They said it was decades away: Quantum Supercomputer Unveiled

[Taco John]

Quantum Leap: Computer to 'Make Computer History'

By NED POTTER

Feb. 12, 2007 — "Quantum Computing." It's one of those things that bring a sparkle to the eyes of propellerheads — and make the rest of us just scratch our heads.

But it's been a holy grail in the arcane world of supercomputers — and a Canadian firm claims it will be unveiling one on Tuesday. Nevermind that most engineers thought quantum computers were decades away.

D-Wave Systems, Inc., based near Vancouver, is the company that's been working on the project. Its machine is described as a computer that can perform 64,000 calculations at once.

Following the odd laws of quantum mechanics, the digital "bits" that race through its circuits will be able to stand for 0 or 1 at the same time, allowing the machine, eventually, to do work that is orders of magnitude more complex than what today's computers can do.

"There are certain classes of problems that can't be solved with digital computers," said Herb Martin, the firm's CEO, over a decidedly-noisy digital cell phone. "Digital computers are good at running programs; quantum computers are good at handling massive sets of variables."


Coming Soon to a Store Near You?

So will you or I be able to have one soon? Will it come as a laptop?

The answers, for now, are no, and no. The current prototype, says Martin, is as big as a good-sized freezer, and a lot colder. It uses superconducting circuits that have to be refrigerated, close to absolute zero. That's the kind of temperature at which electrical resistance fades nearly to nothing (think of the heat generated by a conventional laptop), so that massive calculations can be done.

What sorts? Martin says, for instance, that a quantum computer could be used to design genetically based drugs (remember that the DNA in every human cell has 3 billion "base pairs," or "rungs" on that famous helical ladder).

Or it could be used by companies to manage their supply chains. "Think," says Martin, "of a company that has 40 factories and makes a million different parts. That's a lot to keep track of."

Quantum computers could also have major uses in the security world. Since 9/11, governments and companies have gotten heavily into biometrics, building massive databases of pictures, fingerprints, and other complex measures of people they want to track. If someone on a terrorism watch list passes a security checkpoint at an airport, a quantum computer could presumably be very fast at comparing his or her picture to the massive databases of pictures stored by security agencies.


Reality Check

Will this actually happen any time soon? Much of the computing world is skeptical. Major companies, such as IBM and NEC, have done years of research without results so far.

Even Seth Lloyd of MIT, a computer scientist whose research is cited as a major source of D-Wave's work, has been quoted as saying that while he's happy they're trying, he'll wait to see what they've done.

So don't go online in search of a quantum machine any time soon. But don't be surprised if, at some time in the future, you can go online to a search engine which just happens to be powered by this very strange technology.

[Old Dude]

We shall see!

This would be great for helping with protein-folding equations, which are incredibly complex - - but that would be a major step toward nanotechnology.

[footstepsfrom#27]

Will the tech support geeks speak English? ;D

[Killericon]

a Canadian firm

:yayaya:

[Willynowei]

We shall see!

This would be great for helping with protein-folding equations, which are incredibly complex - - but that would be a major step toward nanotechnology.

I was going to say...

IBM already has a working nanobot. In 15-20 years its fairly likely that a handheld device could store more than every single modern PC in the world put together today. Its really not that far off, if you can shrink transistors on modified semiconductors small enough, anything is possible.

I wouldn't be suprised if they had disposable labtops in a few years either.

[Bronx33]

We shall see!

This would be great for helping with protein-folding equations, which are incredibly complex - - but that would be a major step toward nanotechnology.


I was just folding a few equations yesterday and it was going wayyyyyyyyy to slow with my texas instruments calculator.

[PatsWin2002]

a Canadian firm :yayaya:


They have an advantage because they are closer to absolute zero! :wiggle:

[elsid13]

NSA is going to be pissed.

[crowebomber]

:yayaya:

The genius Canadians just released a picture of this computer demonstrating exactly how they plan to use this amazing scientific breakthrough.

[rubaiyat]

Quantum Leap: Computer to 'Make Computer History'

By NED POTTER

Feb. 12, 2007 — "Quantum Computing." It's one of those things that bring a sparkle to the eyes of propellerheads — and make the rest of us just scratch our heads.

But it's been a holy grail in the arcane world of supercomputers — and a Canadian firm claims it will be unveiling one on Tuesday. Nevermind that most engineers thought quantum computers were decades away.

D-Wave Systems, Inc., based near Vancouver, is the company that's been working on the project. Its machine is described as a computer that can perform 64,000 calculations at once.

Following the odd laws of quantum mechanics, the digital "bits" that race through its circuits will be able to stand for 0 or 1 at the same time, allowing the machine, eventually, to do work that is orders of magnitude more complex than what today's computers can do.

"There are certain classes of problems that can't be solved with digital computers," said Herb Martin, the firm's CEO, over a decidedly-noisy digital cell phone. "Digital computers are good at running programs; quantum computers are good at handling massive sets of variables."


Coming Soon to a Store Near You?

So will you or I be able to have one soon? Will it come as a laptop?

The answers, for now, are no, and no. The current prototype, says Martin, is as big as a good-sized freezer, and a lot colder. It uses superconducting circuits that have to be refrigerated, close to absolute zero. That's the kind of temperature at which electrical resistance fades nearly to nothing (think of the heat generated by a conventional laptop), so that massive calculations can be done.

What sorts? Martin says, for instance, that a quantum computer could be used to design genetically based drugs (remember that the DNA in every human cell has 3 billion "base pairs," or "rungs" on that famous helical ladder).

Or it could be used by companies to manage their supply chains. "Think," says Martin, "of a company that has 40 factories and makes a million different parts. That's a lot to keep track of."

Quantum computers could also have major uses in the security world. Since 9/11, governments and companies have gotten heavily into biometrics, building massive databases of pictures, fingerprints, and other complex measures of people they want to track. If someone on a terrorism watch list passes a security checkpoint at an airport, a quantum computer could presumably be very fast at comparing his or her picture to the massive databases of pictures stored by security agencies.


Reality Check

Will this actually happen any time soon? Much of the computing world is skeptical. Major companies, such as IBM and NEC, have done years of research without results so far.

Even Seth Lloyd of MIT, a computer scientist whose research is cited as a major source of D-Wave's work, has been quoted as saying that while he's happy they're trying, he'll wait to see what they've done.

So don't go online in search of a quantum machine any time soon. But don't be surprised if, at some time in the future, you can go online to a search engine which just happens to be powered by this very strange technology.


Hmmm...well if it never gets to high temperature then it will have limited real world use.

But if the benefits outweigh that, then I could see a run on helium or other noble gas to keep things that cool.

Imagine the day you'll tell kids how we squandered helium at children's birthday parties...

[Garcia Bronco]

Just in time...according to some here the world is about to end

[Rohirrim]

It's so fantastic to see human beings make such great scientific strides.

Hope it can run Halo III. ;D

[Kaylore]

The genius Canadians just released a picture of this computer demonstrating exactly how they plan to use this amazing scientific breakthrough.

It also can spit these out:

http://education.wichita.edu/caduceus/examples/servings/images/hockey%20puck_175w.jpg
http://www.pittmandavis.com/images/products/canb_full.jpg
http://www.allparty.co.uk/store/media/hats/1138804_Mountie_S.jpg

And it's screen saver plays "God Save the Queen"

[ZONA]

You guys are crackin me up man. Good jokes.

I know this computer is fast but could it count all the Chinese NBA Allstar votes for Yeo Ming in less then a second? Eerrrnt - nope. POS computer............lol

[Lev Vyvanse]

Following the odd laws of quantum mechanics, the digital "bits" that race through its circuits will be able to stand for 0 or 1 at the same time, allowing the machine, eventually, to do work that is orders of magnitude more complex than what today's computers can do.




I remember reading about this but can someone refresh me as to how this would help computing?

[Popps]

Quantum schuantum.

Check this out....

http://www.atariguide.com/ss/combat.gif

[Garcia Bronco]

Quantum schuantum.

Check this out....

http://www.atariguide.com/ss/combat.gif

I remember this game

[Taco John]

The combination of quantum computing and nanotechnology has potential that is flat mind-boggling (if not scary).

I wonder if in the future, we all live in 10 x 10 virtual reality "apartments," interacting with eachother as nano-avatars on an internet holodeck...

[alkemical]

I remember reading about this but can someone refresh me as to how this would help computing?

In calculating variables, this is huge.

"Nothing is true, everything is permitted" - means that it is neither 1 or 0 until it's demanded that a value is predicated to fit a need.

Schrodingers cat more or less..... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schr%C3%B6dinger's_cat)

[Rohirrim]

The combination of quantum computing and nanotechnology has potential that is flat mind-boggling (if not scary).

I wonder if in the future, we all live in 10 x 10 virtual reality "apartments," interacting with eachother as nano-avatars on an internet holodeck...

The Matrix is coming...

[alkemical]

Hey i read that in like 10years the internet has the possibility of becoming self-aware....

[watermock]

Wait till we start rolling out autonoumously self aware war machines. Then they can hook up with the quantum computer and the self-aware internet.

[alkemical]

HAL: Look Dave, I can see you're really upset about this. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and think things over.

[elsid13]

Scientists dubious of quantum claims By JORDAN ROBERTSON, AP Technology Writer
56 minutes ago
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070214/ap_on_hi_te/techbit_quantum_quandary


Quantum computing is such an elusive goal that even the company claiming to have the "world's first commercial quantum computer" acknowledged it isn't entirely sure the machine is performing true quantum calculations.

And independent quantum computing researchers said they are dubious of some of the claims made by D-Wave Systems Inc. because the privately held Canadian company has not yet submitted its findings for peer review, a standard step for gaining acceptance in scientific circles.

Many scientists believe that true quantum computing — which is based on the unusual properties of quantum physics — promises to solve certain factoring, simulation and other intensive problems faster than today's machines that rely on classical physics. Most say it's likely still years or decades away.

"Until we see more actual measurements, it's hard to know whether they succeeded or not," said Phil Kuekes, a computer architect in the Quantum Science Research Group at Hewlett-Packard Co.'s HP Labs.

D-Wave held its first public demonstration Tuesday of a machine it claims uses quantum mechanics to solve a certain type of problems, such as searching a database for matching molecular structures.

But the company did not make the machine available for inspection and instead showed video from a remote location, saying it was too sensitive to be easily transported.

And notwithstanding lofty claims in the company's press release about creating the world's first commercial quantum computer, D-Wave Chief Executive Herb Martin emphasized that the machine is not a true quantum computer and is instead a kind of special-purpose machine that uses some quantum mechanics to solve problems.

"Users don't care about quantum computing — users care about application acceleration. That's our thrust," he said. "A general purpose quantum computer is a waste of time. You could spend hundreds of billions of dollars on it" and not create a working computer.

He said all the evidence the company has indicates that the device is performing quantum computations, but he acknowledged there is some uncertainty. He also said the company could encounter problems in maintaining quantum functions as the machine is made more powerful.

The machine currently runs at 16 qubits, the basic unit of quantum computing. That's less power than most standard computers and what the company calls a proof of concept.

Martin said the company plans to have it running at about 1,000 qubits by the time the product goes on sale next year.

A unique characteristic of quantum computing is that, unlike digital bits that can only have values of 0 or 1, qubits can exist in states 0 and 1 at the same time and promises to allow the machine to tap into a vast pool of computational power.

[orangeatheist]

Hey i read that in like 10years the internet has the possibility of becoming self-aware....

Damn. I wonder how self-conscious all those babes will be having every geek on the planet oogling them? If they start putting on robes my internet activity will go WAY down.

[B-Love]

Quantum schuantum.

Check this out....

http://www.atariguide.com/ss/combat.gif

LMAO!!!

I still loved the Atari Boxing the most where you just had the overhead look of the shoulders and head.

But I was an Intellivision man myself. "Intelligent Television" with George Plimpton.

Intellivision's games were SOOOOOO much better than Atari's, but much like Beta vs VHS, the bext quality format does not always win.

[B-Love]

http://www.intellivisionlives.com/

Did anyone else go the Intellivision route??

[Tom H.]

Did anyone else go the Intellivision route??

I remember the first time I set my eyes on one in "The Denver" in the early 80's. It was a great console. My brother was the neighborhood Astrosmash champion. When playing football you could run to your own endzone and make a quick pass around the defender to your reciever way down the field for a long touchdown. Utopia was a great game too as well as Nightstalker.

[watermock]

I was a defender addict but never could master it. I could roll asteroids endlessly tho.

[Atlas]

With one of those you would be able to get on the Mane without any slow downs.

[orinjkrush]

Thank God! With the coming Idiocracy we need something extra-human to save our TV watching habits. {kick him in the nads, kick him in the nads...} Poweraid to the People!

[alkemical]

you said nads