The Week in Quantum Computing - June 21st
Issue #41
The Week in Quantum Computing. Brought to you by Sergio Gago (@piratecto) and The Quantum World Association.
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Quick Recap
One more quarter we got TQD report showing very good growth on investing: about $600 million (US) in new capital flowed into quantum startups during the quarter. Including a SPAC and a (kind-of) merger. In the meantime we got a robust rack-size ion-trapped harware proposal to put in your colo next to your Xen servers, the first IBM computer in Germany, the G7 stating the importance of quantum technologies and one potential exit. A couple of very interesting papers on VQE optimization and finance portfolios.
The Quote of the Week
"We need to shift from designing applications to designing implications." Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby - designers.
Featured Content
Quantum Facts by @quantumfyed
The Summary of the Week
Are Quantum Computers Over Hyped?
The science is strong and confirmed. Quarantine computers are already working as planned. But a mainstream technology cannot be developed: scalability. That’s it. Classical computers use trillions of transistors on a single chip to calculate issues. There are now around 50 qubits of quantum computers.
Link: https://ift.tt/3pQIKyG
June 14, 2021 at 08:33PM
G-7 plans steps to defend academic research with eye on China
TOKYO -- The Group of Seven nations will agree on creating guidelines to prevent leaks of sensitive research data when leaders meet this week, Nikkei has learned, looking to protect joint projects amid growing concerns about the risk of theft by China. The U.S.
Link: https://ift.tt/3g3icH8
June 14, 2021 at 10:33PM
via Pocket https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Technology/G-7-plans-steps-to-defend-academic-research-with-eye-on-China
Paper: Quantum Portfolio Optimization with Investment Bands and Target Volatility
In this paper we show how to implement in a simple way some complex real-life constraints on the portfolio optimization problem, so that it becomes amenable to quantum optimization algorithms. Specifically, first we explain how to obtain the best investment portfolio with a given target risk. This is important in order to produce portfolios with different risk profiles, as typically offered by financial institutions. Second, we show how to implement individual investment bands, i.e., minimum and maximum possible investments for each asset. This is also important in order to impose diversification and avoid corner solutions. Quite remarkably, we show how to build the constrained cost function as a quadratic binary optimization (QUBO) problem, this being the natural input of quantum annealers. The validity of our implementation is proven by finding the efficient frontier, using D-Wave Hybrid and its Advantage quantum processor, on static portfolios taking assets from the S&P500. We use three different subsets of this index. First, the S&P100 which consists of 100 of the largest companies of the S&P500; second, the 200 best-performing companies of the S&P500; and third, the full S&P500 itself. Our results show how practical daily constraints found in quantitative finance can be implemented in a simple way in current NISQ quantum processors, with real data, and under realistic market conditions. In combination with clustering algorithms, our methods would allow to replicate the behaviour of more complex indexes, such as Nasdaq Composite or others, in turn being particularly useful to build and replicate Exchange Traded Funds (ETF).
Link: https://ift.tt/3gBYAsH
June 15, 2021 at 09:33AM
TQD’s Second Quarter Report Shows Surge of Funding for Quantum Companies
The second quarter for 2021 shows that quantum technologies continue to be an area of intense — and growing — interest for both commercial and governmental funding, according to The Quantum Daily and The Quantum Insider.
Data show that about $600 million (US) in new private capital flowed into quantum startups during the quarter. That figure is more than doubled to $1.3 billion (US) in total private capital, including special acquisition company (SPAC) funding, year-to-date.
Link: https://ift.tt/3zxKwtg
June 15, 2021 at 08:33PM
How Germany is Building a Quantum Computing Ecosystem
By Ryan F. Mandelbaum, Sieglinde Pfaendler, and Fabio Scafirimuto This year, Germany kicked off its Roadmap Quantencomputing to lay the groundwork for a German-based quantum computing ecosystem. The country has earmarked two billion euros in order to see the vision through.
Link: https://ift.tt/3q01wUv
June 16, 2021 at 08:33AM
Here’s How Quantum Computers Will Really Affect Cryptocurrencies
There’s been a lot of focus recently on encryption within the context of cryptocurrencies. Taproot being implemented in bitcoin has led to more cryptographic primitives that make the bitcoin network more secure and private.
Link: https://ift.tt/3iKt3ro
June 16, 2021 at 08:33AM
IBM unveils first quantum computer in Germany
IBM unveiled one of Europe's most powerful quantum computers on Tuesday, during an event at its German headquarters. The quantum computer is to be housed in Ehningen, which is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) southwest of Stuttgart. It will be operated by Germany's Fraunhofer research institute.
Link: https://ift.tt/3go8gbA
June 16, 2021 at 12:33PM
‘Talking’ quantum dots could be used as qubits – Physics World
New atomic-scale computer simulations of how quantum dots “talk” to each other could lead to a wide range of practical applications ranging from quantum computing to green energy.
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June 16, 2021 at 09:33PM
via Pocket https://physicsworld.com/talking-quantum-dots-could-be-used-as-qubits/
Cutting-edge research into quantum computing : BMW Group and Technical University of Munich agree to create an endowed chair in “Quantum Algorithms and Applications”.
Munich. The BMW Group will in future be supporting research into quantum computing at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Today, Prof. Thomas F.
Link: https://ift.tt/3q0Df0o
June 17, 2021 at 11:33AM
Paper: EVA: a quantum Exponential Value Approximation algorithm
VQE is currently one of the most widely used algorithms for optimizing problems using quantum computers. A necessary step in this algorithm is calculating the expectation value given a state, which is calculated by decomposing the Hamiltonian into Pauli operators and obtaining this value for each of them. In this work, we have designed an algorithm capable of figuring this value using a single circuit. A time cost study has been carried out, and it has been found that in certain more complex Hamiltonians, it is possible to obtain a good performance over the current methods.
Link: https://ift.tt/2S2awfa
June 17, 2021 at 11:33AM
IonQ’s Leading Trapped-Ion Quantum Hardware Now Available on Google Cloud Marketplace.
IonQ’s systems will be the first third-party quantum computers purchasable via the Google Cloud Marketplace; will support Google’s Cirq and other quantum development kits IonQ, Inc.
Link: https://ift.tt/35tGZxZ
June 17, 2021 at 08:33PM
IQM announces KQCircuits - An open-source software to design superconducting quantum processors
Espoo, Finland. IQM Quantum Computers (IQM) announced today its open-source software tool KQCircuits to automate the design of superconducting quantum processors. KQCircuits is a Python library jointly developed by Aalto University and IQM using the KLayout design program.
Link: https://ift.tt/2SAXVjC
June 18, 2021 at 08:33AM
Clearing the way toward robust quantum computing
MIT researchers have made a significant advance on the road toward the full realization of quantum computation, demonstrating a technique that eliminates common errors in the most essential operation of quantum algorithms, the two-qubit operation or “gate.
Link: https://ift.tt/3wvGr6I
June 18, 2021 at 08:33AM
Sonora Announces LOI to Acquire BTQ AG
Vancouver, British Columbia and Vaduz, Liechtenstein - TheNewswire - V:SOC) (the “Company” or “Sonora”) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a letter of intent dated June 14, 2021 (the “LOI”) to complete a business combination (the “Transaction”) with BTQ AG, an arm’s le
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June 18, 2021 at 06:33PM
via Pocket https://www.thenewswire.com/press-releases?id=1LaPFGxny#news
Quantum Breakthrough: New Invention Keeps Qubits of Light Stable at Room Temperature
Researchers from University of Copenhagen have developed a new technique that keeps quantum bits of light stable at room temperature instead of only working at -270 degrees. Their discovery saves power and money and is a breakthrough in quantum research.
Link: https://ift.tt/3gvMNgL
June 19, 2021 at 08:33AM
via Pocket https://scitechdaily.com/quantum-breakthrough-new-invention-keeps-qubits-of-light-stable-at-room-temperature/
Compact quantum computer for server centers
Over the past three decades, fundamental groundwork for building quantum computers has been pioneered at the University of Innsbruck, Austria.
Link: https://ift.tt/3zD6omH
June 19, 2021 at 05:33PM