Y Combinator-Funded Startup To Do Quantum Computing -- Only Better (bizjournals.com)

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Y Combinator-Funded Startup To Do Quantum Computing -- Only Better (bizjournals.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on Friday March 31, 2017 @03:34PM from the because-everything's-better-in-the-cloud dept.

An anonymous reader writes: A "spaceshot" company that emerged from Y Combinator three summers ago and is targeting a revolutionary change in the way computers work has landed $64 million to help it in the race against much bigger tech giants. Rigetti Computing, which operates out of Berkeley and Fremont, is tackling quantum computing and going up against research being done by the likes of IBM, Intel, Microsoft and others... Rigetti is building a cloud quantum computing platform for artificial intelligence and computational chemistry. It recently opened up private beta testing of 'Forest', its API for quantum computing in the cloud. It integrates directly with existing cloud infrastructure and treats the quantum computer as an accelerator.
"The potential to make a positive impact on humanity is enormous," said Chad Rigetti, the startup's founder and CEO -- who declined to say whether the company is actually earning any revenue yet.

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A better question to ask by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 15:40 · Score: 1

"Chad Rigetti, the startup's founder and CEO -- who declined to say whether the company is actually earning any revenue yet."
who would also decline to say whether the company is doing proper quantum computing yet.
1. Re: A better question to ask by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 19:10 · Score: 0
  
  I came here exactly for comments like this
2. Re:A better question to ask by Tackhead · 2017-03-31 19:48 · Score: 1
  
  "Chad Rigetti, the startup's founder and CEO -- who declined to say whether the company is actually earning any revenue yet." who would also decline to say whether the company is doing proper quantum computing yet.
  
  If he knew how much revenue he was getting, he wouldn't know whether the revenue growth rate was growing or shrinking. How the fark is he supposed to get Series A funding at a good valuation like that? Naw, man, he did it right - assume a given momentum sufficient to get the next round of funding, and who cares about the company's actual market position?
3. Re: A better question to ask by mnemotronic · 2017-04-01 05:06 · Score: 1
  
  I guess I ain't got religion yet. Quantum computing seems like the CS dept's answer to cold fusion.
  
  Hey! I've got an idea -- cold fusion powered quantum computing! It can compute the proof that Martians are living in Grovers Mill, NJ and using faster-than-light neutrinos to tap Trump Tower from Obama's secret underground military base near the Lincoln Memorial.
  
  --
  The Russians have won. They have made the world a cesspool of distrust, greed, fear and hate.
4. Re:A better question to ask by ShanghaiBill · 2017-04-01 07:26 · Score: 1
  
  Their quantum computer works, and that explains why the CEO doesn't know his revenue.
  They do their accounting directly on the quantum computer, and the revenue figure is still in a superposition.
  Asking the CEO "What's your revenue?" is like asking Schrodinger "How's your cat?"
Cloud Quantum Computing by bistromath007 · 2017-03-31 15:46 · Score: 1

Yeah, okay. $20 says this turns out to be a giant scam inside of five years
1. Re:Cloud Quantum Computing by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 16:30 · Score: 0
  
  Oh yeah? $40 says you forgot to look at the calendar.
2. Re: Cloud Quantum Computing by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-01 07:59 · Score: 0
  
  Cloud quantum computing makes sense because you're not going to put a dilution refrigerator in your living room.
Y Combinator by nitehawk214 · 2017-03-31 15:49 · Score: 3, Funny

Is there anything that comes out of Y Combinator that isn't a buzzword-laden funding scam?

--
I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
1. Re:Y Combinator by darkain · 2017-03-31 15:56 · Score: 1
  
  I'm pretty sure that's exactly what they teach at the Y. Even successful companies to come out of them are still filled with this bullshit nonsense up and down.
2. Re: Y Combinator by nitehawk214 · 2017-03-31 16:17 · Score: 1
  
  They just define "success" as "succesully for a bunch of suckers to give them money".
  It's also possible this is just an early April Fool's post. Shit has been old for a decade.
  
  --
  I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
3. Re:Y Combinator by locater16 · 2017-03-31 18:05 · Score: 2
  
  Can't, tell, if, April, fools story yet. Must, not, give in! Must, type, like, Captain Kirk.
4. Re:Y Combinator by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 18:27 · Score: 0
  
  > Is there anything that comes out of Y Combinator that isn't a buzzword-laden funding scam?
  Dropbox? Stripe? Octopart? Reddit? Scribd? Heroku?
  You might be mislead by all the shitty startups that fail. That's the nature of most businesses; they suck and they fail.
5. Re: Y Combinator by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-01 06:02 · Score: 0
  
  Don't forget Octochicken. Tasty goodness you can converse with.
April First? by JonathanP.Bennett · 2017-03-31 16:09 · Score: 4, Informative

Is this the first of Slashdot's April Fools posts? It's getting harder to tell.
1. Re:April First? by lucm · 2017-03-31 16:48 · Score: 2
  
  Is this the first of Slashdot's April Fools posts? It's getting harder to tell.
  We live in a strange time. Donald Trump is the president, Facebook makes 2x more money than Ford, and that profit wouldn't be enough to cover Uber losses while it's decimating the taxi industry. So yeah, April Fools is all year round.
  
  --
  lucm, indeed.
2. Re:April First? by TeknoHog · 2017-03-31 21:40 · Score: 1
  
  I also found this file called "Trump Intelligence Allegations". If that isn't an April Fools, I don't know what is.
  
  --
  Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
Yet another shitty April Fools Day. by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 16:12 · Score: -1

Well, it's April Fools Day again. That means a day of extreme stupidity here at Slashdot, beyond what we normally see. There's no point in visiting this site again until over a day has passed.
1. Re:Yet another shitty April Fools Day. by coastwalker · 2017-03-31 16:49 · Score: 1
  
  I am looking at the orange banner and thinking 'I have a virus infection'. Ha bloody ha. I expect my sense of humor will recover.
  
  --
  Facts are history now plebs have politics for religion on social media.
2. Re:Yet another shitty April Fools Day. by MrMr · 2017-03-31 18:58 · Score: 2
  
  I the the joke's on slashdot. Still looks better than the mobile site.
3. Re:Yet another shitty April Fools Day. by hackwrench · 2017-03-31 20:27 · Score: 1
  
  Which refuses to stay logged in for more than a few page views at a time. I can almost never reuse a login to post, and then when I log in after writing the post, it will often go somewhere else after logging in without submitting the post.
Eyebleed by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 16:14 · Score: 1

WTF just happened now everything looks like shit with slashdot redesign. WTF?!?!
1. Re:Eyebleed by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 16:15 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  They copied the "Hacker News" layout.
2. Re:Eyebleed by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 18:02 · Score: 0
  
  Till this day is over
  @namespace url(http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml); @-moz-document domain("slashdot.org") { #firehose .hide{display:block!important} }
So momey was spent by the_Bionic_lemming · 2017-03-31 16:15 · Score: -1, Offtopic

Money was spent on "slacker news" april fools?
There's a declining pool of people reading and posting on /. Maybe hiring folks that can do more than turn the site orange and make up stories would help make the site better if they focused on news for nerds and stuff that matters.
Focus on someone better than Beau.

--
_ _ _ Go for the eyes Boo! GO FOR THE EYES!
1. Re:So momey was spent by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 16:21 · Score: -1
  
  Money was spent on "slacker news" april fools?
  There's a declining pool of people reading and posting on /. Maybe hiring folks that can do more than turn the site orange and make up stories would help make the site better if they focused on news for nerds and stuff that matters.
  Focus on someone better than Beau who just modded me a troll.
2. Re:So momey was spent by whipslash · 2017-03-31 16:22 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Actually it was me. Money wasn't spent. Hence "Slacker News". BAH HUMBUG to you to
3. Re: So momey was spent by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 16:24 · Score: 0
  
  Somebody should mod the parent up. It isn't off topic to question whether or not this news story is real. The April Fool's nonsense here makes it difficult to tell if this submission is real or just a joke.
4. Re: So momey was spent by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 16:25 · Score: 0
  
  Why don't you click through to the source story?
5. Re:So momey was spent by the_Bionic_lemming · 2017-03-31 16:26 · Score: 0
  
  Good to know.
  You won't be seeing me again.
  
  --
  _ _ _ Go for the eyes Boo! GO FOR THE EYES!
6. Re: So momey was spent by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 16:28 · Score: 1
  
  Is this for real?! The admins here are going around downmodding people who asked legitimate questions about the veracity of a submission here?!
7. Re:So momey was spent by whipslash · 2017-03-31 16:29 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Cool. See ya
8. Re: So momey was spent by whipslash · 2017-03-31 16:30 · Score: 0
  
  No, just me, and one person
9. Re: So momey was spent by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 16:32 · Score: 0
  
  I did, whipslash. I can't tell if the 'Silicon Valley Business Journal' is real or not, too.
10. Re:So momey was spent by bored_engineer · 2017-03-31 16:34 · Score: 2
  
  Alas, your joke went live a few hours before the first of April where I am, so I was quite confused for a moment. Other than the colors, I really like the front page, though. :-)
11. Re:So momey was spent by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 17:05 · Score: -1
  
  Wow you're great at your job!
12. Re:So momey was spent by slarabee · 2017-03-31 17:24 · Score: -1
  
  Three little words. "Cool. See ya." The final straw to end twenty years of daily Slashdot reading.
  I had such hopes when Bizx or whatever you are called took over. Now I have nothing but regret for the mockery received from my peers over the last few years when I admitted I still read Slashdot. They were right.
  Oh well, at least I will always have visions of a petrified Natalie Portman. Naked. Hold the grits
  .
13. Re:So momey was spent by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 17:24 · Score: 0
  
  Good. Good.
14. Re:So momey was spent by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 17:25 · Score: -1
  
  This site has been going to shit for years but this April 1st might finally be the end for me. Does anyone know the best subreddit with similar stories to slashdot?
15. Re: So momey was spent by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 17:33 · Score: 0
  
  (-1, whiner) would describe better.
16. Re:So momey was spent by ChoGGi · 2017-03-31 18:04 · Score: 1
  
  ...I want ponies
17. Re:So momey was spent by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 18:53 · Score: 1
  
  Where are you going to go, Reddit? That's the worst of them all.
18. Re: So momey was spent by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 19:22 · Score: -1
  
  Fuck me in the ass you are funny
19. Re:So momey was spent by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 19:29 · Score: 3
  
  I have this theory someone took over a bunch of low-user-ID accounts, and they then just periodically use them to post "Slashdot's finally gone too far and I must avert my eyes!"
20. Re: So momey was spent by CustomSolvers2 · 2017-03-31 21:25 · Score: 1
  
  I liked your Slacker News. It was an unexpected surprise, a small detail which made me smile, pretty much the opposite than this comment. Being proud of arbitrarily misusing an over-power you have? In a site like this, where the whole moderation system was created to be as unbiased as possible? Actually these (dumb-)childish attitudes are precisely the main reason why I have stopped participating in various other social-media sites. I am exclusively interested in dealing with adults and, eventually, helping kids understand how to behave.
  
  I haven't been participating in Slashdot for too long, but I like this community quite a lot. I will certainly continue coming here to read and post. This community is very big and strong (although might seem quite dysfunctional at first sight) to disappear or, at least, to stop being appealing to me. Even in the worst scenario, it might move somewhere else (to other site or a different company might buy this site or your company might hire other people). One thing is sure: attitudes like the one you have shown in this last post are completely against all what I will ever stand for (in Slashdot) and nothing will ever change that. You (your company or slashdot.org or whatever) only provide a place, a container, an accessory and easily-replaceable feature; you are the building where the meeting is hold, the cable through which the electricity flows, etc. You are only one of the many parts of a whole which, in case of not behaving exactly as expected, will be replaced.
  
  --
  Custom Solvers 2.0 = Alvaro Carballo Garcia = varocarbas.
21. Re:So momey was spent by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-01 01:43 · Score: 0
  
  kthxbye :/
22. Re:So momey was spent by whipslash · 2017-04-01 03:05 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  What exactly are you upset about? That I responded to a rude comment with a little rudeness of my own? I'm not your butler
23. Re:So momey was spent by belthize · 2017-04-01 03:11 · Score: 1
  
  So you're Logan Abbot huh ? Shrug. SourceForge hasn't been all that interesting in years and /. feels more and more like work to visit.
  Abbott says that they have a lot of good things planned for both sites. "The biggest thing I want to stress is that we are committed to serving our user base, which consists of the Slashdot community, and the SourceForge users and developers," he says. "We're not going to take any shortsighted approaches that may have been taken in the past. We're focused on building on and improving these two iconic sites for years to come."
  I'm probably just old and I'm not the kind of person you're targeting, if I am you sure as hell missed.
  Good luck with your holdings
24. Re:So momey was spent by whipslash · 2017-04-01 03:21 · Score: 1
  
  Thanks for the feedback.
25. Re: So momey was spent by CustomSolvers2 · 2017-04-01 04:19 · Score: 1
  
  My post gets -1 overrated and the Bill-Cosby-wannabe above (some words, "BAH HUMBUG" and some other words) gets +5 funny! Thanks for helping readers understand my point with this new sample of moderation abuse.
  
  --
  Custom Solvers 2.0 = Alvaro Carballo Garcia = varocarbas.
26. Re: So momey was spent by whipslash · 2017-04-01 05:21 · Score: 2
  
  I responded to a rude comment attacking one of my editors. Weird that it's upsetting to people
27. Re: So momey was spent by __aaclcg7560 · 2017-04-01 05:25 · Score: 1
  
  I can't tell if the 'Silicon Valley Business Journal' is real or not, too.
  It's real. I don't recall when the name got changed. It used to be the "San Jose Business Journal" in the 1990's when I read it regularly.
  http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose
28. Re: So momey was spent by CustomSolvers2 · 2017-04-01 06:03 · Score: 1
  
  I responded
  No, you used a system against its purpose to attack a person sharing an opinion which you didn't like. You might have replied to my message, by censoring my attitude or by trying to convince me that I was wrong. But you didn't do anything of that, you modded my post down by using the moderation system as a way to punish my behaviour. If we were in the wild west, you would have shot me in the back (to defend a friend of yours).
  
  a rude comment
  Openly saying what I think is rude? Criticising a behaviour which I consider negative for this community by giving reasons (and even kudos) is rude? I think that you are looking for the word describing a person openly criticising what you did and rude isn't the best one. In fact, I don't think that there is any good word for that. There are (preventive) attacks, dismissing expressions, insults and further "resources" which some people might use to avoid an open, reason-based and face-to-face conversation where being wrong is one of the possible outputs.
  
  attacking one of my editors
  I didn't attack anyone. The sole intention of my comment was sharing what I consider best for this site (better: for the community which uses it). People thinking differently can convince me that I am wrong or even ignore my opinion, but why feeling attacked? Am I not allowed to have an opinion on this or any other issue and reasonably sharing it? Isn't this precisely the whole point of Slashdot's comment section? Should I make sure that everyone listening agree with me before opening my mouth to avoid anyone feeling attacked? Sorry, but I will not do that.
  
  Weird that it's upsetting to people
  I am not upset, although some people think that I am a bit weird. So, I guess that this one is almost kind of not completely wrong.
  
  --
  Custom Solvers 2.0 = Alvaro Carballo Garcia = varocarbas.
29. Re: So momey was spent by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-01 06:07 · Score: -1
  
  You are a faggot piece of shit. Go kill yourself.
30. Re: So momey was spent by whipslash · 2017-04-01 06:19 · Score: 1
  
  First of all, I didn't mod your post down. I modded the parent down. Second of all, I wasn't calling you rude nor saying you attacked anyone. Again, I was talking about the parent comment by the_bionic_lemming.
31. Re: So momey was spent by CustomSolvers2 · 2017-04-01 06:45 · Score: 1
  
  OK. Sorry about the misunderstanding, I got it completely wrong. Although you could have been a bit more clear (e.g., saying the person you were referring to, answering to my original post rather to the one complaining about the downvote, etc.).
  
  --
  Custom Solvers 2.0 = Alvaro Carballo Garcia = varocarbas.
32. Re: So momey was spent by whipslash · 2017-04-01 06:53 · Score: 1
  
  No worries. My bad too. Just got ruffled by the original comment.
33. Re: So momey was spent by mnemotronic · 2017-04-01 07:02 · Score: 2
  
  Group hug!
  
  --
  The Russians have won. They have made the world a cesspool of distrust, greed, fear and hate.
34. Re: So momey was spent by belthize · 2017-04-02 02:52 · Score: 1
  
  How did you mod the parent down if you posted. That's a basic premise of /., mod or post but not both.
Make it stop! by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 16:37 · Score: 0

"positive impact on humanity"
That statement is equal parts meaningless word soup, idiotic boasting, and a rare level of over-confident douchebaggery reserved for start-up CEOs.
FAKE APRIL 1st by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 17:01 · Score: 0

DISHONEST media is lying to you about the existence of "April" or "quantum computing", while distracting you from Ycombinator-funded Bowling Green massacre! Failing Slashdot will not Make America Great Again. SAD!
Buzzword Bingo by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 17:22 · Score: 0

building a cloud quantum computing platform for artificial intelligence
Bingo!
New Slashdot look? Yuck! by hduff · 2017-03-31 17:36 · Score: 0

New Slashdot look? Yuck!

--
"I believe in Karma. That means I can do bad things to people all day long and I assume they deserve it." : Dogbert
1. Re:New Slashdot look? Yuck! by hrafn42 · 2017-03-31 18:22 · Score: 1
  
  ! emphatically agree.
2. Re:New Slashdot look? Yuck! by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 18:29 · Score: 0
  
  If we are lucky, it is an April Fools joke
3. Re:New Slashdot look? Yuck! by __aaclcg7560 · 2017-04-01 05:19 · Score: 1
  
  It is. I don't think "Slacker News" will ever take off.
4. Re:New Slashdot look? Yuck! by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-01 10:30 · Score: 0
  
  It's kind of like trump putting on blackface and trying to convince us that Obama is still president.
As a user, I can confirm: it is awesome! by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 17:38 · Score: 0

We have been using the platform in our own quantum mechanics experiments. The system is amazingly powerful, setting up even a complex system is trivial with simple win.ini-style config files, and it can solve analytically any partial differential equation you throw at it. We've so far solved the n-body problem, the Uranus atom (incidentally developing a new paradigm in nuclear energy), and have managed to use MA discharges through Josephson junctions to modify the space-time geometry so that subliminal travel of small objects is achievable.
Our next goal is solving the stockmarket equation. See if you can beat us to it.
The best part: it is free, and unrestricted, at least via the NSA backdoor that we've been using.
Excellent tool, highly recommended.
1. Re:As a user, I can confirm: it is awesome! by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 18:14 · Score: 0
  
  You're late to the game. I've already 3d-printed my Beowulf cluster of quantum computers. Who needs the cloud anyway? Our platform detects fake news much better than H1Bs and we've laid off the entire workforce, to the joy of SJW types because now both women and men are unemployed. We beat the stock market and provide UBI to our town with the earnings. We're buying Tesla and sending Musk to Mars next.
2. Re:As a user, I can confirm: it is awesome! by Anonymous Coward · 2017-03-31 18:49 · Score: 0
  
  Really, Elon, go work on the financials of your failing startups.
  I'm talking real shit here, not politics. Real shit like anti-grav devices, FTL travel, AI communism, farming in hyperspace, not your drivel and definitely not your "I saw your stuff, and I just re-posted it with "more" in front".
  Go eat a bowl of dicks, hater.
Make it a week, or two. by DrYak · 2017-03-31 18:35 · Score: 1

There's no point in visiting this site again until over a day has passed.
Given dupes, slow news, slow editorial (...huh ?) process, etc.
I would say waiting a until over a week has passed is better.

--
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
Well, it's quantum. by hackwrench · 2017-03-31 20:33 · Score: 1

Some people's misunderstanding of "quantum" results in Schrodinger's indeterminacy principle being thtown into the mix resulting in a condition where a company must simultaneously be doing quantum computing right and wrong. Also, descriptions of quantum computing fail to acknowledge the presence of logic gates. I haven't read this article yet to determine if it follows the pattern though.
How quantum computing *really* works by GalenBB · 2017-04-01 02:01 · Score: 1

Here's how quantum computing really works:
It splits reality into millions of possible universes, trying a different answer in each one. Then it uses quantum interference to destroy every universe where the answer comes out wrong. When it's done, you know the answer you have is right.

--
Perseverance is a strong will; obstinacy is a strong won't.
1. Re: How quantum computing *really* works by Anonymous Coward · 2017-04-01 06:11 · Score: 0
  
  I must be in the wrong universe then to see your post.
For What It's Worth... by __aaclcg7560 · 2017-04-01 04:36 · Score: 1

I'm reading "Chaos Monkeys: Obscene Fortune and Random Failure in Silicon Valley" by Antonio Garcia Martinez. The author and his two engineers leave the startup they worked at to create a startup at Y Combinator to create a better version of the Digg toolbar (remember toolbars?) for Google advertisers in 2010. I'm at the part where they get served with an intellectual property lawsuit, as one of the engineers wrote half of the code base at old startup. Fun times.
I doubt this book will replace Startup: A Silicon Valley Adventure by Jerry Kaplan as my favorite Silicon Valley startup book.