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Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai

Hype surrounding the rise of ChatGPT and the supposed ground Google is losing to Microsoft and OpenAI in the search wars has overshadowed more important developments in computing, progress which will have far greater implications than which website serves up better tax advice.

Quantum computing is the holy grail of scientists and researchers, but its still decades away from reality. Googles parent company, Alphabet, however moved the ball down the field last month with news that it found ways to ameliorate one of the biggest problems facing the nascent field: accuracy.

To date, all computing is done on a binary scale. A piece of information is stored as either one or zero, and these binary units (bits) are clumped together for further calculation. We need four bits to store the number eight (1000 in binary), for example. Its slow and clunky, but at least its simple and accurate. Silicon chips have been holding and processing bits for almost seven decades.

Quantum bits qubits can store data in more than two forms (it can be both 1 and 0 at the same time). That means larger chunks of information can be processed in a given amount of time. Among the many downsides is that the physical manifestation of a qubit requires super-cold temperatures just above zero degrees Kelvin and are susceptible to even the minutest amount of interference such as light. Theyre also error prone, which is a big problem in computing.

In a paper published in Nature last month, Google claims to have made a huge breakthrough in an important sub-field called quantum error correction. Their approach is quite simple. Instead of relying on individual physical qubits, scientists store information across many physical qubits but then view this collection as a single one (called a logical qubit).

Google had theorised that clumping a larger number of physical qubits to form a single logical qubit would reduce error rate. In its research paper, outlined in a blog post by CEO Sundar Pichai, the team found that a logical qubit formed from 49 physical qubits did indeed outperform one comprised of 17.

In reality, dedicating 49 qubits to the handling of just a single logical one sounds inefficient and even overkill. Imagine storing your photos on 49 hard drives just to ensure that, collectively, a single hard drive is error free. But given the vast potential of quantum computing, even such baby steps amount to significant progress.

More importantly, it gives the broader scientific community a basis from which to build on this knowledge to further advance related fields including materials science, mathematics and electrical engineering which will all be needed to make an actual quantum computer reality. The hope of building a system that can solve a problem which no current machine could feasibly manage is called quantum supremacy.

Four years ago, Google said it completed a test in 200 seconds for a task that would take a conventional supercomputer thousands of years, proof that were on the path to quantum supremacy.

But like artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT, proving they work is only one part of the puzzle. High accuracy and low error rates something recent chatbots are prone to remain elusive. Improvement on this front is a major goal for developers of both technologies, with OpenAI this week saying its new GPT-4 is 40% more likely to produce factual results than its predecessor.

Unfortunately, a supercooled computer crunching data isnt as fun as a digital assistant that can write limericks or draft a school essay. But in future these breakthroughs will be as comparable as the entertainment value of television versus the world-changing feat of landing a human on the moon. (c) 2023 Bloomberg LP

Feasible is a nebulous term, but generally means completion in a reasonable amount of time such as minutes or days, instead of years.

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Google is making breakthroughs much bigger than AI - TechCentral - TechCentral

A Quantum Leap into the Future

Hello, amazing people!

Are you ready to venture into the awe-inspiring world of quantum computing?

I can hardly contain my excitement as we explore this groundbreaking technology that has the potential to revolutionize how we approach complex problems.

So, buckle up and hold onto your hats, because were about to embark on a fantastic journey through the quantum realm!

You might be wondering, What on Earth is quantum computing, and why should I care?

Great question!

Quantum computing is an entirely new paradigm in computing that leverages the mind-bending principles of quantum mechanics to perform complex calculations at breakneck speeds.

These superpowered computers have the potential to dwarf even the most powerful supercomputers we know today.

From cryptography to drug discovery, quantum computing promises to reshape countless industries and unlock solutions to problems that were once considered unsolvable.

In classical computing, we deal with bits the fundamental units of information that represent either a 0 or a 1.

But in the world of quantum computing, we have qubits, which take things to a whole new level!

Qubits, short for quantum bits, can exist in a state of superposition, meaning they can represent both 0 and 1 simultaneously.

Sounds like science fiction, right?

But wait, theres more!

Thanks to a quantum phenomenon called entanglement, qubits can become inextricably linked, allowing them to share information instantly, no matter the distance between them.

Its like having a psychic connection between particles!

These unique properties of qubits enable quantum computers to perform multiple calculations at once, making them incredibly powerful and efficient.

Now that weve got a grasp on the fundamentals, lets dive into some of the jaw-dropping applications of quantum computing that are set to change the world as we know it.

Cryptography is the backbone of secure communication on the internet. One of the most widely-used cryptographic techniques is RSA encryption, which relies on the difficulty of factoring large prime numbers.

But what if I told you that quantum computers could crack this seemingly unbreakable code in the blink of an eye?

Enter Shors algorithm a quantum algorithm that can factor large numbers exponentially faster than the best-known classical algorithms.

With the advent of powerful quantum computers, we might need to rethink our encryption methods to keep our data safe.

But dont worry!

Quantum computing can also be our saviour, as it offers new ways to secure our communication, like quantum key distribution. Its like an arms race, but with qubits!

The process of drug discovery is incredibly complex and time-consuming, involving the analysis of countless molecular interactions.

But what if we could harness the power of quantum computing to speed up this process and revolutionize healthcare?

Quantum computers have the potential to simulate and analyze molecular structures with unprecedented accuracy, paving the way for the discovery of new drugs and personalized medicine.

By unlocking a deeper understanding of how molecules interact, we could develop more effective treatments for various diseases, including cancer and Alzheimers.

The possibilities are truly mind-blowing!

The Earths climate is an incredibly complex system, and predicting its behaviour is no easy feat. Classical computers struggle to model all the intricate variables and feedback loops involved.

But quantum computers, with their parallel processing capabilities, can take on this massive challenge!

With more accurate climate models, we can better understand the impacts of human activities on our planet and develop more effective strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Quantum computing might just be the key to unlocking a sustainable future for generations to come.

The race to build the worlds most powerful quantum computer is heating up, with countries and tech giants vying for quantum supremacy.

The United States, China, and Europe are all investing heavily in quantum research, while companies like IBM, Google, and Microsoft are developing cutting-edge quantum technologies.

In 2019, Google claimed to have achieved quantum supremacy with their 53-qubit quantum computer, Sycamore, which reportedly solved a problem in just 200 seconds that would have taken a classical supercomputer 10,000 years to crack.

While some experts debated the significance of this milestone, its clear that were getting closer to the era of practical quantum computing.

But its not just tech giants in the race.

Innovative startups like Rigetti Computing, IonQ, and D-Wave are also pushing the boundaries of quantum technology, exploring new architectures and methods to build scalable quantum computers.

As exciting as quantum computing is, its essential to acknowledge that we still have some hurdles to overcome before these powerful machines become a practical reality.

One of the main challenges is to build stable and error-free qubits that can maintain their quantum states for extended periods.

This is because qubits are highly susceptible to environmental noise and decoherence, which can cause errors in calculations.

Researchers are experimenting with various approaches to tackle this issue, such as using error-correcting codes, developing new materials for qubits, and exploring different qubit architectures like topological qubits and trapped ions.

Another challenge is developing efficient quantum algorithms and software that can effectively leverage the power of quantum hardware. As quantum computing is still in its infancy, theres a lot to learn and discover about how to create and optimize quantum programs.

The age of quantum computing is just around the corner, and businesses, governments, and individuals must prepare for the impact of this revolutionary technology.

Industries will need to adapt and develop strategies to harness the power of quantum computers and protect themselves from potential threats like quantum cryptography attacks.

For individuals, especially aspiring tech enthusiasts like you and me, now are the perfect time to dive into the world of quantum computing, learn the fundamentals, and even start experimenting with quantum programming languages like Q# and Qiskit.

Theres no denying that quantum computing has the potential to reshape our world and unlock solutions to some of the most complex challenges we face today.

From cryptography to drug discovery, climate modelling to artificial intelligence, the possibilities are truly mind-blowing.

While we still have obstacles to overcome, the progress made in recent years is nothing short of astonishing. And as we venture deeper into the quantum realm, we can only imagine what breathtaking innovations and discoveries lie ahead.

So, strap in and accompany me as we venture into the future, one qubit at a time!

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Quantum Computing: Unleashing the Power of the Future, One ... - DataDrivenInvestor

Research using a quantum computer as the physical platform for quantum experiments has found a way to design and characterize tailor-made magnetic objects using quantum bits, or qubits. That opens up a new approach to develop new materials and robust quantum computing.

"With the help of a quantum annealer, we demonstrated a new way to pattern magnetic states," said Alejandro Lopez-Bezanilla, a virtual experimentalist in the Theoretical Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Lopez-Bezanilla is the corresponding author of a paper about the research in Science Advances.

"We showed that a magnetic quasicrystal lattice can host states that go beyond the zero and one bit states of classical information technology," Lopez-Bezanilla said. "By applying a magnetic field to a finite set of spins, we can morph the magnetic landscape of a quasicrystal object."

"A quasicrystal is a structure composed by the repetition of some basic shapes following rules different to those of regular crystals," he said.

For this work with Cristiano Nisoli, a theoretical physicist also at Los Alamos, a D-Wave quantum annealing computer served as the platform to conduct actual physical experiments on quasicrystals, rather than modeling them. This approach "lets matter talk to you," Lopez-Bezanilla said, "because instead of running computer codes, we go straight to the quantum platform and set all the physical interactions at will."

The ups and downs of qubits

Lopez-Bezanilla selected 201 qubits on the D-Wave computer and coupled them to each other to reproduce the shape of a Penrose quasicrystal.

Since Roger Penrose in the 1970s conceived the aperiodic structures named after him, no one had put a spin on each of their nodes to observe their behavior under the action of a magnetic field.

"I connected the qubits so all together they reproduced the geometry of one of his quasicrystals, the so-called P3," Lopez-Bezanilla said. "To my surprise, I observed that applying specific external magnetic fields on the structure made some qubits exhibit both up and down orientations with the same probability, which leads the P3 quasicrystal to adopt a rich variety of magnetic shapes."

Manipulating the interaction strength between qubits and the qubits with the external field causes the quasicrystals to settle into different magnetic arrangements, offering the prospect of encoding more than one bit of information in a single object.

Some of these configurations exhibit no precise ordering of the qubits' orientation.

"This can play in our favor," Lopez-Bezanilla said, "because they could potentially host a quantum quasiparticle of interest for information science." A spin quasiparticle is able to carry information immune to external noise.

A quasiparticle is a convenient way to describe the collective behavior of a group of basic elements. Properties such as mass and charge can be ascribed to several spins moving as if they were one.

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Qubits put new spin on magnetism: Boosting applications of ... - Science Daily

Practical carbon capture technologies are still in the early stages of development, with the most promising involving a class of compounds called amines that can chemically bind with carbon dioxide. In AVS Quantum Science, researchers deploy an algorithm to study amine reactions through quantum computing. An existing quantum computer cab run the algorithm to find useful amine compounds for carbon capture more quickly, analyzing larger molecules and more complex reactions than a traditional computer can.

The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases daily with no sign of stopping or slowing. Too much of civilization depends on the burning of fossil fuels, and even if we can develop a replacement energy source, much of the damage has already been done. Without removal, the carbon dioxide already in the atmosphere will continue to wreak havoc for centuries.

Atmospheric carbon capture is a potential remedy to this problem. It would pull carbon dioxide out of the air and store it permanently to reverse the effects of climate change. Practical carbon capture technologies are still in the early stages of development, with the most promising involving a class of compounds called amines that can chemically bind with carbon dioxide. Efficiency is paramount in these designs, and identifying even slightly better compounds could lead to the capture of billions of tons of additional carbon dioxide.

In AVS Quantum Science, by AIP Publishing, researchers from the National Energy Technology Laboratory and the University of Kentucky deployed an algorithm to study amine reactions through quantum computing. The algorithm can be run on an existing quantum computer to find useful amine compounds for carbon capture more quickly.

"We are not satisfied with the current amine molecules that we use for this [carbon capture] process," said author Qing Shao. "We can try to find a new molecule to do it, but if we want to test it using classical computing resources, it will be a very expensive calculation. Our hope is to have a fast algorithm that can screen thousands of new molecules and structures."

Any computer algorithm that simulates a chemical reaction needs to account for the interactions between every pair of atoms involved. Even a simple three-atom molecule like carbon dioxide bonding with the simplest amine, ammonia, which has four atoms, results in hundreds of atomic interactions. This problem vexes traditional computers but is exactly the sort of question at which quantum computers excel.

However, quantum computers are still a developing technology and are not powerful enough to handle these kinds of simulations directly. This is where the group's algorithm comes in: It allows existing quantum computers to analyze larger molecules and more complex reactions, which is vital for practical applications in fields like carbon capture.

"We are trying to use the current quantum computing technology to solve a practical environmental problem," said author Yuhua Duan.

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Cleaning up the atmosphere with quantum computing: A quantum ... - Science Daily

In its National Quantum Strategy, which includes 2.5bn of funding, as well as plans for research zones and skills training, the government announced it will establish a regulatory framework that supports innovation and the ethical use of quantum technologies. This needs to be stable, agile, simple and ethical while also protecting UK capabilities and national security. One expert told Tech Monitor the focus should be on legislating for post-quantum cryptography before the UK is left behind.

Quantum computing is a potentially transformative technology, once fully realised it has the potential to change our understanding of the universe, the human brain and tackle problems like climate change. But it also comes with risk, including the potential to easily crack encryption and change warfare.

Governments around the world are investing heavily in quantum technology with China leading the world in terms of direct national-level funding followed by the EU and now the UK. Billions of dollars worth of venture capital, private investment and university research funding are also being put into the technology.

Last year Stanford Universitys Professor Mauritz Kop declared that we need to learn from our mistakes made around the regulation of AI before its too late and said quantum computing has the potential to be more dangerous than artificial intelligence without sufficient regulation.

In its National Quantum Strategy the government says it is important to engage early in the debates that will shape the future regulation of quantum technology. Early work will help to identify potential risks with the use of the new technology and develop new shared taxonomies, languages and principles to guide development.

Eventually new standards, benchmarking and assurance frameworks will increase in importance to facilitate technological development as use cases become more evident, helping to set requirements for interoperability and to measure performance within key sectors, the strategy says.

It includes a commitment to put innovation, business growth and the ethical use of quantum technologies at the heart of the UK economy while also trialing technologies within the UK through regulatory testbeds and sandboxes, as well as working with likeminded partners around the world to shape norms and standards as the technology evolves and becomes more mainstream.

A lot of the commitment is outward facing, with the strategy calling for the UK to play a role in the World Trade Organisation, the World Economic Forum, the G7, the G20, OECD, NATO, the Council of Europe, the Commonwealth and the UN, including utilising the UK seat on the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to ensure that quantum regulation supports UK business and innovation, that the UKs wider prosperity, security and defence interests are represented and that we continue to uphold the UKs values including those on human rights.

The government also outlined proposals to ensure the economy and national security are protected including working with likeminded allies to monitor and review current and future controls including through export regimes, security goals and IP protection.

The plan is also to ensure the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) continues to publish guidance on the transition to quantum-safe cryptography. "In terms of Government's own preparedness, mitigations have already been put in place for critical information and services," the report declares with specific recommendations to follow the US NIST process.

There will also be work on technical standards, including through quantum safe cryptography in partnership with the ISO, IEC and ITU and efforts on building assurance frameworks for the use of these technologies as they mature. Much of this is following the pattern set out for regulation of artificial intelligence, including sandboxes, standards and regulator-led guidelines.

"The Chancellor bolstered the UK technology strategy with the 2.5bn 'Plan for Quantum', but the writing is on the wall: the extraordinary processing power of quantum computers will have a catastrophic impact on digital systems unless we begin a cryptographic transition now, Tim Callan, chief experience officer at digital identity and security company Sectigo told Tech Monitor.

IT leaders need to start paying attention today to the upcoming threat of quantum computing and preparing their organisations to upgrade to new post quantum cryptography in order to head off, or at least mitigate, the damage.

As well as the promise of investment in research, promotion of greater compute power and regulation, the National Quantum Strategy also promises 15m of direct funding to enable government to act as an intelligent, early customer of quantum technologies, which James Sanders, principal analyst for cloud and infrastructure at CCS Insight said needs greater articulation as currently there are unlikely to be many circumstances where a quantum computer can be used by the government to find efficiency or optimisation that couldnt be done with a classical machine

In terms of regulation, Sanders says it falls under two different priorities: export restriction and intellectual property protection. The first is similar to the approach seen with the export of precision semiconductor manufacturing technology as well as export of advanced GPUs for AI model training, which he says are two aspects prioritised today by the US government.

Ben Packman, head of strategy at UK post-quantum cryptography company, PQShield, says quantum technology is developing at speed around the world, and that more up-front funding will be required for the UK to maintain its leadership position in the sector. Any delays could leave the door open for others to overtake us, which is a real problem if youre thinking about the UKs adversaries developing a quantum computer intended for malicious purposes, he says.

Private and public partnerships are required to protect against this, and other risks associated with the technology, including the adoption of legislative and policy updates. The US has the Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act but, in the UK, this new strategy is light when it comes to mitigating the risks associated with quantum, says Packman.

He said that while regulators are already engaging with industry and academics across the quantum value chain to build a regulatory framework, the UK is behind when it comes to cryptography legislation. The US has already actively legislated for quantum-safe cryptography, and where the US National Security Agency (NSA) has issued a very specific set of guidance and timelines in its CNSA 2.0 framework," he says. "Wed like to see the UK match and even go beyond this if it is to become a true quantum superpower.

Many British companies, including PQShield, are contributing to the cryptographic standards considered as part of the NIST review. The outcome of this will set the global standard for post-quantum cryptography, including algorithms used across industry and government.

Wed like to see the UKs quantum achievements shouted about from the very top, Packman adds. The government also needs to align all its departments on the same path, including bodies like GCHQ and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and MI5s newly-created National Protective Security Authority (NPSA).

"The strategy doesnt mention the DRCF or Digital Catapult and how they can support the wider quantum strategy. It seems to me that both schemes could play a relevant role, so it would be good to see the dots being connected at a strategic level.

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How will the UK develop quantum computer regulation? - Tech Monitor