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Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG) has partnered with D-Wave Quantum to research and develop quantum-computing applications for campaign optimization, Marketing Dive can exclusively share. The news is indicative of growing industry interest in technology areas like quantum computing, a field that promises to solve complex, data-intensive problems including those related to generative artificial intelligence (AI) at a faster pace than classical computing methods can achieve.

The deal will combine the software providers Leap quantum cloud services with data drawn from IPG, which is running the program out of its emerging technology group. Together, the companies aim to help clients identify high-value audiences and deliver more tailored messages at the right time and in the right setting, resulting in improved personalization and performance. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

At IPG, we understand that every customer is unique, with very personal passions, behaviors and motivations, said Philippe Krakowsky, CEO of IPG, in a statement. By working with D-Wave and adopting quantum technology as part of our tech stack, we believe we can uncover an even greater collection of data-driven insights to deliver more relevant and effective marketing for our clients, at scale.

Taking a quantum-computing approach to campaign optimization is another example of how advertisers and agencies are thinking outside the box as they contend with the deprecation of identifiers that have been key for targeting ads, including third-party cookies. Google will begin phasing out cookies for a select number of Chrome users starting early next year.

As ad signal loss intensifies, marketers have focused on first-party data acquisition, but struggles persist in effectively managing and deploying troves of customer information. In the D-Wave announcement, quantum computing was positioned as a way to get more utility from a high volume of data.

Were excited to work with IPG to bring the power of quantum to advertising optimization, more efficiently harnessing a massive amount of data to create hyper-targeted campaigns that drive desired outcomes for brands, said Alan Baratz, CEO of D-Wave, in a statement.

IPG has been piloting the D-Wave capabilities with a top 20 client, applying optimization equations to enhance marketing efforts in a retail environment. The agency declined to share specific outcomes from the experiment but said that the mathematical modeling used was broadly applicable outside of retail, with results that are very promising and repeatable.

At the high level, quantum computers run on quantum bits, or qubits, to operate. Qubits can exist in a state, known as superposition, of one and zero simultaneously. That differs from classical computing, where bits exist in a binary state of either one or zero. The gist is that quantum computings processing power can solve problems that would take classical computers an impractical amount of time to figure out.

Quantum computing has been positioned as a stepping stone to lowering the enterprise costs of resource-intensive and pricey tech like generative AI, which has also been in the spotlight for agencies following the explosion in popularity of ChatGPT. WPP, an IPG rival, on Monday announced a deal with chipmaker Nvidia around a new content engine supported by generative AI that will help its creatives produce and scale advertising assets faster.

D-Wave formed a relationship with IPG in the first quarter of this year, according to an earnings statement. Other customers of the Canada-based firm include Unisys US and POLARISqb.

Founded in 1999, D-Wave bills itself as the first commercial supplier of quantum computers and the only company building both annealing quantum computers and gate-model quantum computers. The firm went public via a SPAC merger last year but has had a bumpy time on the public markets. It was warned by the New York Stock Exchange over a potential delisting in March, The Register reported.

For IPG, the partnership is another way to get a leg up on data and analytics know-how that has become essential for agencies. The ad-holding group in 2018 acquired the data-marketing unit Acxiom for $2.3 billion.

IPG saw net revenue down 2.3% year-over-year in Q1, hampered by weak demand from tech clients and restructurings at some digital specialist shops. The groups media, healthcare and data-marketing offerings, including Acxiom, performed well over the period. IPG more recently was named lead creative partner for pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, a major account win.

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IPG turns on quantum computing to supercharge campaign ... - Marketing Dive

Researchers are leveraging photonics to develop and scale the hardware necessary to tackle the stringent requirements of quantum information technologies. By exploiting the properties of photonics, researchers point to the benefits of scaling quantum hardware. If or when successful, researchers say quantum hardware at scale will enable long-range networks, interconnections between multiple quantum devices, and large-scale photonic circuits for quantum computing and simulation.

An interdisciplinary team of researchers from Denmark, Germany, and the UK is focusing on the best ways to use photonics and exploit its properties to develop a platform that can scale quantum hardware, Phys.Org reported. To this end, the team developed an integrated photonic platform based on thin-film lithium niobate, whose single crystals are important materials for optical waves and are an ideal modulator for low-loss mode.

Then, researchers interfaced the integrated photonic platform with deterministic solid-state single-photon sources based on quantum dots (semiconductor crystals) in nanophotonic waveguides. The resulting photons produced are processed with low-loss circuits, which according to the researchers are programmable at speeds of several gigahertz. Researchers state that fast reprogrammable low-loss optical circuits are key for performing tasks in photonic quantum information processing.

The high-speed platform paved the way for researchers to achieve several key photonic information processing functionalities. The first processing functionality researchers observed during experiments was on-chip quantum interference. Researchers used the Hong-OuMandel (HOM) effect, which is characterized as when two-photon interference is observed. Figure 1 displays the on-chip HOM experiments performed that tested the performance of the platform for photonic quantum information processing.

Another processing functionality the team demonstrated that is key to photonic information processing is an integrated single-photon router. Researchers demonstrated a fully on-chip photon router for the quantum dot-emitted photons. To accomplish this, they leveraged the platforms capability to integrate fast phase shifters with quantum emitter wavelengths to showcase the integrated single-photon router.

The team also implemented a universal four-mode interferometer, made up of a network of 6 Mach-Zehnder interferometers and 10 phase modulators, as shown in Figure 2. Programmable multimode quantum photonic interferometers are paramount for the implementation of essential functionalities of photonic quantum technologies. And, the researchers said they interferometers are able to realize circuits for quantum computational advantage experiments or analog quantum simulation.

In a research paper published by Science Advances, researchers detailed their development of the high-speed, integrated photonic platform based on thin-film lithium niobate. The paper is entitled High-speed thin-film lithium niobate quantum processor driven by a solid-state quantum emitter.

The authors argue the results showed that integrated photonics with solid-state deterministic photon sources is a promising option to scale quantum technologies in multiple phases. Going forward, the platform can be further optimized to reduce coupling and propagation loss. In particular, fault-tolerant quantum computing architectures (with loss levels of 10% per photon) are a step closer to reality.

The interdisciplinary team of researchers all come from international institutions including the Center for Hybrid Quantum Networks (Hy-Q), Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen (Denmark); Institute of Physics, University of Muenster (Germany); CeNTechCenter for Nanotechnology (Germany); SoNCenter for Soft Nanoscience (Germany); Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London (UK); Ruhr University Bochum (Germany); and Heidelberg University (Germany).

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Researchers Develop Integrated Photonic Platform Based on Thin ... - HPCwire

Businesses must be more aware of the data requirements for artificial intelligence (AI), and use this period of focus on AI risks to prepare for the quantum computing threat.

Thats according to John Roese, global chief technology officer (CTO) at Dell, who shines a light on the main challenges businesses face when adopting AI models, and the lessons they can learn from the deployment of generative AI.

Roese acknowledges the computing bottleneck associated with training AI models, but denies this is the main hurdle holding businesses back when deploying the technology.

The bigger issue for an enterprise use of a large language model (LLM) is in order to train it, you have to have access to the right data and provide the data to the training infrastructure, he tells ITPro at Dell Technologies World 2023. Most customers have not done enough work on their data management.

As an example of good data management, Roese cites Dells work over the past four years to eliminate non-inclusive language from its content library and internal code environment. These include labels like whitelist and blacklist.

If an LLM was trained on the firms content repository, Roese explains, it would be unlikely to not incorporate the biases of these words. Firms that dont curate data before using it to train AI models intended for products such as chatbots could inadvertently create services that reflect an inherent racism or misogyny, as demonstrated by Microsofts Tay scandal.

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Roese has been global CTO for products and operations at Dell Technologies since September 2019. He worked in a similar capacity at Dell EMC for the previous seven years, first as CTO between 2012 and 2016, then as CTO and EVP for cross-product operations.

If you want to create a chatbot or an LLM that reflects your dataset, it will reflect your dataset the good, the bad, and the ugly and its important to know that you've created a dataset that is reflecting your values.

Roese also notes LLMs work best with unstructured data, as neural networks seek to create connections of their own rather than relying on arbitrary structures. As a result, he says, businesses need to ensure that their data is sitting in the right place to be used for training to avoid having to spend lots of time restructuring data down the line.

Are the majority of firms aware of these requirements at present? No, they're not, Roese admits. And that's very disturbing to be perfectly honest.

Generative AI has been hailed as one of the most significant technological developments of the century. At Dell Technologies World 2023, CEO Michael Dell compared it to the invention of the internet or PC.

Everybody's talking about generative AI as if it is the destination but it isnt."

In recent months, many have highlighted the risks of generative AI, with analysts calling it an existential threat, and pioneers calling for a temporary development pause.

But Roese recommends businesses use the big upheaval generative AI has triggered as a learning experience to better position themselves for future technologies that will disrupt the sector to a far greater extent.

Everybody's talking about generative AI as if it is the destination but it isnt, Roese stresses, arguing people are so shell-shocked by the headline-grabbing technology that they have failed to give proper thought to what comes next. The answer to that is actually quite simple in my mind, it's quantum, he continues.

The primary use case for quantum, Roese explains, is clear: quantum machine learning. He notes while generative AI is branded as disruptive and sparking fear in some, its just the logical progression of existing technologies.

Imagine if it now ran at five orders of magnitude higher performance. And that, inevitably, is coming.

What is the 'steal now, crack later' threat?

Although we don't expect quantum computers to be widely available for many years, cyber criminals are already stealing encrypted data in the hopes of gaining access in the future.

Read more

Maintaining cyber security in the face of developments in quantum computing is something that will become increasingly important as we approach the 2030s.

Experts suggest its a matter of if, not when, standards such as AES encryption break down, for example. Once encryption is cracked, the security of data will be wholly undermined.

The private sector isnt alone in the race to quantum, as many nation-states have already announced huge investments aimed at proactive quantum development and adoption.

In the Spring Statement, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt announced a 900 million ($1.1 billion) fund for quantum computing research, as part of a wider 2.5 billion ($3.1 billion) investment program for UK quantum.

Companies will have to navigate this disruption in the near future, Roese warns, and would do well to use the choppy waters of generative AI as a dress rehearsal for weathering the coming storm of quantum computing.

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Dell CTO: AI is nothing compared to the oncoming quantum storm - ITPro

Theres no doubt that quantum technology has the power to revolutionize many aspects of life. It might not be what Quantum Leap made it seem, but from finance to computing and cryptography to new drug discoveries, this field of technology holds endless possibilities. It comes as no surprise then that countries such as China, Russia, and the US have dedicated quantum programs to advance their progress further and faster than ever.

In recent times, China has gained the advantage in terms of quantum research. Although some in scientific and political circles dismiss Chinas recent progress, there is growing concern over Chinas quantum domination.

The US is especially worried about recent news of Chinas quantum computing developments. As recently as the turn of the 21st century, the US was well ahead of China in quantum technology. However, reduced federal funding for quantum research between 2005 and 2015 is thought to be the reason for a reversal of power.

The primary concern is Chinas capability to develop a quantum computer that could crack the United States most secure codes. Then theres possible advancements in the Chinese military and the countrys industrial capacities outpacing the US.

Lets take a step back to January 2023 for a moment. Japan and the Netherlands, two of the top manufacturers of equipment for the fabrication of semiconductors, agreed to enforce the semiconductor export constraints on China set by the United States in October 2022. Although the agreement was only made in principle, it stonewalled Chinas advancement of semiconductors and impeded the countrys drive for high-tech self-sufficiency.

Following the restrictions on semiconductors, the Commerce Department shifted its focus towards the next cutting-edge technology it perceives as a potential weapon in the hands of China: quantum computing. Controls on the export of quantum computing equipment, the offering of cloud services to Chinese entities, and error correction software are positioned to become the next battleground in the technological conflict between the United States and China.

In September 2022, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan outlined the policy to protect its advantage over China. He emphasized the need for the United States to maintain a substantial lead over competitors, particularly China, and proposed the implementation of export controls. The aim was to preserve a significant advantage in critical areas such as quantum computing. Without such an advantage, it could potentially grant China military and economic benefits, including the development of cyber weapons and accelerated drug discovery. Consequently, the enforcement of comprehensive independent export controls on China were introduced.

But these constraints have not slowed down Chinas emergence as a quantum mechanics superpower. Today, experts have cautioned that the emergence of a powerful quantum computer could render current encryption methods ineffective. In response, President Joe Biden issued a national security memorandum, mandating federal agencies to transition to post-quantum cryptography by 2035. The objective is to ensure that the United States stays ahead in the realm of cryptography and maintains robust security measures in the face of potential quantum computing advancements.

The implications of Chinas emergence in the quantum computing field could be far-reaching. The threat to National Security is the number one concern. Quantum computing could potentially break encryption algorithms that safeguard classified information and secure communications. If China develops powerful quantum computers capable of cracking encryption, which some say it already has, it could pose a significant threat to U.S. intelligence and military operations.

There is also the economic side of the table. Quantum computing is expected to have a profound impact on industries and economies worldwide. It could provide a competitive edge in areas like finance, logistics, and advanced manufacturing. If China leads in quantum computing, it could gain a significant advantage in these sectors, potentially impacting the U.S. economy and job market.

To combat the national threat, the US must accelerate its quantum program. It must focus on industry participation, policy actions, and near-term defense. Although funding has been cut, $1.3 billion of federal funding was authorized in 2019 across the span of five years. Its goal? To invest in quantum development and research. Most of this money goes to academic universities and national laboratories to research and develop quantum test beds, quantum curricula, and build a quantum workforce.

However, this strategy has some fundamentally flawed assumptions:

In China, meanwhile, quantum physicist Jian-Wei Pan leads the countrys quantum program. In turn, its managed by a co-ordinated orchestra of government, academic, and industry partners. As well as its streamlined program, China has an annual budget that is estimated to be in the billions of dollars, supported by the Chinese Communist Party.

Right now, the US is playing catch up to China in quantum mechanics. The country requires urgent new strategy methods to close the gap and usher in a new quantum era. But, until serious changes are made, China will continue to be a threat to US security and its economy.

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Quantum Computing is the next battle arena for US and China - Tech Wire Asia

May 26, 2023 Despite their immense promise to solve new kinds of problems, todays quantum computers are inherently prone to error. A small perturbation in their surrounding environment a change in temperature, pressure, or magnetic field, for instancecan disrupt their fragile computational building blocks, called qubits.

Now, researchers at the University of Chicagos Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) have developed a new method to constantly monitor the noise around a quantum system and adjust the qubits, in real-time, to minimize error.

The approach,described online inScience, relies on spectator qubits: a set of qubits embedded in the computer with the sole purpose of measuring outside noise rather than storing data. The information gathered by such spectator qubits can then be used to cancel out noise in vital data-processing qubits.

Asst. Prof.Hannes Bernien, who led the research, likens the new system to noise-cancelling headphones, which continuously monitor surrounding noises and emit opposing frequencies to cancel them out.

With this approach, we can very robustly improve the quality of the data qubits, said Bernien.I see this as being very important in the context of quantum computing and quantum simulation.

A Daunting Challenge

As existing quantum computers are scaled up, the challenge of noise and error has grown. The problem is two-fold: Qubits easily change in response to their environment, which can alter the information stored inside them and lead to high rates of error. In addition, if a scientist measures a qubit, to try to gauge the noise it has been exposed to, the qubit state collapses, losing its data.

Its a very daunting and difficult task to try to correct the errors within a quantum system, said Bernien.

Theoretical physicists had previously proposed a solution using spectator qubits, a set of qubits that dont store any necessary data but could be embedded within a quantum computer. The spectator qubits would track changes in the environment, acting like the microphone contained within noise-cancelling headphones. A microphone, of course, detects only sound waves while the proposed spectator qubits would respond to any environmental perturbations capable of altering qubits.

Two Kinds of Qubits for Noise Cancellation

Berniens group set out to demonstrate that this theoretical concept could be used to cancel out noise in a neutral atom quantum array their preferred quantum computer.

In a neutral atom quantum processor, atoms are suspended in place using laser beams called optical tweezers, which Bernien helped develop, earning him accolades such as the2023 New Horizons in Physics Prizeby the Breakthrough Prize Foundation. In large arrays of these suspended atoms, each acts as a qubit, capable of storing and processing information within its superposition state.

In 2022, Bernien and colleagues first reported the ability to makea hybrid atomic quantum processorcontaining both rubidium and cesium atoms. Now, theyve adapted that processor so that the rubidium atoms act as data qubits while the cesium atoms are spectator qubits. The team designed a system to continuously read out real-time data from the rubidium atoms and, in response, tweak the cesium atoms with microwave oscillations.

The challenge, Bernien said, was ensuring that the system was quick enoughany adjustments to the rubidium atoms had to be nearly instantaneous.

Whats really exciting about this is that not only is it minimizing any noise for the data qubits, but its an example of actually interacting with a quantum system in real time, said Bernien.

Proof-of-Principle

To test their error minimization approach, Berniens group exposed the quantum array to magnetic field noise. They showed that the cesium atoms correctly picked up this noise and their system then cancelled it out in the rubidium atoms in real time.

However, the research group says the initial prototype is just a starting place. Theyd like to try increasing the amount of noise and varying the types of perturbations and testing whether the approach holds up.

We have exciting ideas on how to improve the sensitivity of this system by a large factor but its going to take more work to get it implemented, said Bernien. This was a great starting place.

Eventually, Bernien imagines a system of spectator qubits could run constantly in the background of any neutral atom quantum computer and also quantum computers of other architectures, minimizing the error as the computer stores data and makes computations.

Citation: Mid-circuit correction of correlated phase errors using an array of spectator qubits, Singh et al,Science, May 25, 2023. DOI:10.1126/science.ade5337

Source: Sarah C.P. Williams, PME, UChicago

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'Noise-Cancelling' Qubits Developed at Uchicago to Minimize Errors ... - HPCwire