Researchers in Australia have developed a new kind of cryogenic quantum computer chip that operates close to the theoretically coldest temperature in the universe and potentially unleashes a new technological revolution.
The system, called Gooseberry, operates at a temperature 40 times colder than in deep space – a 20-fold increase over what is possible with quantum computers today.
Extremely complex mathematical equations that would take traditional supercomputers hundreds if not thousands of years to calculate, can take a quantum computer a matter of seconds to complete.
“This is going to be transformative in the coming years,” said Andrew White, the director of the ARC Center of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems.
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Traditional computers work using “pieces” of information. A bit is binary by nature, on or off, black or white, yes or no. Its equivalent in quantum computers is a qubit, which uses the strange, vain world of quantum mechanics to create a “superposition” of two separate states at the same time, thereby significantly multiplying the computing power.
Most modern quantum computers work with a few dozen qubits. But with these new cryogenic chips, machines could perform calculations at thousands if not millions of qubits or more, achieving unimaginable levels of processing power so far.
Qubits need extremely low temperatures to function efficiently and the electrical wiring used to connect them has often disrupted operation due to overheating. The gooseberry system uses a highly reduced two-wire system to connect it to a secondary core in a separate compartment.
The system can do this because it works on “Millikelvin” temperatures that are fractionally above absolute zero at 0.1 kelvin, or -459.49 degrees Fahrenheit (273.05 degrees Celsius). Absolute zero itself is -273.15 degrees Celsius.
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The breakthrough marks what scientists at the University of Sydney and Microsoft Corporation called “The next chapter in quantum technology”, and could lead to historical and revolutionary advancements in fields as diverse as cryptography, medicine, finance, artificial intelligence and logistics.
The researchers make the dizzying claim that quantum computers are currently in a similar stage of development to traditional computers in the 1940s.
While the development of their current prototype took four years, the scientists are fully committed to plowing ahead “Realizing quantum technology on an industrial scale.”
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