The Week in Quantum Computing - May 9th - IonQ gets blasted, and responds, Pasqal goes cloud, SandboxIQ gets CIA money and EY's, Biden pushes quantum in the US and Frozen neon qubits join the party

Issue #86

Sergio Gago

May 9, 2022

The Week in Quantum Computing. Brought to you by Sergio Gago (@piratecto). This week Sponsored by Artificial Brain.

Do you like this Newsletter? Like, share and subscribe! :) (or do the three things in superposition :) ).

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How to get into Quantum Computing, the Software developer version

Promoted - When I give talks on Quantum, mainly to Software Engineers and Data Scientists, I always get the same questions. Do I need a PhD for that? and: How do I use my current skills to learn more?

1. You don't need a PhD in Physics to learn quantum computing (although the algebra helps). In fact, the industry NEEDS a lot of developers to pitch in and deliver quantum solutions

2. There are plenty of materials, books, videos and open source projects that use the most common DS tools. You just need to wrap your head around building different types of algorithms

From all the books, this one is tailor made for engineers. It gives a nice overview of the basics but without entering in very complicated mathematics and then guides you through Java code that builds and executes quantum circuits. Java is one of the most used programming languages in the world so this book opens a nice gate for those who want to understand the basic concepts and enter the rabbit hole like champions. Really recommended.

Discount: Code: infsega35
Also, first commenter in the newsletter will receive a free copy :)

Quantum Computing Industry Guide

See the complete guide here.

Fantastic infographic work by Quantum Futures and Connor Teague.

Quick Recap

Well, it is no joke that weeks never go unnoticed in quantum computing. IonQ gets completely scathed by Scorpion Capital in this report. The Quantum Insider wrote a great summary, that was followed by IonQ’s answer to it. My take?
The report has apparently some truths but many, many incongruences and wrong assumptions. Let me be clear: Quantum Computers are not here to perform additions (1+1 my friend). We don’t know whether trapped ions, superconducting qubits, photons, or the new contendant, frozen neon will win the race. But we know one will. It is a very cheap technique to short a public company and the publish a high school level report on how “bad” apparently they are.

In the meantime, Biden signs the directive that should put the US on par with China. We got the first QRNG in the cloud availble to use for Web3 applications while Samsung unveils the first device with a QRNG chip, Sandbox gets money from the CIA (tremble dictators of the world! now they can decrypt your messages!). In short: everyone is getting ready for Y2Q, the year Peter Shor decrypts our internets!

Man, this week was CRAZY! I think I’m going to chill and play some quantum metal for the rest of it

The Week in Quantum Computing

Quantum computing brings new horizons

“Quantum computers are a route to saving our planet,” said Ilyas Khan, founder, and CEO of Cambridge Quantum Computing and CEO of Quantinuum. “In a quantum computer, the most important uses are not going to be something revolving around fintech.

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May 01, 2022 at 02:48PM

Quantum computing promises to solve data center energy drain

Data centers represent a massive drain on our world’s energy resources and are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. These computing hubs produce 200 million tons of CO2 annually and consume 2% of electricity worldwide, according to Accenture, which projects that figure will reach 8% by 2030. Aspen Global Change Institute adds that some of the world’s largest data centers use more than 100MW of power — enough to power about 80,000 U.S. households.

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May 02, 2022 at 11:30PM

Quantastica – Shaping the Future of Quantum Algorithm Development

Quantum computers open up a new paradigm of computing. They promise exponential speedups for specific calculations but also require entirely new algorithms. And developing these is a tough challenge.

Whereas some known quantum algorithms, like Shor’s algorithm, were developed by hand and through human thinking, there hasn’t been a systematic way to create new ones. Or to optimize existing ones: As every gate operation adds a small error to the calculation, the goal is to make the quantum circuit implementing a quantum algorithm as short as possible.

Link: https://ift.tt/UEmlD2h
May 03, 2022 at 07:30AM

Hyundai Looks to Quantum for Better Self-Driving Cars

The next generation of vehicles, including autonomous vehicles, may be smarter and safer thanks to quantum computing. Hyundai Motor Company and quantum computing company IonQ just announced a joint project to improve computer functionality for vehicles using quantum-powered machine learning.

Link: https://ift.tt/cISsKu4
May 03, 2022 at 10:30AM

Sign-problem free quantum stochastic series expansion algorithm on a quantum computer

A quantum implementation of the Stochastic Series Expansion (SSE) Monte Carlo method is proposed, and is shown to offer significant advantages over classical implementations of SSE.

Link: https://ift.tt/JuhRa5t
May 03, 2022 at 03:30PM

Choose Your Own Quantum Adventure

When I shared my first book, “Dungeons & Qubits: an Adventurer’s Tale Beyond the Quantum Computing Tutorials,” on June 6, 2021, I simply uploaded the PDF to Google Drive and posted the link everywhere I could.

Link: https://ift.tt/aOGIyt7
May 03, 2022 at 03:30PM

Make a great first impression with your quantum computing resume

In the last couple of years I’ve been mentoring, educating and supporting a lot of people who were at the start of their journey with quantum computing. Apart from that, I’ve been helping with hiring for various positions at Zapata Computing.

Link: https://ift.tt/YyuZln4
May 03, 2022 at 03:30PM

Sandbox AQ Gets Backing from CIA’s Venture Arm

(Bloomberg) -- The Central Intelligence Agency’s venture capital firm has invested in Sandbox AQ, a Google software spinoff that is focused on harnessing artificial intelligence and quantum science.

Link: https://ift.tt/4eqGQAs
May 03, 2022 at 06:30PM

API3 QRNG

— Today, we’re proud to announce that API3 QRNG, based on the ANU Quantum Numbers (AQN) API from the Australian National University (ANU) Quantum Optics Group, is now live, allowing smart contracts to access truly random (unpredictable) numbers that are highly secure and freely available.

Link: https://ift.tt/DbnSfm1
May 03, 2022 at 06:30PM

Quantum Winter - or is there a better question?

I often get asked about ‘Quantum Winter’ and as someone who escaped the Northeast for Miami Beach 4 years ago that gives me chills in more than one way. Before we talk about chilly temperatures, let’s take a look at another emerging doomsday label that is making the rounds: Y2Q.

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May 03, 2022 at 08:30PM

IONQ Stock Falls 10% Following Scorpion Capital Short Report. 11 Things to Know.

IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) stock is down about 7% today after Scorpion Capital released an 183-page short report on the company. IonQ operates as a quantum-computing company, claiming to have “the world’s most powerful quantum computer.

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May 04, 2022 at 07:30AM

SeQUeNCe: Simulator of QUantum Network Communication

SeQUeNCe is an open source, discrete-event simulator for quantum networks. As described in our paper, the simulator includes 5 modules on top of a simulation kernel:

Link: https://ift.tt/C2yqbAe
May 04, 2022 at 08:30AM

IDEMIA and Telefónica España boost the security of 5G SIM technology with pioneering solutions to protect users’ communications

Telefónica Spain is carrying out a pilot project to employ the Quantum-Safe 5G SIM card developed by IDEMIA with the aim of guaranteeing customer privacy.

Link: https://ift.tt/vWlV7hZ
May 04, 2022 at 10:30AM

TQI Exclusive: IonQ Stock Falls After Short Report From Scorpion Capita

A scathing short report on IonQ was released yesterday by Scorpion Capital, helping drive a 10% decline in the IONQ share price. Scorpion have accused IonQ, the developer of Ion Trap based Quantum Computers (QCs) of being a hoax.

Link: https://ift.tt/h0bjrnp
May 04, 2022 at 01:31PM

Sandbox AQ and EY Announce Strategic Alliance Plans to Bring Quantum Technology Solutions to Enterprise Businesses

Sandbox AQ, an enterprise SaaS company delivering the compound effects of AI and quantum tech (AQ), and Ernst & Young LLP (EY US), one of the world's largest professional services firms, today announce plans to enter into a strategic alliance, bringing quantum AI solutions to EY clients.

Link: https://ift.tt/rGcQjKb
May 04, 2022 at 05:30PM

Biden Orders Quantum Computing Drive as China Challenge Grows

President Joe Biden will sign directives on Wednesday aimed at preparing the U.S for a new era of quantum computing, as Chinese agencies and companies pour billions of dollars into the next-generation technology.

Link: https://ift.tt/ZRzNfvw
May 04, 2022 at 06:30PM

Planet-sized telescopes could be possible using quantum techniques

Huge networks of interconnected telescopes may run into image-sharpening problems that classical physics can't handle. Accounting for the quantum properties of starlight could allow astronomers to get past these constraints

Link: https://ift.tt/9UwQhlq
May 05, 2022 at 09:30AM

IonQ Reiterates Unwavering Commitment to Building the Quantum Future

COLLEGE PARK, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, IonQ (NYSE: IONQ) shared a statement on the short seller report published yesterday. IonQ is building quantum computing for today and for the future.

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May 05, 2022 at 09:30AM

Building a prototype for the world’s first large-scale quantum computer

Scientists at the University of Sussex have developed the world’s first blue print for building a quantum computer, which has been made public so scientists can further develop the groundbreaking technology. Prof Winfried Hensinger and Dr Bjoern Lekitsch with a model of their prototype.

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May 05, 2022 at 04:30PM

Frozen Neon Invention Jolts Quantum Computer Race

While machine learning has been around a long time, deep learning has taken on a life of its own lately.

Link: https://ift.tt/JDce3sh
May 05, 2022 at 06:30PM

Sandbox AQ CEO: Enterprises must prep for quantum threats

Sandbox began life as a secretive division of Google parent company Alphabet in 2016, and in March 2022 became a company in its own right, Sandbox AQ. The A is for artificial intelligence, and the Q is for quantum, says CEO Jack Hidary.

Link: https://ift.tt/3cv4tP1
May 05, 2022 at 06:30PM

Accelerate hybrid quantum-classical algorithms on Amazon Braket using embedded simulators from Xanadu’s PennyLane featuring NVIDIA cuQuantum

In 2021, Amazon Braket, the fully-managed quantum computing service from AWS, launched Amazon Braket Hybrid Jobs to provide customers a convenient way to run hybrid algorithms without worrying about managing the underlying infrastructure.

Link: https://ift.tt/6NhHgfM
May 05, 2022 at 09:30PM

The Quest for an Ideal Quantum Bit: New Qubit Breakthrough Could Revolutionize Quantum Computing

You are no doubt viewing this article on a digital device whose basic unit of information is the bit, either 0 or 1. Scientists around the world are racing to develop a new type of computer based on the use of quantum bits, or qubits.

Link: https://ift.tt/64EuITg
May 06, 2022 at 10:30AM

Collaborators observe quantum speed-up in optimization problems

The study was co-led by Mikhail Lukin, the George Vasmer Leverett Professor of Physics at Harvard and co-director of the Harvard Quantum Initiative, Markus Greiner, George Vasmer Leverett Professor of Physics, and Vladan Vuletic, Lester Wolfe Professor of Physics at MIT.

Link: https://ift.tt/nYZxHQf
May 06, 2022 at 10:30AM

Harvard and QuEra Collaborators Observe Quantum Speed-Up in Optimization Problems

BOSTON, May 5, 2022 — A collaboration between Harvard University with scientists at QuEra Computing, MIT, University of Innsbruck and other institutions has demonstrated a breakthrough application of neutral-atom quantum processors to solve problems of practical use. The work led by Professors Mikhail Lukin and Markus Greiner at Harvard and Vladan Vuletic at MIT, titled “Quantum Optimization of Maximum Independent Set using Rydberg Atom Arrays”, was published on May 5th, 2022, in Science Magazine.

Link: https://ift.tt/rZpu6Fg
May 06, 2022 at 05:30PM

PASQAL – First Neutral Atoms Quantum Computer available on the cloud

– PASQAL, the leading quantum computing startup announces that its PASQAL Cloud Services is online and will allow end users to access Neutral Atoms Quantum Computers from all over the world. PASQAL Cloud Services is the cloud-based quantum computing platform of PASQAL.

Link: https://ift.tt/gVkycvH
May 06, 2022 at 05:30PM

SK Telecom and Samsung unveil the Galaxy Quantum 3, the world’s most secure 5G smartphone featuring IDQ’s QRNG chip

SK Telecom (NYSE:SKM), Samsung Electronics and ID Quantique (IDQ), the world leader in quantum-safe security solutions, have worked together to release the ‘Galaxy Quantum 3’, the third Samsung smartphone equipped with quantum technology, designed to protect customers’ information.

Link: https://ift.tt/koJXL10
May 07, 2022 at 08:30PM

It takes three to tangle: Long-range quantum entanglement needs three-way interaction

Infographic explaining the experiment. Credit: RIKEN A theoretical study shows that long-range entanglement can indeed survive at temperatures above absolute zero, if the correct conditions are met. Quantum computing has been earmarked as the next revolutionary step in computing.

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May 07, 2022 at 08:30PM