Researchers at IBM pitted their 127-qubit Eagle quantum computer against a conventional supercomputer in a challenge to perform a complex calculation – and the quantum computer won
IBM’s Eagle quantum computer completed a calculation that stumped the conventional supercomputer it was pitted against.
Quantum computers have sparked excitement for a few decades, but researchers haven’t built one that universally outperforms all conventional computers. This is partly because all existing quantum computers are “noisy” – their results areat IBM and his colleagues have shown that even a noisy quantum computer can be more accurate in its calculations than a conventional machine.
The difficulty of this problem increases with the number of particles. For up to a certain number of particles, researchers can solve the relevant equations on a computer exactly. Supercomputers and approximation methods can handle the calculations when larger number of particles are involved, but eventually computations become so complex that conventional computing fails.
The IBM team does not claim to have achieved quantum supremacy, which would mean proving that Eagle’s performance is impossible to match for any conventional computer and algorithm. They didn’t test the quantum computer against every existing conventional approach. Kandala says this was not their goal as he expects classical computing methods to continue to improve, but he and his colleagues wanted to test the usefulness of the quantum processors available now.
He says that the methods they used for these calculations could be adapted to a broader set of problems such as calculating the behaviour of materials or molecules that are of interest in biophysics and
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Patio restaurant Smoky Rose to expand to new Dallas spot: former Dallas EaglePatio restaurant Smoky Rose to expand to new Dallas spot: former Dallas Eagle gay bar
Read more »
IBM stock climbs toward longest winning streak in more than 10 yearsShares of International Business Machines Corp. were increasing 1.1% in midday action Tuesday and on track to advance for the ninth straight session....
Read more »
Driver in fatal Eagle Mountain road rage crash charged with manslaughterA man who police say killed two people in a road rage-related crash in Eagle Mountain was charged Tuesday with manslaughter.
Read more »
Hiker describes encounter with sow, cubs along South Fork Eagle River Trail“In that split-second where I turned and I saw her, I didn’t think I was going to come out of it. My initial instinct was, ‘This is it,'' the hiker said.
Read more »
Eagle Pharmaceuticals gets FDA designations that will grant it extra exclusivity for bacterial pneumonia treatmentEagle Pharmaceutics Inc. said Wednesday it has won Food and Drug Administration Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QDIP) and Fast-Track Designation for...
Read more »
What IBM’s result means for quantum computingThis week on the Nature Podcast: A test case for practical applications of quantum computers, and how psychedelic drugs might make brains more malleable.
Read more »