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Quantum computers could beat classical ones at answering practical questions within two years, a new experiment from IBM computers shows. The demonstration hints that true quantum supremacy, in which quantum computers overtake classical digital ones, could be here surprisingly soon.

"These machines are coming," Sabrina Maniscalco, CEO of Helsinki-based quantum-computing startup Algorithmiq, told Nature News.

In the new study, described Wednesday (June 14) in the journal Nature, scientists used IBM's quantum computer, known as Eagle, to simulate the magnetic properties of a real material faster than a classical computer could. It achieved this feat because it used a special error-mitigating process that compensated for noise, a fundamental weakness of quantum computers.

Traditional silicon-chip-based computers rely on "bits" that can take just one of two values: 0 or 1.

By contrast, quantum computers employ quantum bits, or qubits, that can take on many states at once. Qubits rely on quantum phenomena such as superposition, in which a particle can exist in multiple states simultaneously, and on quantum entanglement, in which the states of distant particles can be linked so that changing one instantaneously changes the other. In theory, this allows qubits to make calculations much faster, and in parallel, that digital bits would do slowly and in sequence.

But historically, quantum computers have had an Achilles' heel: The quantum states of qubits are incredibly delicate, and even the tiniest disruption from the outside environment can mess with their states and thereby the information they carry forever. That makes quantum computers very error-prone or "noisy."

In the new proof-of-principle experiment, the 127-qubit Eagle supercomputer, which uses qubits built on superconducting circuits, calculated the complete magnetic state of a two-dimensional solid. The researchers then carefully measured the noise produced by each of the qubits. It turned out that certain factors, such as defects in the supercomputing material, could reliably predict the noise generated in each qubit. The team then used these predictions to model what the results would have looked like without that noise, Nature News reported.

Claims of quantum supremacy have surfaced before: In 2019, Google scientists claimed that the company's quantum computer, known as Sycamore, had solved a problem in 200 seconds that an ordinary computer would take 10,000 years to crack. But the problem it solved essentially spitting out a huge list of random numbers and then checking their accuracy, had no practical use.

By contrast, the new IBM demonstration applies to a real albeit highly simplified physical problem.

"It makes you optimistic that this will work in other systems and more complicated algorithms," John Martinis, a physicist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who achieved the 2019 Google result, told Nature News.

You can read more about the quantum computing milestone at Nature News.

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Quantum computers could overtake classical ones within 2 years, IBM 'benchmark' experiment shows - Space.com

Editors note: The Best Industry for Long-Term Investors? was previously published in May 2023. It has since been updated to include the most relevant information available.

What do you think happens in Area 51?

The government assures us its just for military testing and the like. But with all the unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) seen in American skies these days, many folks across the internet question whether theres more happening in Area 51 than the government would have you believe.

No, Im not saying aliens are real. And like you, I dont know what happens in Area 51.

But what I will say is that something much more important and revolutionary is happening in an entirely different, yet equally secretive, area. Something that could change the world as we know it something that I call Area 52.

Area 52 is a 52-mile test loop that runs 26 miles in two directions out of the southwest Chicago suburbs. It connects the Argonne National Laboratory to the Boughton Road Toll Plaza. And its where the U.S. government is testing a groundbreaking new technology that could have a more profound impact on the world than any technology in our lifetimes.

In fact, some experts say this tech could be more important to humankind than the discovery of fire.

And its not artificial intelligence.

Instead, it is quantum computing.

Ill start by saying that the underlying physics of this breakthrough quantum mechanics is highly complex. It would likely require over 500 pages to fully understand.

But, alas, heres my best job at making a Cliffs Notes version in 500 words instead.

For centuries, scientists have developed, tested, and validated the laws of the physical world, known as classical mechanics. These scientifically explain how and why things work, where they come from, so on and so forth.

But in 1897, J.J. Thomson discovered the electron. And he unveiled a new, subatomic world of super-small things that didnt obey the laws of classical mechanics at all. Instead, they obeyed their own set of rules, which have since become known as quantum mechanics.

The rules of quantum mechanics differ from that of classical mechanics in two very weird, almost-magical ways.

First, in classical mechanics, objects are in one place at one time. You are either at the store or at home, not both.

But in quantum mechanics, subatomic particles can theoretically exist in multiple places at once before theyre observed. A single subatomic particle can exist in point A and point B at the same time until we observe it. And at that point, it only exists at either point A or point B.

So, the true location of a subatomic particle is some combination of all its possible positions.

This is called quantum superposition.

Second, in classical mechanics, objects can only work with things that are also real. You cant use an imaginary friend to help move the couch. You need a real friend instead.

But in quantum mechanics, all of those probabilistic states of subatomic particles are not independent. Theyre entangled. That is, if we know something about the probabilistic positioning of one subatomic particle, then we know something about the probabilistic positioning of another subatomic particle meaning that these already super-complex particles can actually work together to create a super-complex ecosystem.

This is called quantum entanglement.

So in short, subatomic particles can theoretically have multiple probabilistic states at once, and all those probabilistic states can work together again, all at once to accomplish their task.

And that, in a nutshell, is the scientific breakthrough that stumped Einstein back in the early 1900s.

It goes against everything classical mechanics had taught us about the world. It goes against common sense. But its true. Its real. And now, for the first time ever, we are learning how to harness this unique phenomenon to change everything about everything

This is why the U.S. government is pushing forward on developing a National Quantum Internet in southwest Chicago. It understands that this tech could be more revolutionary than the discovery of fire or the invention of the wheel.

I couldnt agree more.

Mark my words. Everything will change over the next few years because of quantum mechanics and some investors will make a lot of money.

The study of quantum theory has led to huge advancements over the past century. Thats especially true over the past decade. Scientists at leading tech companies have started to figure out how to harness the power of quantum mechanics to make a new generation of super quantum computers. And theyre infinitely faster and more powerful than even todays fastest supercomputers.

And in fact, Haim Israel, managing director of research at Bank of America, believes that: By the end of this decade, the amount of calculations that we can make [on a quantum computer] will be more than the atoms in the visible universe.

Again, the physics behind quantum computers is highly complex, but heres my shortened version

Todays computers are built on top of the laws of classical mechanics. That is, they store information on what are called bits, which can store data binarily as either 1 or 0.

But what if you could turn those classical bits into quantum bits qubits to leverage superpositioning to be both 1 and 0 stores at once?

Further, what if you could leverage entanglement and have all multi-state qubits work together to solve computationally taxing problems?

Theoretically, youd create a machine with so much computational power that it would make todays most advanced supercomputers seem ancient.

Thats exactly whats happening today.

Google has built a quantum computer that is about 158 million times faster than the worlds fastest supercomputer.

Thats not hyperbole. Thats a real number.

Imagine the possibilities if we could broadly create a new set of quantum computers 158 million times faster than even todays fastest computers

Wed finally have the level of artificial intelligence (AI) that you see in movies. Thats because the biggest limitation to AI today is the robustness of machine learning algorithms, which are constrained by supercomputing capacity. With quantum computing capacity, you get infinitely improved machine learning algos and infinitely smarter AI.

We could eradicate disease. We already have tools like gene editing. But the effectiveness of gene editing relies on the robustness of underlying computing capacity to identify, target, insert, cut and repair genes. Insert quantum computing capacity, and all that happens without an error in seconds allowing for us to truly fix anything about anyone.

We could finally have that million-mile EV. We can only improve batteries if we can test them. And we can only test them in the real world so much. Therefore, the key to unlocking a million-mile battery is through cellular simulation. And the quickness and effectiveness of cellular simulation rests upon the robustness of the underlying computing capacity. Make that capacity 158 million times bigger, and cellular simulation will happen 158 million times faster.

The applications here are truly endless.

Quantum computing is one of the most underrated and most transformational technological breakthroughs since the internet.

In fact, it may be bigger than the internet or even the discovery of fire itself.

And at the epicenter of this technological transformation is one tiny tech startup that hardly anyone has heard about. And it has developed the worlds most advanced quantum hardware.

This stock could end up being one of the biggest winners of my career.

Learn more about that tiny stock and its breakthrough tech before it skyrockets.

On the date of publication, Luke Lango did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.

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Quantum Computing: The Best Industry for Long-Term Investors? - InvestorPlace

Quantum computers are extremely powerful, but are famously unreliable in providing a user with the same result. However, that may very well all change, according to scientists at IBM.

So, what is quantum computing, and how is it different from regular computing? The barebones of quantum computing rely on two phenomena or principles of quantum mechanics, superposition and entanglement. Superposition is the principle that a particle, in this case, a qubit, or a bit of quantum information, can be in two separate states at the exact same time. Entanglement is the principle that two particles can share the exact same location at the same time, despite a perceived distance between the two.

The difference between classical computers and quantum computers is that classical computing uses binary, or 1 and 0's. Qubits are able to be both 1 and 0 simultaneously, enabling much faster calculations to be performed as many calculations can be performed at once, compared to a classic computer that performs each calculation individually. Unfortunately, one of the main problems with quantum calculations is the inconsistency with results.

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"The level of agreement between the quantum and classical computations on such large problems was pretty surprising to me personally," said co-author Andrew Eddins, a physicist at IBM Quantum

The uncertainty of the state of particles makes for what researchers call "quantum noise" and is the main hurdle researchers face in being able to successfully steer a quantum computer in any direction.

Google claimed in 2019 it reached "quantum supremacy" as it performed a calculation in 3 minutes 20 seconds that would take about 10,000 years for a supercomputer to complete. Google's experiment, while impressive, was criticized as it had no real-world application.

Now, IBM has announced a new breakthrough that might actually have real-world application as the company claims it has developed a process to reduce the number of errors in a quantum calculation, which could mean researchers are able to get quantum computers to consistently produce the same result.

"Finally, we asked both computers to run calculations beyond what could be calculated exactly, and the quantum returned an answer we were more confident to be correct," writes IBM

IBM explains in the above video that through the development of error mitigation, the company will be able to marry quantum computing and traditional computing in an effort to provide real-world value. How far away is quantum computing? Researchers are still doing their best to work around the randomness of the quantum world, with companies such as IBM and Google being on the bleeding edge of quantum development.

It's unclear how far away quantum computing is from being available at your local Walmart, but a massive hurdle will be overcome when researchers are able to reliably predict the state of qubits. For more information on this story, check out the IBM blog post here.

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IBM says its made a breakthrough in quantum computing, entering into 'the era of utility' - TweakTown

What just happened? IBM is one step closer to realizing a quantum computer with true utility that can outperform classical computers in certain workloads. The technology giant recently used its Quantum "Eagle" processor with 127 superconducting qubits to create entangled states that "simulate the dynamics of spins in a model of material and accurately predict properties such as its magnetization."

Quantum computers are thought to possess tremendous computational potential that could be used to solve problems that classical computers simply aren't capable of. Unlocking that performance has proven difficult, however, due to the finicky nature of quantum systems.

As IBM highlights, such systems are inherently noisy and generate lots of errors which hampers performance. Recent advancements in error correction could improve the situation, and IBM wanted to put them to the test.

The team conducted increasingly complex tests and compared results with supercomputers located at Purdue University and the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. In each test, the quantum chip spit out accurate results. As the difficulty ramped up, Eagle dished out answers that were more accurate than the classical approximation methods.

"This is the first time we have seen quantum computers accurately model a physical system in nature beyond leading classical approaches," said Daro Gil, SVP and director of IBM Research. Andrew Eddins, an IBM Quantum scientist, said the level of agreement between the quantum and classical computations on such large problems was surprising.

The test suggests that noisy quantum computers could provide utility sooner than anticipated. Big Blue posits quantum computers will one day be useful in tackling a variety of challenges including building more efficient batteries, creating new medicines, and even designing better fertilizer.

Related: Google achieves quantum computer error correction breakthrough

IBM introduced its Eagle quantum processor in late 2021 and initially opened it up to Quantum Network members. At the time, IBM said a classical computer would need the same number of bits as atoms of all humans on Earth to match the performance of Eagle.

"Quantum computing has the power to transform nearly every sector and help us tackle the biggest problems of our time," Gil said in 2021.

IBM has published its findings in the journal Nature in a paper titled, "Evidence for the utility of quantum computing before fault tolerance."

The tech titan also announced that over the next year, all of its Quantum systems running both in the cloud and on-site at partner locations will be upgraded to a minimum of 127 qubits.

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IBM says quantum processors are beginning to provide utility beyond classical methods - TechSpot

Intel has built a quantum processor called Tunnel Falls that it will offer to research labs hoping to make the revolutionary computing technology practical.

The Tunnel Falls processor, announced Thursday, houses 12 of the fundamental data processing elements called qubits. It's a major step in the chipmaker's attempt to develop quantum computing hardware it hopes will eventually surpass rivals.

Intel, unlike most of its rivals, makes its qubits from individual electrons housed in computer chips that are cousins to those that power millions of PCs. The company is lagging behind. Rivals like IBM, Google, Quantinuum and IonQ have been offering quantum computers for years, but Intel believes tying its fortunes to conventional chip technology will ultimately enable faster progress.

"To me, it's natural to use the tools already developed rather than having to develop new tools," said Jim Clarke, director of quantum computing hardware at Intel Labs. Intel makes its own quantum computing chips at its D1 fab in Oregon.

You won't buy your own quantum computer, but they could affect your life very directly. Among those investing in the technology are financial services companies seeking more profitable investments, materials science researchers hoping for better batteries, pharmaceutical companies trying to design better drugs and governments trying to crack adversaries' encrypted communications.

Those challenges are out of reach of conventional computers, but quantum computing has the potential to tackle them by taking advantage of the weird physics of the ultrasmall. Today's quantum computers aren't generally practical, and the full promise of the technology remains years away, but physicists and engineers have made steady progress year after year.

Intel, an expert in large-scale manufacturing, hopes to help speed things along by building many quantum chips, which it calls quantum processing units, or QPUs. The University of Maryland, one of the centers benefiting from a US government program to accelerate quantum computing progress, will use Intel machines.

One notable feature of quantum computing is the tremendous variety of approaches. Intel is using electrons, storing data with a quantum mechanical property called spin that's analogous to the two directions a top can spin. IBM and Google are using small electrical circuits of superconducting materials. IonQ and Quantinuum manipulate charged atoms stored in a trap. Other approaches involve neutral atoms and even that most fleeting of particles, the photon.

At a sufficiently small scale, quantum mechanics dominates physics and anything can become a qubit, quantum computing pioneer and MIT researcher Seth Lloyd said in an earlier interview. "It's a question of whether you can massage them in the right way to convince them to compute."

In other words, quantum computing isn't a horse race like in the traditional computer chip market. It's more like a horse pitted against a falcon, a motorcycle and an Olympic sprinter.

Intel likes its approach. Tunnel Falls is in manufacturing today, but the company very soon will "tape out" its successor, meaning the design is finished, and it's begun designing the model after that, Clarke said. Twelve qubits is a tiny fraction of what's needed for useful quantum computers, but Intel started with a simple approach designed for fast improvement and sustained progress over the years required to make serious quantum computers.

Intel's Tunnel Falls quantum computer test chip perched on a fingertip

"The next big milestone is when we have a few thousand qubits," a quantity that will let quantum computer engineers correct the frequent errors that plague qubit operations, Clarke said. "That's probably three, four years, maybe five years away," Clarke said. "And it's probably the early 2030s or mid-2030s before we have a million cubits that are going to change the world."

Intel is engineering not just the QPUs, but the crucial data links that link each qubit to the outside world. Today's quantum computers often look like high-tech chandeliers, with gleaming metal communication conduits looping down toward the processor, but that bulky design won't work with thousands or millions of qubits. Intel believes its control chips and chip interconnect technology will be necessary parts of an overall system.

One of Intel's biggest rivals, IBM, already offers multiple 127-qubit quantum computers for research and commercial use, with a 433-qubit machine up and running.

"We have a plan to get this out to hundreds of thousands of qubits using superconducting qubits," said Jerry Chow, leader of IBM's quantum computing hardware effort. IBM is working on quantum computer chips with a flock of code names -- Egret, Heron, Condor, Crossbill -- that are designed to prove out new technologies to reduce errors and improve the qubit-to-qubit connections that are central to the machines.

And it's making progress. On Wednesday, it secured a coveted spot on the cover of the journal Nature for research showing its 127-qubit Eagle quantum computing chip can surpass conventional machines in simulating the materials physics that produce effects like magnetism.

Intel tried and rejected the supercomputing qubit approach, Clarke said. Its spin qubits are a million times smaller than a superconducting circuit, letting the company fit 25,000 of them on each 300mm silicon wafer that transits through its chip fabrication plant, called a fab. When Intel finds a problem building quantum chips, it figures out how to adapt the qubit to traditional chip manufacturing, not vice versa.

Such arguments haven't persuaded others. Google is sticking with superconducting qubits.

"Superconducting qubits lead in critical metrics. We are confident they are the leading technology for the future of quantum supercomputers," Google said in a statement, pointing to their processing speed and progress toward error correction to keep calculations on track longer. "We see a clear path to scale our technology to large-scale, error-corrected machines of general use."

And IonQ Chief Executive Peter Chapman believes Intel's approach is too inflexible for practical, large-scale quantum computers. His company is developing ion trap machines that scoot charged atoms around, letting different qubits interact with each other for computation. Fixing qubits onto the surface of a chip drastically complicates computations, he said.

"What worked in computing in the past -- silicon-based processors -- is not the right solution for the age of quantum," Chapman said.

The deep disagreements about the best approach will perhaps be resolved as the machines evolve and grow larger. Intel's plans rely on its manufacturing advantage, tapping into its experience building some of the most complicated electronics devices on the planet.

"Not everybody has a fab like this in their back pocket," Clarke said.

Correction, 9:33 a.m. PT: This story misstated the particles out of which Intel makes qubits. It uses electrons.

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Intel Enters the Quantum Computing Horse Race With 12-Qubit Chip - CNET