First Quantum Computer demonstrated

Proof of concept


By Nick Farrell: Thursday 15 February 2007, 07:20

MORE THAN 20 years earlier than expected, D-Wave Systems showed off what it claims is the world' s first commercially viable quantum computer.
Dubbed the " 16-qubit" Orion, the machine uses an analogue processor to process gubbins by tapping into the laws of quantum mechanics, rather than using conventional physics.

Chief executive Herb Martin said the Orion was not the beginning of the end for conventional computers but it the was beginning of quantum computers.

In fact it looks like the quantum computer needs digital technology to run classical algorithms and do a bit of pre-processing.

Chief technical officer Geordie Rose said that the product was a devil to sell because the maths behind it tended to make people' s head spin.

The Orion employs a technique called adiabatic quantum computing, developed by Seth Lloyd, a professor of mechanical engineering at MIT. It cools metal circuits into a superconducting state where the electrons can flow freely, resulting in qubits. Then they gradually vary a magnetic field, which lets the qubits slowly adjust to one another. The computer uses 16 microcircuits made of niobium, a rare metal that has conductive properties when cooled.

Orion' s 16 qubits rest on a microchip smaller than the head of a pin and liquid helium, stored in a large vat, is used to do the cooling. In other words, it is about as portable as an elephant stuck in 14 tons of cement and is a long way from getting to your desktop.

For now, it is even slower than most punters' PCs, although D-Wave thinks that there will be a potentially faster 1,000-qubit version available by the end of 2008. However at solving some problems it is a lot faster.

As part of the demonstration, a D-Wave assistant remotely accessed Orion, which is housed in Burnaby, British Columbia, from his laptop in front of audience members and asked it three problems.

The first was to searching for molecular structures that match a pre-selected caffeine molecule, the next was to create a complicated wedding seating plan with stipulations about who could sit where. Finally, Orion was made to successfully fill in various Sudoku puzzles.

The computer managed them ok. Now D-Wave thinks that it will be able to deliver products using the system in the next few years. µ

Pretty cool stuff

Been reading up on this for a while now and it really is cool stuff.

Apparently many cryptographers are seeing quantum computing as a nightmare because, in theory, it can test all possible combinations of an equation at once. This would mean that 2048bit encryption keys (the ones that take 100' s of millions of years to brute force with current technology) could be decrypted in a matter of minutes/seconds. That could mean bad news for anyone who uses high level encryption, like the military/government.

But it' s still a fair way off and no doubt there are many hurdles to pass before it gets to that stage.

Another cool piece of future computer technology is Chaos Computing. Definitely interesting stuff.

inally, Orion was made to successfully fill in various Sudoku puzzles.

Gamblers and puzzle solvers can do this in a jiffy too.
Quantum sounds so....(fill word in here)

It' s not as far off as you might think. We can pretty much kiss encryptions goodbye, along with privacy.

http://www.dailytech.com/Worlds+First+Commercial+Quantum+Computer+Demonstrated/article6102.htm different article of same subject with pics.

With any new technology will come some hesitations to adopt, however people will adapt like they have done in the past with the move from 8 to 16 and then 32 and 64bit computing / programming. I think stating that we can kiss goodbye to encryption and privacy is a bit strong, I am sure that new encryptions will be invented when Quantum processing becomes more of a reality.

Mind you can you imagine playing Crysis, UT or CoD on it....hmmm I am drooling now over those frame rates.

I did an all nighter for class, and my brain is leaking out my ears. Can somebody explain in sleep-deprived grunts/english?

ORIGINAL: alijay034

Mind you can you imagine playing Crysis, UT or CoD on it....hmmm I am drooling now over those frame rates.

Quantum computing is not going to be used for entertainment for a long long time. Perhaps never, as there may be other more cost effective methods of advancing entertainment. (see Chaos computing)

I mean, can you imagine opening your PC up and getting terminal hypothermia because it has to be cooled to temperatures less than outer space?

Quantum computing is a fantastic technological breakthrough, but it' s not going to help you get l337 FPS in games. It' s going to help scientists solve diseases like HIV, malaria, etc and pretty much give us the means to solve some of the greatest problems that mankind currently faces. In my opinion, that' s much more drool worthy than FPS.

And still I ask, English please?! It sounds wonderful, but I can' t wrap my head around it.

I mean, can you imagine opening your PC up and getting terminal hypothermia because it has to be cooled to temperatures less than outer space?

Wow, how cold do they have to be? It must be extreme since outer space itself is only 1-2 degrees warmer than the absolute zero (-273°C).

ORIGINAL: ys

I mean, can you imagine opening your PC up and getting terminal hypothermia because it has to be cooled to temperatures less than outer space?

Wow, how cold do they have to be? It must be extreme since outer space itself is only 1-2 degrees warmer than the absolute zero (-273°C).

5 millikelvin, or minus 273.145 degrees Celsius. So yeah, basically 0 Kelvin.

Eddie, it' s Quantum mechanics. Those articles are about as simple as it' s going to get. If you can' t understand them, get some sleep first and then read them again.

The only way I can sum it up is that instead of using either 1' s or 0' s, quantum computing uses the physical properties of subatomic particles to do calculations.

Lighten up UnluckyOne, it was a flippant remark. I seriously cannot see Nvidia or ATI working on the worlds first 1000Qbit gpu.

ORIGINAL: UnluckyOne

Quantum computing is not going to be used for entertainment for a long long time. Perhaps never, as there may be other more cost effective methods of advancing entertainment. (see Chaos computing)

I mean, can you imagine opening your PC up and getting terminal hypothermia because it has to be cooled to temperatures less than outer space?

Quantum computing is a fantastic technological breakthrough, but it' s not going to help you get l337 FPS in games. It' s going to help scientists solve diseases like HIV, malaria, etc and pretty much give us the means to solve some of the greatest problems that mankind currently faces. In my opinion, that' s much more drool worthy than FPS.

I don' t see how quantum computers could NOT be used as every day computers in the future. Circuits keep getting smaller and smaller every day, and using quantum materials just seems like a logical step. The thing is that chaos chips could be made of quantum materials, thereby combining the two ideas. Basically a chaos chip is just a chip that serves many different functions, instead of just one. It' s not made of any special materials, or anything.

Also, it seems as though quantum computing does not diverge from using binary. It merely uses the spin of sub-atomic particles to determine ones and zeroes. Of course there is the matter of quantum materials being able to spin both ways at the same time!

ORIGINAL: Eddie_the_Hated

And still I ask, English please?! It sounds wonderful, but I can' t wrap my head around it.

Basically, someone found a way to extract sub-atomic particles, and use them as logic gates on a chip. Problem is the f*cker has to be COLD!