World's first Quantum Computer announced officially
I hadn't an idea that D-Wave Systems were so excited about their world's first 'Quantum Computer' that they rolled it out in the early hours. Quantum computing is one of those things that bring a glint to the eyes of connoisseurs. It's like the Holy Grail in the world of supercomputers. Canada based firm D-Wave Systems have succeeded in building a potent 16 qubit (the basic unit of quantum computing) computer that touts an immense computational power.
Well, for those who are not so familiar with quantum computing, the qubits are the unique characteristics of quantum computing that can only have the values of '0' or '1' or both. D-Wave Systems claim the 16-bit model to crack Sudoku, develop a complex seating plan and search for molecular structures. Anyway, if these quantum computers are given the task to solve puzzles like encryption, they need to have thousands of qubits.
Moreover, D-Wave Chief Executive Herb Martin has said that they are working to make a 1,000 qubit version commercially available for next year. Herb Martin further said:
Users don't care about quantum computing - users care about application acceleration. That's our thrust. Company could encounter problems in maintaining quantum functions as the machine is made more powerful.
Since D-Wave Systems hasn't submitted its findings for peer review, quantum computing researchers have a still a doubt that whether the claims made by the company are real and whether the machine is able to perform true quantum calculations.
Whatsoever the upshot is, it's a breakthrough achievement in the history of supercomputers. The mere thought of a 1000 qubit quantum computer makes me tongue-tied. More shots after the jump.
via: physorg
