Caltech found that quantum computers need very few qubits
California Institute of Technology researchers theorize that a practical quantum computer could require far fewer qubits than previously thought, allowing the first quantum computer to be deployed before the end of the decade.
Caltech researchers, working with Caltech-affiliated startup Oratomic, could build a practical quantum computer with 10,000 to 20,000 qubits by reducing errors that “hinder today's rudimentary quantum computers.”
Previously, it was thought that millions of qubits were necessary for a quantum computer to function properly, Caltech said. A qubit is the basic unit of a quantum computer and is equivalent to a bit in a classical computer for storing information in binary.
“The need for a few qubits means that quantum computers could theoretically be operational by the end of the decade,” Caltech said.
Moving atoms with optical tweezers
The theoretical invention is an error-correction architecture that uses “isolated-atom systems,” in which atoms can be physically moved and contacted over large distances using lasers called “optical tweezers.”
“We are developing a new architecture for an independent atom quantum processor that greatly reduces the assumptions of fault-tolerant quantum computing,” Caltech theoretical physicist John Preskill said Tuesday.
“This development gives me hope that the widely useful quantum computing will soon become a reality.”
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Manuel Andres, a physics professor at Caltech who recently created the largest array of qubits ever assembled;
“Unlike other quantum computing platforms, isolated atom qubits can be directly connected over large distances. Optical tweezers can transport one atom to the other end of the array and attach it directly to another atom.”
The new technology allows each logical qubit to be housed in as few as five physical qubits, rather than the nearly 1,000 required by conventional methods, Caltech said.
“It's really amazing how well this works. It's what we call super-efficient error correction,” Endres said.
Quantum boundaries are closer than visible.
Oratomic said it will work closely with Caltech's Advanced Quantum Computing Mission on research into quantum information processing and the goal of building the world's first utility-scale fault-tolerant quantum computer.
The study comes a day after Google released a paper that claimed quantum computers could crack Bitcoin's cryptography in nine minutes, requiring less computing power than originally thought.
Meanwhile, in a press release this week, Google urged blockchains to transition to post-quantum cryptography, or PQC, instead of waiting for a real threat.
Last week, the internet giant set a 2029 timeline for PQC migration, warning that the “quantum frontiers” may be closer than they appear.
Magazine: No one knows if quantum secure encryption even works
