New Idea Could Lead to Quantum RAM

KentuckyFC writes to tell us that scientists in Italy and the US have designed a new method of retrieving information from quantum memory that could allow them to create "Quantum RAM". "Giovannetti's idea is to send the address down the branching tree of connections in such a way that it only affects one switch at a time. The first address qubit sets a switch at the first branching point to go one way or the other; the second qubit is sent that way and sets the switch at the next branching point, and so on. The total number of entangled quantum systems is smaller, and they are not so susceptible to interference, allowing information to be retrieved from memory intact."

Comments

Re:Quntum bits and linking, fun consequences...

[kebes]

Thus your quantum UNIX would have the 'ln' command but not 'cp' ( 'cp -l' is ok ).

That's a cool way of thinking about it. However I think in a real implementation of a quantum computer, the system would be a mostly classical device (including CPU, RAM, hard drive), with a quantum chip as a co-processor that is used for certain computations only. The existence of the chip, and the quantum implications thereof, would probably be hidden from the user/programmer. So for instance the compiler would take care of using the quantum chip for computations where it makes sense, but using the classical CPU otherwise.

For many things the quantum chip would be advantageous, but ultimately for many other things (especially data storage), a conventional classical computer is better (or at least cheaper). Of course, it's possible I'm not being sufficiently imaginative, and that there will be situations where keeping data indefinitely in quantum RAM will be advantageous... My main point is that adding quantum functionality to our computers doesn't mean giving up on the advantages of classical computing (e.g. simplicity, easy persistent storage). Hybrid computers provide the advantages of both realms.