Quantum Computing Breakthrough in Japan

An anonymous reader writes "A research team funded by NEC and RIKEN, Japan's Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, are the first to demonstrate a Controlled NOT (CNOT) quantum gate. The CNOT gate when coupled with a rotational gate would create a universal gate. The universal gate would be the basis for quantum computing. ETA for the first quantum computers: 10 to 100 years." When quantum computers first come to fruition, the best part will be reminiscing about how terrible computers were "back in the day."

Comments

A couple of Thoughts

[ericspinder]

With that much computer power.

• So much for 128 bit encryption or 512, etc
• SETI would run out of signals to process

If you crash your quantum computer would you rip a hole in the space-time continum. Maybe that is how black holes get started; one for every planet that just gets to this point and then loads Windows on a quantum computer.

Re:A couple of Thoughts

[Anonymous Coward]

This black hole brought to you by Microsoft!

"And you thought we sucked before!"

--
actually, no. the universe doesnt crash.. least not yet..

I'm working on my own quantum computer

[Dancin_Santa]

But that's really neither here nor there.

Re:I'm working on my own quantum computer

[slickwillie]

In related news, my cat disappeared and a CNOT gate took his place for second.

Re:I'm working on my own quantum computer

[swingkid]

This may say more about my sense of humor, but that's one of the funniest things I've ever seen on slashot.

Here it is...

[UncleRage]

Imagine a beowulf cluster of those!

You know it was coming.

Re:Here it is...

[irongull]

The superposition of states in a quantum system can be interpreted as multiple universes, each containing a possible outcome. I'm pretty sure that this means that every quantum computer is inherently an inter-dimensionally multiplexed beowulf cluster of itself. Until you look at it.

Re:Here it is...

[The Munger]

The new cliche will be pointing out cliches. The slashdotters who involve themselves in writing cliche +5 funnies will attract another crowd who moan about cliched +5 funnies.

Then they're be another crowd who analyse people moaning about people who write cliched +5 funnies. This mob is starting to come through.

Then people will start a cliched response to that level in the chain, and on, and on it will go until everyone on the planet is involved in the huge chain of cliched jokes, witty responses, and critique. After that, the sheer scale will evolve its own cliched jokes and the process will become... a chain!!!

Then ensuing feedback loop (having already swallowed all of humanity), will eventually achieve a sentience of its own (a product of the infinite monkey syndrome) and the Slashdot servers will grow legs and crawl away.

So please everyone, keep posting your cliched jokes. And if you don't post the jokes, post replies attacking the jokes. And if you don't post attacks, post some insight on the aggresion. And if you don't do that, think of something even more original. Eventually, we will all become the creators of a new form of life after which, I for one will welcome our Slashdot serving overlord.

Re:What is going to run on these computers?

[supun]

Unreal Tournament 2104

The Reason Progress Is So Slow

[Myriad]

The real reason why the development of quantum computers is going so slow is pretty simple: everytime they check on their progress they lose the damned thing!

(with appologies to Mr. Heisenberg)

Blockwars: realtime, multiplayer, and free!

Factoring in the effects of computational advances

[HalfFlat]

From the article,

That means calculations, such as working out the factors of prime numbers, which present problems for even the fastest supercomputers could be trivialized by a quantum computer.

Once they get prime numbers licked, they'll move on to the composite ones. To live in such heady times!

Re:hmm... hardware outpaces software again?

[bruthasj]

Yeah! It's called J2EE. You should check it out sometime. I'm sure the next incarnation, J3EE, will suck the living juice out of any quantum computer thrown at it.

Re:Quantum Computers

[geekoid]

yes, and well only need, maybe, 5 in the world...

Re:Quantum Computers

[00420]

Then again, if you chart processor and memory usage, you will find that nothing will run Windows 2015

At least call it by its proper codename. It's called Longhorn, not Windows 2015

Re:/.'ed? No worries:

[mike_g]

That means calculations, such as working out the factors of prime numbers, which present problems for even the fastest supercomputers could be trivialized by a quantum computer.

Hell, I have an awesome algorithm that runs in O(1) time for determining the factors of prime numbers, but no one is writing a news story about me.

I have a quantum computer too..

[Epistax]

I don't know where it is, but it's moving at exactly 3.65 m/s.

The Nintendo Game Qubit.

[NanoGator]

"ETA for the first quantum computers: 10 to 100 years."

I predict Duke Nukem Forever will be a launch title for the Nintendo Game Qubit.

Re:hmm... hardware outpaces software again?

[Epistax]

Just want until it turns on Longhorn is based on the Doom3 engine. Then you'll be lucky to play solitaire without lag.

They're fixing them?

[The Munger]

When quantum computers first come to fruition, the best part will be reminiscing about how terrible computers were "back in the day."

No, they'll still be terrible. They'll just be terrible really quickly.

Oooh oooh

[sbszine]

function getFactors( aPrime )
{
return [ aPrime, 1 ];
}

// Profit!

Re:What is going to run on these computers?

[MyHair]

Don't you mean Duke Nukem Forever?

Re:What is going to run on these computers?

[Ignominious Cow Herd]

we'll have to say goodbye to https, ssh, pgp, etc.

No more etc!? Where will we put all our configuration files?

Re:No more encryption?

[freshmkr]

With the ability to instantly factor every large prime, for example, it would nullify the best we've got.

Nonsense! I can instantly factor every large prime--in my head!!

You can too.

--Tom

Pshaw... I don't need a computer at all for that!

[Zarf]

That means calculations, such as working out the factors of prime numbers, which present problems for even the fastest supercomputers could be trivialized by a quantum computer. As an example Tsai estimated that using the Shor Algorithm to factor a 256-bit binary number, a task that would take 10 million years using something like IBM Corp.'s Blue Gene supercomputer, could be accomplished by a quantum computer in about 10 seconds.

I don't even need a computer to factor prime numbers! Give me any prime number and I'll factor it right now. Any prime number's factors are one and itself! Ha! These researchers must be so stupid to have to build computers and write programs to do things like that!

What I'd really like to see is a computer than can quickly find the prime factors of extremely large numbers... like ones on the order of 256-bits or something. Now that would be nifty. I don't understand why people think it's so hard to factor prime numbers no matter how big a prime number is it's still prime.

All the awesome power --

[Chromodromic]

-- And Emacs will still be slower than Vim.

ETA

[Jace of Fuse!]

ETA for the first quantum computers: 10 to 100 years.

10 to 100, is it? I guess since we're talking about Quantum, we'll take this a step further and say "They may or may not actually release a computer."

Or is it that they will AND they won't?

Quantum gates

[RayBender]

I thought it had been shown that to make a quantum computer you needed the gates to be made of cats...