Accenture and SandboxAQ Expand Partnership to Enhance Data Encryption and Defend Against Emerging AI and Quantum Threats Quantum Computing Report
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Accenture and SandboxAQ Expand Partnership to Enhance Data Encryption and Defend Against Emerging AI and Quantum Threats - Quantum Computing Report
Key Takeaways
Quantum computing has the power to revolutionize how quickly we get computations done, but it's not like you can just swap out your processor for a quantum one and call it a day. With the new technology comes new challenges, which researchers are trying to overcome to unlock this new power. Now, they've managed to get a cooling system running that can chill a quantum processor to a point that's colder than space itself.
This cooler not only looks smart, but it'll keep your CPU cool under load.
As reported by Tom's Hardware, researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne have managed to plunge a quantum processor to 100mK. That's 100 millikelvins, or -273C/-459F. As a point of reference, the temperature of outer space clocks in at 2.7 Kelvin, so it's a good deal cooler for the processor.
So, why are researchers going this far to cool the system? Like current computers, quantum PCs need to be consistently cooled to keep running. However, you can't just slap a PC cooler on it and get it running. The parts that do the quantum computing, called "qubits," need to be kept as close to zero Kelvin as possible, or else the heat will disturb them. As such, lots of work has gone into making it feasible to run a quantum computer as accurately and easily as possible.
The team achieved this by taking the heat energy produced by the components and converted them into electricity to keep things icy cool. And the best bit is, not only are these coolers possible to build using existing components, but it's as efficient as regular PC coolers.
It's a huge win for sure, and it'll likely spark a revolution in quantum computing and make it a lot easier for researchers to keep their components cool. However, we may have to wait a little longer until we can use these amazing coolers to max out Cyberpunk 2077's settings.
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Quantum computer researchers have achieved a cooling system that's colder than space - XDA Developers
A research team at theSwiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EFPL)developed a 2D quantum cooling system that allowed it to reduce temperatures to 100 millikelvins by converting heat into electrical voltage. Very low temperatures are crucial for quantum computing, as quantum bits (qubits) are sensitive to heat and must be cooled down to less than 1K. Even the thermal energy generated by the electronics needed to run the quantum computer has been known to impact the performance of qubits.
"If you think of a laptop in a cold office, the laptop will still heat up as it operates, causing the temperature of the room to increase as well. In quantum computing systems, there is currently no mechanism to prevent this heat from disturbing the qubits," LANES PhD student Gabriele Pasquale explained.
However, most conventional cooling solutions no longer work efficiently (or don't work at all) at these temperatures. Because of this, heat-generating electronics must be separated from quantum circuits. This, in turn, adds noise and inefficiencies to the quantum computer, making it difficult to create larger systems that would run outside of lab conditions.
The headlining 2D cooling system was fabricated by a research team led by Andras Kis at EPFL's Laboratory of Nanoscale Electronics and Structures (LANES). Aside from its capability to cool down to 100mK, the more astounding innovation is that it does so at the same efficiency as current cooling technologies running at room temperature.
Pasquale said, "We are the first to create a device that matches the conversion efficiency of current technologies, but that operates at the low magnetic fields and ultra-low temperatures required for quantum systems. This work is truly a step ahead."
The LANES team called their technological advance a 2D quantum cooling system because of how it was built. At just a few atoms thick, the new material behaves like a two-dimensional object, and the combination of graphene and the 2D-thin structure allowed it to achieve highly efficient performance. The device operates using the Nernst effect, a thermomagnetic phenomenon where an electrical field is generated in a conductor that has both a magnetic field and two different temperatures on each side of the material.
Aside from its performance and efficiency, the 2D quantum cooling system is made from readily manufactured electronics. This means it could be easily added to quantum computers in other labs that require such low temperatures. Pasqual adds, "These findings represent a major advancement in nanotechnology and hold promise for developing advanced cooling technologies essential for quantum computing at millikelvin temperatures. We believe this achievement could revolutionize cooling systems for future technologies."
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But even if some manufacturer mass produces this 2D cooling system that can hit sub-1K temperatures in the near future, don't expect to find it on Newegg to use it for overclocking your CPU, unless you plan to overclock a quantum computer in your living room lab.
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2D quantum cooling system reaches temperatures colder than outer space by converting heat into electrical voltage - Tom's Hardware
Encryption and secure data transmission have, for so long, relied on complex mathematical algorithms that take too long to be broken down. The advent of quantum computers, however, has taken the shackles off computing power. Is our data suddenly vulnerable?
Researchers from Leibniz Universitt Hannover (LUH), Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Braunschweig, and the University of Stuttgart have introduced a groundbreaking method for secure communication in the quantum age.
This development uses semiconductor quantum dots and quantum key distribution (QKD) and will potentially revolutionize how sensitive information is protected from cyber threats.
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is a method to securely exchange encryption keys between two parties. This approach leverages the principles of quantum mechanics to generate random keys that are impossible to crack even by quantum computers.
QKD utilizes single photons as carriers of quantum keys. Any attempt to intercept the communication introduces errors in the signal leading to its immediate detection. However, the limitations of current quantum light sources have made it challenging to establish large networks with QKD despite continuous optimization.
The research team, led by Professors Fei Ding, Stefan Kck, and Peter Michler, turned to semiconductor quantum dots as single-photon sources. This approach helped them achieve high secure key transmission rates over a 49-mile (79-kilometer) distance between Hannover and Braunschweig.
We work with quantum dots, which are tiny structures similar to atoms but tailored to our needs, explained Professor Fei Ding. For the first time, we used these artificial atoms in a quantum communication experiment between two different cities. This setup, known as the Niedersachsen Quantum Link, connects Hannover and Braunschweig via optical fiber.
Quantum communication leverages the quantum characteristics of light to ensure that messages remain secure from interception. Quantum dot devices emit single photons, whose polarization we control and send to Braunschweig for measurement, Ding elaborated.
The collaborative effort was supported by the European Research Council (ERC), the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), and other partners. The current work was conducted within the Cluster of Excellence QuantumFrontiers.
Comparative analysis with existing QKD systems involving single-photon sources reveals that the SKR achieved in this work goes beyond all current SPS-based implementations, remarked the studys first author, Dr. Jingzhong Yang. Even without further optimization, it approaches the levels attained by established decoy state QKD protocols based on weak coherent pulses.
The research teams findings suggest a promising future for semiconductor quantum dots in quantum communication. Besides facilitating secure communication, Quantum dots also offer the potential for quantum repeaters and distributed quantum sensing.
They allow for the inherent storage of quantum information and can emit photonic cluster states. These capabilities promise the seamless integration of semiconductor single-photon sources into large-scale and high-capacity quantum communication networks.
Some years ago, we only dreamt of using quantum dots in real-world quantum communication scenarios. Today, we are thrilled to demonstrate their potential for many more fascinating experiments and applications in the future, moving towards a quantum internet, Ding added.
Details of the teams research were published in the journal Light: Science & Applications.
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Amal Jos Chacko Amal writes code on a typical business day and dreams of clicking pictures of cool buildings and reading a book curled by the fire. He loves anything tech, consumer electronics, photography, cars, chess, football, and F1.
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'Artificial atoms' help achieve secure real-world quantum communication - Interesting Engineering