Quantum Computing

Scientists from Austria and China throw Schrodinger's Cat for a loop.

Practical quantum computers may be another step closer to reality, thanks again to graphene. The bits of information in quantum computers (qubits) can exist in two states at once, and now researchers have managed to record just how long that superposition state can last in a qubit made of graphene.

Fiber optics allows for ultra-fast communication systems, and more data can be crammed in by "twisting" the light. Now, Australian researchers have developed a device to decode beams that’s small enough to fit over the end of a fiber optic cable.

In a quantum network, information is passed instantly between nodes that have been entangled, and are unhackable since any unauthorized observation of the data will scramble it. Delft scientists have now overcome a hurdle to that technology, by generating quantum links faster than they deteriorate.

IBM Research has released its annual “5 in 5” list, outlining five technologies that the company believes will be instrumental over the next five years. This year’s list focuses on security and AI, predicting that by 2023 we’ll have unhackable encryption, unbiased AI and mainstream quantum computers

With the quantum computing race heating up, it feels like we’re hurtling towards quantum supremacy, when a quantum computer outperforms a classical one for the first time. Google has now unveiled Bristlecone, a new quantum computer chip with the record-setting power of 72 quantum bits (qubits).

Humanity has been on the trail of the elusive and mysterious Majorana fermion since it was first theorized in 1937. Now, researchers think they have manufactured a topological superconductor capable of hosting the particle. If so, this could be an important step towards quantum computing.

Photons, the elementary particles that make up light, are fast, weightless and don't interact with each other. But in new experiments, physicists have now created a new form of light, demonstrating that groups of photons can be made to interact with each other, slow down and gain mass.

It turns out that combining a CPU and a GPU into one package isn't the most unconventional processor Intel had up its sleeve for CES 2018. It has revealed a new quantum computer test chip containing 49 quantum bits (qubits), as well as a "neuromorphic" chip based on the function of the human brain.

Supercomputers and quantum computers rely on a “brute force” approach to solve problems, performing billions of calculations very quickly until they arrive at the optimal solution. But a new system has the potential to outperform them, using “magic dust” as a beacon to highlight the solution.

Researchers at Caltech have developed a computer chip that can store quantum information in the form of light, at the nanoscale. The breakthrough is the latest step towards quantum computers and networks, which would allow information to be processed and transmitted faster and with smaller devices.

Having provided access to a quantum processor through the cloud for a year, IBM is revealing a new generation of processors. A 16-qubit processor will increase the processing power available through the cloud, while the second is twice as powerful again and designed for commercial applications.