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Intel Unveils 'Breakthrough' 49 Qubit Quantum Computer (extremetech.com)

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the next-generation-hardware dept.

Long-time Slashdot reader cold fjord writes: Extremetech reports, "At CES 2018 this week, Intel's CEO Brian Krzanich declared the company's new 49-qubit quantum computer represented a step towards "quantum supremacy." A 49 qubit system is a major advance for Intel, which just demonstrated a 17-qubit system two months ago. Intel's working with the Netherlands-based Qutech on this project, and expanding the number of qubits is key to creating quantum computers that can deliver real-world results... "Qubits are tremendously fragile," Intel wrote in October. "Any noise or unintended observation of them can cause data loss. This fragility requires them to operate at about 20 millikelvin -- 250 times colder than deep space." This is also why we won't be seeing quantum computers in anyone's house at any point."
Krzanich also thanked the industry for "coming together" to address the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities. "The collaboration among so many companies to address this industry-wide issue across several different processor architectures has been truly remarkable."

24 of 204 comments (clear)

  1. Huge breakthrough by 110010001000 · · Score: 3, Funny

    The tipping point for quantum computers is around 30 qubits. This opens up research on breaking traditional encryption, AI, autonomous driving and blockchain. Very exciting.

    1. Re: Huge breakthrough by michelcolman · · Score: 4, Funny

      I think there's a world market for maybe five quantum computers...

    2. Re:Huge breakthrough by ceoyoyo · · Score: 2

      Possibly 30 fully error corrected and connected quibits would be interesting. On the other hand, IIRC there are already simulators that can do that many reasonably.

      It's unlikely that these quibits are fully connected or error corrected.

    3. Re:Huge breakthrough by NicknameUnavailable · · Score: 2

      The tipping point for quantum computers is around 30 qubits.

      It's going to take about 1,048 qubits to break encryption efficiently enough to destroy things like Bitcoin. Not a lot considering quantum computer qubit densities are increasing at about the same rate as Moore's law - Bitcoin has about 5-8 years before it becomes worthless.

    4. Re:Huge breakthrough by 110010001000 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Clearly you have never met me.

    5. Re: Huge breakthrough by NicknameUnavailable · · Score: 4, Interesting

      You only need superconducting temperatures for qubits. A few years ago there was actually a design for room-temperature qubit handling hardware, but all the engineers involved in the patent rights mysteriously vanished (**cough** MH370 **cough**.) Interesting, the Rotheschilds were the only other patent holder - so they hold the rights to room temperature quantum computing now.

    6. Re:Huge breakthrough by tsa · · Score: 2

      You're way smarter than Siri. You understood the sentence I wrote.

      --

      -- Cheers!

    7. Re:Huge breakthrough by 110010001000 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Let me look that up for you.

    8. Re:Huge breakthrough by 110010001000 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      That explains why I am so uncertain if my wifi is going to work or not...

    9. Re:Huge breakthrough by rkordmaa · · Score: 3, Informative

      Nope, you can easily simulate 30 qubits on home computer, 49 qubits, not so much. If a quantum computer has enough qubits that no classical computer could ever simulate it, then it's useful because it can do some things classical computer will never be able to do. That limit is thought to be around 50 qubits. The whole fura over quantum computers is that it can bring down computational complexity for some problems, not reduce it to zero and break all the encryption in the world, but bring it down nevertheless and it's a huge thing for some problems making the difference between computable and non-computable. Taking advantage of a quantum computer and doing something useful with it is obviously huge pain in the rear, but with this new machine by Intel we just might start hearing a few interesting successes soon.

    10. Re: Huge breakthrough by NicknameUnavailable · · Score: 3, Interesting

      It's marked troll, but it really wasn't. Look up the patent - 5 engineers + David Rothschild owned it. One of the 5 engineers died a month or so before MH370 went down, the other 4 were on MH370 (along with a bunch of the rest of their company) on a business trip.

  2. Still conflating Meltdown with Spectre by llamalad · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It's funny (sad, really) that Intel is so diligent about trying to bamboozle everyone into thinking that Spectre (which effects many manufacturers' processors) and Meltdown (which is intel-specific) are the same.

    Such bullshit.

    1. Re:Still conflating Meltdown with Spectre by 110010001000 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      What is even more sad is that the Intel CEO dumped all of his stock after learning about the flawed processors, and it looks like he is getting away with it.

    2. Re:Still conflating Meltdown with Spectre by 110010001000 · · Score: 2

      No, I am talking about the ARM Cortex-A75 which isn't released yet and Intel had a hand in designing and is susceptible to Meltdown. My, my, don't YOU look stupid?

    3. Re:Still conflating Meltdown with Spectre by Aighearach · · Score: 2

      It is normal for somebody to cash out eventually.

      It isn't improper to sell stock just because some computer people were going to be mad at the company. Insider trader only covers things that affect the stock price. Nothing about this situation suggests that big companies are going to stop buying intel products, and so there is no reason to think that the bad PR will affect the stock price.

      In fact, their recent stock price is the highest it has ever been other than a brief spike during the .com boom/bust.

      If he'd waited until after this flaw went public to sell, the price would have been higher, he'd have made more money, not less! That's because, this doesn't really touch the stock price. In fact, due to Intel's existing market position, many more customers will upgrade early than buy something else, and people who do buy something else are likely to come home on the next purchase after that. Some customers might defer upgrades during the uncertainty, but it won't change their year-on-year upgrade cycles. And Intel has a war chest, they don't have cash flow problems, so there is not much problem there for them.

  3. So many claims of working qubit computers... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    But not one has demonstrated true quantum solutions in compute time faster than classical computing - yet. I'm not saying it is impossible, just that this feels very much like cold fusion in the 90s. We have been one year from a quantum computer for fifteen years. Before anyone jumps up and down screaming DWave, we know these are not true quantum computers, more likely magnetically paired computers. There are entire papers written about them.

    Intel and IBM spark my interest because they tend to actually make real hardware and do their homework. But notice that even Intel says this test platform will not be ready until 2020 or beyond.

    So here we sit for another 2-3 years to see if the claims of a true quantum computer that can (1) maintain coherence and (2) outperform a classical computer at the same task, will materialize. /me grabs popcorn.

  4. Predictions by ChatHuant · · Score: 5, Informative

    " This is also why we won't be seeing quantum computers in anyone's house at any point."

    "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."

    Ken Olsen, founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, 1977

  5. Quantum Domination / Supremacy by cold+fjord · · Score: 5, Informative

    Intel’s New Chip Aims For Quantum Supremacy

    . . . those 49 qbits can already do something that almost no traditional computer, even a supercomputer, can: solve a sorting problem that has up to 5.63 trillion possible outcomes. This is right around a milestone called “quantum supremacy”–the point at which a standard computer can’t even simulate a quantum machine.

    The promise of a quantum computer comes from one of those spooky aspects of quantum physics, whereby each qbit can hold two (or more) values simultaneously. Each time you add a qbit, you raise two to a higher exponent value. In this case, two raised to the 49th power yields 562,949,950,000,000 variations that can be compared at once. This technique is ideal for certain types of calculations, like speculative chemistry research that simulates the interactions of dozens of electrons, around multiple atoms, at once. It’s also useful for cracking digital encryption.

    --
    much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell
  6. Re:crystal-ball gazing by 110010001000 · · Score: 2

    You know where it is really cold? Mars. I am thinking these will be great for when Musk sets up his outpost on Mars.

  7. Re:sigh - "deep space" has no temp by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Actually deep space does have temperature (2.725 K) mainly because of the cosmic microwave background. This seems to imply that 20 mK is 135 times colder than deep space.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_microwave_background

  8. Re:sigh - "deep space" has no temp by TrekkieGod · · Score: 2

    I give you the cosmic microwave background.

    --

    Warning: Opinions known to be heavily biased.

  9. Quantum computing by burtosis · · Score: 3, Informative

    This article reminded me it's about time I gave my kids the talk.

  10. 640 qubits. by Blaede · · Score: 3, Funny

    640 qubits ought to be enough for anyone.

  11. Need 2 more dimensions ... by CaptainDork · · Score: 4, Funny

    “And this is how you shall make it: The length of the CPU shall be 300 qubits, its width 50 qubits, and its height 30 qubits.” (Genesis 6:15)

    --
    It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.