Quantum processor operating principle. Quantum computer - what is it in simple words, operating principle

The amount of information in the world increases annually by 30%. In the last five years alone, humanity has been produced more data than in all previous history. Internet of Things systems are emerging, in which each sensor sends and receives huge amounts of data every second, and analysts predict that the number of Internet-connected things will soon exceed the number of human users. These colossal amounts of information need to be stored somewhere and processed somehow.

Now there are already supercomputers with a capacity of more than 50 petaflops (1 petaflops = 1 thousand trillion operations per second). However, sooner or later we will hit the physical limit of the possible power of processors. Of course, supercomputers will still be able to grow in size, but this is not a solution to the problem, since the size will eventually reach its limits. According to scientists, Moore's law will soon cease to apply and humanity will need new, much more powerful devices and data processing technologies. Therefore, large IT companies are already working on creating a completely new revolutionary type of computer, the power of which will be hundreds of times greater than what we have today. This is a quantum computer. Experts promise that thanks to it, it may be possible to find a cure for cancer, instantly find criminals by analyzing camera footage, and simulate DNA molecules. Now it’s hard to even imagine what other problems he will be able to solve.

Microsoft is trying to be at the forefront of development in this area, having been studying it for twenty years, because whoever is the first to create a quantum computer will receive an undeniable competitive advantage. Moreover, the company is not only working on creating hardware, but also recently introduced a programming language that developers can use. In fact, very few people can boast that they understand the principles of operation of this revolutionary device; for most of us it is something out of science fiction. So what is he?

One of the most important parts of a computer, on which its power directly depends, is the processor, which, in turn, consists of a huge number of transistors. Transistors are the simplest parts of the system, they are somewhat similar to switches and can only be in two positions: either “on” or “off”. It is from combinations of these positions that the binary code is formed, consisting of zeros and ones, on which all programming languages ​​are based.

Accordingly, the more powerful the computer, the more transistors are needed for its operation. Manufacturers are constantly reducing their sizes, trying to fit as many as possible into processors. For example, there are billions of them in the new Xbox One X.

Now the size of one transistor is 10 millimicrons, that is, one hundred thousandth of a millimeter. But one day a physical limit will be reached, smaller than which the transistor simply cannot be made. In order to avoid a crisis in the development of IT, scientists are working on creating a computer that will work on a completely different principle - quantum. The transistors that will make up a quantum computer can be in two positions simultaneously: “on” and “off” and, accordingly, can be both one and zero at once, this is called “superposition”.

If we take 4 standard transistors (bits), then they, working together, can create 16 different combinations of ones and zeros. One at a time.

If we consider 4 quantum transistors (qubits), then they can be all 16 combinations at the same time. This is a huge space and time saver!

But, of course, creating qubits is very, very difficult. Scientists have to deal with subatomic particles that obey the laws of quantum mechanics, developing a completely new approach to programming and language.

There are different types of qubits. Microsoft experts, for example, are working on creating topological qubits. They are incredibly fragile and easily destroyed by the slightest sound waves or thermal radiation. For stable operation they need to constantly be at a temperature of –273°C. However, they also have a number of advantages over other types: the information stored in them is practically error-free, and, accordingly, a quantum computer created on the basis of topological qubits will be an ultra-reliable system.

Microsoft's quantum computer consists of three main levels: the first level is the quantum computer itself, containing qubits and constantly located at a temperature close to absolute zero; the next level is a cryogenic computer - this is also a completely new type of computer that controls quantum and operates at a temperature of –268°C; the last level is a computer, which a person can already work on, and controls the entire system. Such computers will be 100–300 times more powerful than the most advanced supercomputers that exist today.

Today, the world has come closer than ever to the invention of a real quantum computer: there is an understanding of the principle of its operation, prototypes. And at the moment when the power of conventional computers to process all the information existing on Earth ceases to be enough, a quantum computer will appear, marking a completely new era of digital technology.

In recent decades, computers have developed very quickly. In fact, within the memory of one generation, they have gone from bulky lamp-based ones that occupy huge rooms to miniature tablets. Memory and speed increased rapidly. But the moment came when tasks appeared that were beyond the control of even super-powerful modern computers.

What is a quantum computer?

The emergence of new tasks beyond the capabilities of conventional computers forced us to look for new opportunities. And, as an alternative to conventional computers, quantum computers appeared. A quantum computer is a computing technology based on elements of quantum mechanics. The basic principles of quantum mechanics were formulated at the beginning of the last century. Its appearance made it possible to solve many problems in physics that could not find solutions in classical physics.

Although quantum theory is already in its second century, it still remains understandable only to a narrow circle of specialists. But there are also real results of quantum mechanics, to which we are already accustomed - laser technology, tomography. And at the end of the last century, the theory of quantum computing was developed by the Soviet physicist Yu. Manin. Five years later, David Deutsch unveiled the idea of ​​a quantum machine.

Does a quantum computer exist?

But the implementation of ideas turned out to be not so simple. From time to time, reports appear that another quantum computer has been created. Giants in the field of information technology are working on the development of such computer technology:

1. D-Wave is a company from Canada that was the first to produce operational quantum computers. Nevertheless, there is debate among experts about how quantum these computers really are and what advantages they provide.
2. IBM created a quantum computer, and opened access to it for Internet users to experiment with quantum algorithms. By 2025, the company plans to create a model capable of solving practical problems.
3. Google has announced the release this year of a computer capable of proving the superiority of quantum over conventional computers.
4. In May 2017, Chinese scientists in Shanghai announced that they had created the most powerful quantum computer in the world, exceeding analogues in signal processing frequency by 24 times.
5. In July 2017, at the Moscow Conference on Quantum Technologies, it was announced that a 51-qubit quantum computer had been created.

How does a quantum computer differ from a conventional one?

The fundamental difference between a quantum computer is its approach to the calculation process.

1. In a conventional processor, all calculations are based on bits that have two states, 1 or 0. That is, all work comes down to analyzing a huge amount of data to determine whether it meets the specified conditions. A quantum computer is based on qubits (quantum bits). Their feature is the ability to be in the state 1, 0, and also 1 and 0 at the same time.
2. The capabilities of a quantum computer increase significantly, since there is no need to search for the desired answer among many. In this case, the answer is selected from already available options with a certain probability of matching.

What is a quantum computer used for?

The principle of a quantum computer, built on choosing a solution with a sufficient degree of probability and the ability to find such a solution many times faster than modern computers, determines the purposes of its use. First of all, the emergence of this type of computing technology worries cryptographers. This is due to the quantum computer's ability to easily calculate passwords. Thus, the most powerful quantum computer created by Russian-American scientists is capable of obtaining keys to existing encryption systems.

There are also more useful applied problems for quantum computers, they are related to the behavior of elementary particles, genetics, healthcare, financial markets, protecting networks from viruses, artificial intelligence and many others that conventional computers cannot yet solve.

How does a quantum computer work?

The design of a quantum computer is based on the use of qubits. The following are currently used as physical executions of qubits:

• rings made of superconductors with jumpers, with multidirectional current;
• individual atoms exposed to laser beams;
• ions;
• photons;
• Options for using semiconductor nanocrystals are being developed.

Quantum computer - operating principle

If there is certainty in how a classical computer works, then the question of how a quantum computer works is not easy to answer. The description of the operation of a quantum computer is based on two phrases that are obscure to most:

• superposition principle– we are talking about qubits that can be simultaneously in positions 1 and 0. This allows you to carry out several calculations at the same time, rather than sort through options, which gives a big gain in time;
• quantum entanglement- a phenomenon noted by A. Einstein, which consists in the interrelation of two particles. In simple words, if one of the particles has positive helicity, then the second instantly takes on positive helicity. This relationship occurs regardless of distance.

Who invented the quantum computer?

The basis of quantum mechanics was outlined at the very beginning of the last century as a hypothesis. Its development is associated with such brilliant physicists as Max Planck, A. Einstein, Paul Dirac. In 1980, Yu. Antonov proposed the idea of ​​​​the possibility of quantum computing. A year later, Richard Feineman theoretically modeled the first quantum computer.

Now the creation of quantum computers is in the development stage and it is even difficult to imagine what a quantum computer is capable of. But it is absolutely clear that mastering this direction will bring people many new discoveries in all areas of science, will allow them to look into the micro and macro world, and learn more about the nature of the mind and genetics.

Hello again to all readers of my blog! Yesterday, a couple of stories about a “quantum” computer once again appeared in the news. We know from the school physics course that a quantum is a certain equal portion of energy, there is also the phrase “quantum leap”, that is, an instant transition from a certain energy level to an even higher level.. Let's figure out together what a quantum computer is and what We are all waiting for this miracle machine to appear

I first became interested in this topic while watching films about Edward Snowden. As you know, this American citizen collected several terabytes of confidential information (compromising evidence) about the activities of the US intelligence services, thoroughly encrypted it and posted it on the Internet. “If, he said, anything happens to me, the information will be deciphered and thus become available to everyone.”

The calculation was that this information was “hot” and would be relevant for another ten years. And it can be decrypted with modern computing power in no less than ten or more years. The quantum computer, according to the developers' expectations, will cope with this task in about twenty-five minutes. Cryptographers are in a panic. This is the kind of “quantum” leap that awaits us soon, friends.

Principles of operation of a quantum computer for dummies

Since we're talking about quantum physics, let's talk a little about it. I won't go into the weeds, friends. I’m a “teapot”, not a quantum physicist. About a hundred years ago, Einstein published his theory of relativity. All the smart people of that time were surprised at how many paradoxes and incredible things there were in it. So, all of Einstein’s paradoxes that describe the laws of our world are just the innocent babble of a five-year-old child compared to what is happening at the level of atoms and molecules.

The “quantum physicists” themselves, who describe the phenomena occurring at the levels of electrons and molecules, say something like this: “This is incredible. This can't be true. But it is so. Don't ask us how it all works. We don't know how or why. We're just watching. But it works. This has been proven experimentally. Here are the formulas, dependencies and records of experiments.”

So what is the difference between a conventional and a quantum computer? After all, an ordinary computer also runs on electricity, and electricity is a bunch of very small particles - electrons?

Our computers work on the principle of either “Yes” or “No”. If there is current in the wire, it is “Yes” or “One”. If there is “No” current in the wire, then it is “Zero”. The value option "1" and "0" is a unit of information storage called "Bit".. One byte is 8 bits and so on and so on...

Now imagine your processor, on which there are 800 million such “wires”, on each of which such a “zero” or “one” appears and disappears in a second. And you can mentally imagine how he processes information. You are reading the text now, but in fact it is a collection of zeros and ones.

By brute force and calculations, your computer processes your requests in Yandex, searches for the ones you need until it solves the problem and, through elimination, gets to the bottom of the one you need. Displays fonts and pictures on the monitor in a form we can read... So far, I hope nothing complicated? And the picture is also zeros and ones.

Now, friends, imagine for a second a model of our solar system. The Sun is in the center and the Earth flies around it. We know that at a certain moment it is always at a certain point in space, and in a second it will fly thirty kilometers further.

So, the model of the atom is also planetary, where the atom also rotates around the nucleus. But it has been PROVEN, friends, by smart guys in glasses, that the atom, unlike the Earth, is simultaneously and always in all places... Everywhere and nowhere at the same time. And they called this wonderful phenomenon “superposition”. In order to get to know other phenomena of quantum physics better, I suggest watching a popular science film that talks about complex things in simple language and in a rather original form.

Let's continue. And now “our” bit is replaced by a quantum bit. It is also called "Qubit". It also has only two initial states “zero” and “one”. But, since its nature is “quantum”, it can SIMULTANEOUSLY take on all possible intermediate values. And at the same time be in them. Now you don’t have to sequentially calculate the values, sort through them... or search for a long time in the database. They are already known in advance, right away. Calculations are carried out in parallel.

The first “quantum” algorithms for mathematical calculations were invented by English mathematician Peter Shore in 1997. When he showed them to the world, all the cryptographers became very tense, since existing ciphers are “cracked” by this algorithm in a few minutes. But there were no computers working using the quantum algorithm at that time.

Since then, on the one hand, work has been going on to create a physical system in which a quantum bit would work. That is, “hardware”. On the other hand, they are already coming up with protection against quantum hacking and data decryption.

What now? And this is what a quantum processor looks like under a 9-qubit microscope from Google.

Have they really overtaken us? 9 qubits or according to the “old” 15 bits, this is not so much yet. Plus the high cost, a lot of technical problems and the short “lifetime” of quanta. But remember that first there were 8-bit processors, then 16-bit processors appeared... The same will happen with these...

Quantum computer in Russia - myth or reality?

What about us? But we weren’t born behind the stove. Here I dug up a photo of the first Russian Cubit under a microscope. He's really the only one here.

It also looks like a kind of “loop” in which something is happening that is not yet known to us. It’s gratifying to think that ours, with the support of the state, are developing their own. So domestic developments are no longer a myth. This is our future. We'll see what it will be like.

Latest news about Russia's 51-qubit quantum computer

Here's the news for this summer. Our guys (honor and praise to them!) have developed the most powerful in the world (!) quantum (!) computer 51 qubits (!) i.e. The most interesting thing is that before this Google announced its 49 qubit computer. And they estimated they would have it finished in a month or so. And ours decided to show a ready-made, 51-qubit quantum processor... Bravo! That's the race going on. At least we can keep up. Because a big breakthrough in science is expected when these systems work. Here is a photo of the person who presented our development at the “quantum” international forum.

The name of this scientist is Mikhail Lukin. Today his name is in the spotlight. It is impossible to create such a project alone, we understand this. He and his team created the most powerful quantum computer or processor in the world today (!). Here's what competent people have to say about this:

« A functioning quantum computer is much more terrible than an atomic bomb,” notes Sergei Belousov, co-founder of the Russian Quantum Center. - He (Mikhail Lukin) made a system that has the most qubits. Just in case. At this point, I think that's more than twice as many qubits as anyone else. And he specifically made 51 qubits, not 49. Because Google kept saying that they would make 49.”

However, Lukin himself and the head of the Google quantum laboratory, John Martinez, do not consider themselves competitors or rivals. Scientists are convinced that their main rival is nature, and their main goal is the development of technology and its implementation to advance humanity to a new stage of development.

“It's wrong to think of this as a race,” John Martinez rightly says. - We have a real race with nature. Because it's really difficult to create a quantum computer. And it's just exciting that someone managed to create a system with so many qubits. So far, 22 qubits is the maximum we could do. Even though we used all our magic and professionalism.”

Yes, this is all very interesting. If we recall analogies, when the transistor was invented, no one could have known that computers would work on this technology 70 years later. In a modern processor alone, their number reaches 700 million. The first computer weighed many tons and occupied large areas. But personal computers still appeared - much later...

I think that for now we should not expect devices of this class to appear in our stores in the near future. Many are waiting for them. Especially cryptocurrency miners argue a lot about this. Scientists look at him with hope, and military men look at him with close attention. The potential of this development, as we understand it, is not completely clear.

It is only clear that when it all starts working, it will drag the entire knowledge-intensive industry forward with it. New technologies, new industries, new software will gradually appear.. Time will tell. If only our own quantum computer, given to us at birth, does not let people down - this is our head. So, don’t rush to throw your gadgets into the trash just yet. They will serve you for a long time. Write if the article was interesting. Come back often. Goodbye!

January 29th, 2017

For me, the phrase “quantum computer” is comparable, for example, to “photon engine”, that is, it is something very complex and fantastic. However, I’m reading in the news now: “a quantum computer is being sold to anyone who wants it.” It’s strange, do they now mean something else by this expression, or is it just a fake?

Let's take a closer look...

HOW IT ALL BEGAN?

It was not until the mid-1990s that the theory of quantum computers and quantum computing became established as a new field of science. As is often the case with great ideas, it is difficult to pinpoint the originator. Apparently, the Hungarian mathematician J. von Neumann was the first to draw attention to the possibility of developing quantum logic. However, at that time, not only quantum, but also ordinary, classical computers had not yet been created. And with the advent of the latter, the main efforts of scientists were aimed primarily at finding and developing new elements for them (transistors, and then integrated circuits), and not at creating fundamentally different computing devices.

In the 1960s, the American physicist R. Landauer, who worked at IBM, tried to draw the attention of the scientific world to the fact that calculations are always some physical process, which means it is impossible to understand the limits of our computing capabilities without specifying what physical implementation they are. correspond. Unfortunately, at that time, the dominant view among scientists was that calculation was a kind of abstract logical procedure that should be studied by mathematicians, not physicists.

As computers became more widespread, quantum scientists came to the conclusion that it was practically impossible to directly calculate the state of an evolving system consisting of only a few dozen interacting particles, such as a methane molecule (CH4). This is explained by the fact that in order to fully describe a complex system, it is necessary to keep in computer memory an exponentially large (in terms of the number of particles) number of variables, the so-called quantum amplitudes. A paradoxical situation has arisen: knowing the equation of evolution, knowing with sufficient accuracy all the potentials of interaction of particles with each other and the initial state of the system, it is almost impossible to calculate its future, even if the system consists of only 30 electrons in a potential well, and a supercomputer with RAM is available , the number of bits of which is equal to the number of atoms in the visible region of the Universe (!). And at the same time, to study the dynamics of such a system, you can simply perform an experiment with 30 electrons, placing them in a given potential and initial state. This, in particular, was noted by the Russian mathematician Yu. I. Manin, who in 1980 pointed out the need to develop a theory of quantum computing devices. In the 1980s, the same problem was studied by the American physicist P. Benev, who clearly showed that a quantum system can perform calculations, as well as the English scientist D. Deutsch, who theoretically developed a universal quantum computer that is superior to its classical counterpart.

Nobel Prize winner in physics R. Feynman attracted much attention to the problem of developing quantum computers. Thanks to his authoritative call, the number of specialists who paid attention to quantum computing increased many times over.

The basis of Shor's algorithm: the ability of qubits to store multiple values ​​simultaneously)

Yet for a long time it remained unclear whether the hypothetical computing power of a quantum computer could be used to speed up the solution of practical problems. But in 1994, an American mathematician and employee of Lucent Technologies (USA) P. Shor stunned the scientific world by proposing a quantum algorithm that allows for fast factorization of large numbers (the importance of this problem was already discussed in the introduction). Compared to the best classical method known today, Shor’s quantum algorithm provides a multiple acceleration of calculations, and the longer the factored number, the greater the speed gain. The fast factorization algorithm is of great practical interest for various intelligence agencies that have accumulated banks of undecrypted messages.

In 1996, Shore's colleague at Lucent Technologies L. Grover proposed a quantum algorithm for fast search in an unordered database. (An example of such a database is a telephone book in which the names of subscribers are not arranged alphabetically, but in an arbitrary manner.) The task of searching, selecting the optimal element among numerous options is very often encountered in economic, military, engineering problems, and in computer games. Grover's algorithm allows not only to speed up the search process, but also to approximately double the number of parameters taken into account when choosing the optimum.

The real creation of quantum computers was hampered by essentially the only serious problem - errors, or interference. The fact is that the same level of interference spoils the process of quantum computing much more intensively than classical computing.

To put it in simple words: " a quantum system produces a result that is correct only with some probability. In other words, if you count 2+2, then 4 will only come out to some degree of accuracy. You will never get exactly 4. The logic of its processor is not at all similar to the processor we are used to.

There are methods to calculate the result with a predetermined accuracy, naturally with an increase in computer time.
This feature determines the list of tasks. And this feature is not advertised, and the public gets the impression that a quantum computer is the same as a regular PC (the same 0 and 1), only fast and expensive. This is fundamentally not true.

Yes, and one more thing - for a quantum computer and quantum computing in general, especially in order to use the “power and speed” of quantum computing, special algorithms and models developed specifically for the specifics of quantum computing are needed. Therefore, the difficulty of using a quantum computer lies not only in the availability of hardware, but also in the development of new, hitherto unused calculation methods. "

And now let’s move on again to the practical implementation of a quantum computer: a commercial 512-qubit D-Wave processor has already existed for some time and is even sold!!!

Now, it would seem that this is a real breakthrough!!! And a group of reputable scientists in the equally reputable journal Physical Review convincingly testifies that quantum entanglement effects have indeed been discovered in D-Wave.

Accordingly, this device has every right to be called a real quantum computer; its architecture allows for a further increase in the number of qubits, and, therefore, has wonderful prospects for the future... (T. Lanting et al. Entanglement in a Quantum Annealing Processor. PHYSICAL REVIEW X 4 , 021041 (2014) (http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.4.021041))

True, a little later, another group of reputable scientists in the no less reputable journal Science, who studied the same D-Wave computing system, assessed it purely practically: how well this device performs its computing functions. And this group of scientists, just as thoroughly and convincingly as the first, demonstrates that in real verification tests that are optimally suited for this design, the D-Wave quantum computer does not provide any speed gain compared to conventional, classical computers. (T.F. Ronnow, M. Troyer et al. Defining and detecting quantum speedup. SCIENCE, June 2014 Vol. 344 #6190 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1252319))

In fact, there were no tasks for the expensive but specialized “machine of the future” where it could demonstrate its quantum superiority. In other words, the very meaning of the very expensive efforts to create such a device is in great doubt...
The results are as follows: now in the scientific community there is no longer any doubt that in the D-Wave computer processor the operation of the elements actually occurs on the basis of real quantum effects between qubits.

But (and this is an extremely serious BUT) the key features in the design of the D-Wave processor are such that during real operation, all its quantum physics does not provide any gain in comparison with an ordinary powerful computer that has special software tailored to solve optimization problems.

Simply put, not only have the scientists testing D-Wave so far been unable to see a single real-world problem where a quantum computer could convincingly demonstrate its computational superiority, but even the manufacturing company itself has no idea what that problem might be...

It's all about the design features of the 512-qubit D-Wave processor, which is assembled from groups of 8 qubits. At the same time, within these groups of 8 qubits, they all communicate directly with each other, but between these groups the connections are very weak (ideally, ALL qubits of the processor should communicate directly with each other). This, of course, VERY significantly reduces the complexity of building a quantum processor... BUT, this gives rise to a lot of other problems that ultimately result in cryogenic equipment, which is very expensive to operate, cooling the circuit to ultra-low temperatures.

So what are they offering us now?

The Canadian company D-Wave announced the start of sales of its quantum computer D-Wave 2000Q, announced in September last year. Adhering to its own version of Moore's Law, according to which the number of transistors on an integrated circuit doubles every two years, D-Wave placed 2,048 qubits on the QPU (quantum processing unit). The dynamics of growth in the number of qubits on a CPU in recent years looks like this:

2007 — 28
…
— 2013 — 512
— 2014 — 1024
— 2016 — 2048.

Moreover, unlike traditional processors, CPUs and GPUs, doubling qubits is accompanied not by a 2-fold, but by a 1000-fold increase in performance. Compared to a computer with a traditional architecture and configuration of a single-core CPU and 2500-core GPU, the difference in performance is from 1,000 to 10,000 times. All these numbers are certainly impressive, but there are a few “buts”.

Firstly, the D-Wave 2000Q is extremely expensive - $15 million. It is a fairly massive and complex device. Its brain is a CPU made of a non-ferrous metal called niobium, whose superconducting properties (necessary for quantum computers) occur in a vacuum at temperatures close to absolute zero below 15 millikelvin (that's 180 times lower than the temperature in outer space).

Maintaining such an extremely low temperature requires a lot of energy, 25 kW. But still, according to the manufacturer, this is 100 times less than equivalent performance traditional supercomputers. So the performance of the D-Wave 2000Q per watt of power consumption is 100 times higher. If the company manages to continue to follow its “Moore's Law”, then in its future computers this difference will grow exponentially, while maintaining power consumption at the current level.

First, quantum computers have a very specific purpose. In the case of D-Wave 2000Q we are talking about the so-called. adiabatic computers and solving quantum normalization problems. They arise in particular in the following areas:

Machine learning:

Detecting Statistical Anomalies
— finding compressed models
— image and pattern recognition
— neural network training
— software verification and approval
— classification of structureless data
— diagnostics of errors in the circuit

Security and planning

Detection of viruses and network hacking
— distribution of resources and finding optimal paths
— determination of membership in a set
— analysis of chart properties
— factorization of integers (used in cryptography)

Financial modeling

Detecting market instability
— development of trading strategies
— optimization of trading trajectories
— optimization of asset pricing and hedging
— portfolio optimization

Healthcare and medicine

Fraud detection (probably related to health insurance)
— generation of targeted (“molecular targeted”) drug therapy
— optimization of [cancer] treatment using radiotherapy
— creation of protein models.

The first buyer of the D-Wave 2000Q was TDS (Temporal Defense Systems), a company engaged in the field of cyber security. In general, D-Wave products are used by such companies and institutions as Lockheed Martin, Google, NASA Ames Research Center, the University of Southern California and the Los Alamos National Laboratory of the US Department of Energy.

Thus, we are talking about a rare (D-Wave is the only company in the world that produces commercial samples of quantum computers) and expensive technology with a rather narrow and specific application. But the growth rate of its productivity is amazing, and if this dynamics continues, then thanks to the adiabatic computers of D-Wave (which other companies may join over time), we can expect real breakthroughs in science and technology in the coming years. Of particular interest is the combination of quantum computers with such a promising and rapidly developing technology as artificial intelligence - especially since such an authoritative specialist as Andy Rubin sees the future in this.

Yes, by the way, did you know that IBM Corporation allowed Internet users to connect for free to the universal quantum computer it built and experiment with quantum algorithms. The device won't be powerful enough to break public key cryptographic systems, but if IBM's plans come to fruition, more sophisticated quantum computers are just around the corner.

The quantum computer that IBM has made available contains five qubits: four are used to work with data, and the fifth is used to correct errors during calculations. Error correction is the main innovation that its developers are proud of. It will make it easier to increase the number of qubits in the future.

IBM emphasizes that its quantum computer is universal and is capable of executing any quantum algorithms. This distinguishes it from the adiabatic quantum computers that D-Wave is developing. Adiabatic quantum computers are designed to find the optimal solution of functions and are not suitable for other purposes.

It is believed that universal quantum computers will allow solving some problems that conventional computers cannot do. The most famous example of such a problem is factoring numbers into prime factors. It would take an ordinary computer, even a very fast one, hundreds of years to find the prime factors of a large number. A quantum computer will find them using Shor's algorithm almost as quickly as multiplying integers.

The inability to quickly factor numbers into prime factors is the basis of public key cryptographic systems. If they learn to perform this operation at the speed that quantum algorithms promise, then most of modern cryptography will have to be forgotten.

It is possible to run Shor's algorithm on an IBM quantum computer, but until there are more qubits, this will be of little use. Over the next ten years this will change. By 2025, IBM plans to build a quantum computer containing from fifty to one hundred qubits. According to experts, even with fifty qubits, quantum computers will be able to solve some practical problems.

Here's some more interesting information about computer technology: read how, but it also turns out it's possible and what it is