail at the moment), and a potential way to build interferometers in space (yes! It is cold enough so why not!).
All that just one week after beating the record on quantum teleportation distance and acuracy! (This is very relevant for communication, but remember it is not a “Beam me up Scottie” from Star Trek kind of thing).
Quantum state teleportation (as it is understood today) requires communicating classical bits through classical channels. So don’t dream yet of teleporting people or faster than light comms.
Featured Content
I strongly believe we as humans have not done a good job on properly introducing ethics into our technology breaktrhoughs. And as such the AI/ML industry is trying to leapfrog into solving critical issues that are a problem today. Quantum Computing poses an even bigger challenge here. More computational power unlocks previously closed doors for good and bad uses. At the same time military and espionage uses are just some of the reasons why ethics must be a key pillar in our field. The Quantum Daily is working on this wonderful initiative that summarizes why quantum ethics must be a thing of today.
There is more! Xanadu is hosting their QHack hackaton this friday. If you are into Quantum Machine Learning and interested in joining here is ther link: https://qhack.ai/
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
Prototype Microprocessor Developed Using Superconductors – 80 Times More Energy Efficient
Researchers from Yokohama National University in Japan have developed a prototype microprocessor using superconductor devices that are about 80 times more energy efficient than the state-of-the-art semiconductor devices found in the microprocessors of today’s high-performance computing systems.
Link: https://ift.tt/3rRVoOv
January 03, 2021 at 08:33PM
Video: How Xanadu’s photonic quantum computers work
The Xanadu Quantum Cloud is the first cloud platform offering access to photonic quantum computers via its silicon photonic chips. Learn how these chips generate and process quantum information through a series of innovative squeezers (the inputs), a fully programmable interferometer (the gates), and photon detectors (the outputs).
Quantum Annealing in 2020: Practical Quantum Computing
Quantum annealing is beginning to be commercially available with today’s technology. It can be used to solve optimization problems more effectively than traditional computers. What it is and how it works?
Link: https://ift.tt/2X5HsCz
January 04, 2021 at 11:33AM
Quantum Daily Investment 2020 and Quarterly Report
The Quantum Daily together with their product “Quantum Insider” report every quarter a great summary of the state of funding in our industry. While not all deals are there it is a wonderful summary of what has happened during last year.
Link: https://ift.tt/2MpJjjm
January 04, 2021 at 08:33PM
Reading out qubits like toppling dominoes: a new scalable approach towards the quantum computer
Creating a powerful, large-scale quantum computer depends on a clever design such that many qubits (the building block of a quantum computer) can be controlled and read out. Researchers at QuTech, a collaboration between TU Delft and TNO, have invented a new readout method that is an important step forward on the road towards such a large-scale quantum computer. They have published their findings in Nature Communications today.
Link: https://ift.tt/3rQQDEV
January 04, 2021 at 11:33PM
Paper: The light of the mind
Do quantum effects play a role in consciousness? Or are the two areas being linked simply because they are both difficult to understand? Betony Adams and Francesco Petruccione explore this developing, and contentious, field of quantum biophysics
Link: https://ift.tt/38dsPDq
January 05, 2021 at 10:33AM
Paper: Ultracold atom interferometry in space
Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) in free fall constitute a promising source for space-borne matter-wave interferometry. Indeed, BECs enjoy a slowly expanding wave function, display a large spatial coherence and can be engineered and probed by optical techniques. On a sounding rocket, we explore matter-wave fringes of multiple spinor components of a BEC released in free fall employing light-pulses to drive Bragg processes and induce phase imprinting. The prevailing microgravity played a crucial role in the observation of these interferences which not only reveal the spatial coherence of the condensates but also allow us to measure differential forces. Our work establishes matter-wave interferometry in space with future applications in fundamental physics, navigation and Earth observation.
Link: https://ift.tt/3rVn994
January 05, 2021 at 05:33PM
New Quantum Algorithms Finally Crack Nonlinear Equations
Two teams found different ways for quantum computers to process nonlinear systems by first disguising them as linear ones. Sometimes, it’s easy for a computer to predict the future.
Link: https://ift.tt/3ojCCxh
January 05, 2021 at 08:33PM
How Quantum Computing Will Transform Cybersecurity
Paul Lipman has worked in cybersecurity for 10+ years. He’s currently CEO of BullGuard, a global leader in consumer & small office security. Quantum computing is based on quantum mechanics, which governs how nature works at the smallest scales.
Link: https://ift.tt/2MDHcZt
January 05, 2021 at 09:33PM
China’s military modernisation
China’s military modernisation began long before Xi Jinping became chairman of the Central Military Commission in November 2012. But the pace and scope of that effort has greatly accelerated under him.
Link: https://ift.tt/3nhqThB
January 05, 2021 at 09:33PM
AFOSR awards 17 quantum research grants from Million Dollar International Quantum U Tech Accelerator competition
ARLINGTON, Va. (AFOSR) – The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Air Force Office of Scientific Research recently awarded 17 quantum information science grants, with a focus on basic research, to scientists and engineers at institutions across the globe.
Link: https://ift.tt/2LnyfCS
January 05, 2021 at 10:33PM
German Federal Ministry of Research launches first projects from future package for quantum technologies
To combat the economic consequences of the Corona crisis, the German government is putting into place an assistance package of historic proportions. A part of this is a package for the future of innovation, which also includes investments in quantum technologies.
Link: https://ift.tt/39mKIPN
January 06, 2021 at 07:33PM
The world's first integrated quantum communication network
Chinese scientists have established the world's first integrated quantum communication network, combining over 700 optical fibers on the ground with two ground-to-satellite links to achieve quantum key distribution over a total distance of 4,600 kilometers for users across the country.
Link: https://ift.tt/35fkzRF
January 06, 2021 at 10:33PM
Quantum Xchange Completes Initial Series A Funding, Appoints New Business and Technology Leaders to Meet Global Demand for Quantum-Safe Security Solutions
BETHESDA, Md. and NEW YORK – Jan. 7, 2021 –Quantum Xchange, a leader in quantum-safe products and services for crypto agility and quantum readiness, today announced that it has completed the initial close on $13.5 million of Series A capital at a $59 million post-money valuation. This follows the company’s initial funding of $10 million. The Series A capital will be used to scale operations, continue to innovate on the Phio family of solutions, and help Fortune 1,000 businesses and government agencies prepare for the looming quantum threat – when a quantum computer has the potential to break the encryption on which most enterprises, digital infrastructures, and economies rely.
Link: https://ift.tt/38pe5S5
January 07, 2021 at 09:33PM
Paper: Is Brain-Mind Quantum? A theory and supporting evidence
(Disclaimer: disputed paper!) We propose a non-substance dualism theory, following Heisenberg: The world consists of both ontologically real possibilities that do not obey Aristotle's Law of the Excluded Middle, and ontologically real Actuals that do obey the Law of the Excluded Middle. This quantum approach solves five issues in quantum mechanics and numerous puzzles about the mind-brain relationship. It raises the possibility that some aspects of mind are non-local, and that mind plays an active role in the physical world. We present supporting evidence.
Link: https://ift.tt/3pXi5z6
January 08, 2021 at 08:33AM
China Telecom launches quantum encrypted phone calls on smartphones in a new pilot programme
Some users of China Telecom, one of the country’s three state-owned telecoms companies, can now make quantum encrypted phone calls using a special SIM card and smartphone app, the company announced last week.
Link: https://ift.tt/3bhoKjM
January 09, 2021 at 10:33AM
Hidden Symmetry Could Be Key to Ultra-Powerful Quantum Computers
Researchers have found a way to protect highly fragile quantum systems from noise, which could aid in the design and development of new quantum devices, such as ultra-powerful quantum computers.
Link: https://ift.tt/3omeuKB
January 09, 2021 at 10:33AM
Could Quantum Computing be the Deep technology play of the decade? (Summary of companies and technologies)
Wall street typically looks ahead for its future investments, straining to invest in the latest technologies that might be revolutionary. But we have yet to see a first Quantum IPO – that is a pure-play quantum company brought to market.
Link: https://ift.tt/3oGXQW0
January 09, 2021 at 03:33PM