AWS taps up Singapore scientists to overcome hurdles facing quantum computing
- Reference: 1628141587
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/08/05/aws_quantum_singapore/
- Source link:
The collaboration will be led by the NUS-hosted Quantum Engineering Program ( [1]QEP ), a five-year SG$25m ($18.5m, £13.3m, €15.6m) initiative launched in 2018 by Singapore's National Research Foundation that focuses on translating the often abstract science of quantum physics into tech that can be commercialized.
So far, the QEP has supported eight major research projects – such as hardware and software that may be able to eventually outperform today’s supercomputers and simulate chemicals to help design drugs – though these solutions remain unfinished, waiting until future-gen quantum computers can make them a reality.
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“The QEP is currently working with companies to identify problems they face that quantum technologies may already or may soon be able to tackle,” QEP director Alexander Ling told The Register .
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“For example," said Ling, "it will support quantum computing software researchers to investigate algorithms and simulation techniques that could be applied to real data. Proposals aimed at tackling challenges in supply chain management, finance, trading, chemistry and materials are currently under review for funding.”
Quantum computing may one day be able to provide powerful computational tools beyond the reach of traditional computers, though producing a practical system will likely require leaps in science and engineering. And if quantum computers do take off – they're still in the science experiment stage – you'll want your communications to be quantum-secured: these computers may be able to computationally crack non-quantum-secured data.
[5]Google demonstrates impractical improvement in quantum error correction – but it does work
[6]South Korea plans large scale quantum cryptography adoption, thanks in part to tech partnership with USA
[7]Quantum computing: Confusion can mask a good story, but don't take anyone's word for it
[8]Microsoft quantum lab retracts published paper: Readings that cast doubt on crucial discovery went AWOL
“Some forms of encryption used today can be broken by future large-scale quantum computers, which also drives a search for alternatives,” Ling said.
In a [9]canned statement , the NUS said AWS will gain access to the university's National Quantum-Safe Network, a vendor-neutral platform for developing technology and integrating some of it into local fiber networks.
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“The understanding that we are using quantum communications technology to support experiments using existing fiber is correct,” AWS ASEAN managing director Tan Lee Chew told The Register.
Tan said AWS sees opportunities in supporting Singapore’s Smart Nation initiatives, such as traffic optimization, financial planning, shipping and port operations, and materials design applications within commercial organizations.
The goal is to train academics, students, and commercial organizations in Singapore to be skilled in quantum computing
“Quantum technologies have the potential to help Singapore accelerate its Smart Nation agenda,” said Tan, adding: “The goal is to train academics, students, and commercial organizations in Singapore to be skilled in quantum computing, including he ability to then develop their own products.”
Inevitably, there will also be some joint public-relations activities.
Last August, AWS debuted a cloud-based quantum-computing-ish service the tech giant called “accessible, affordable and easy to use” named [11]Braket . The pay-only-for-what-you-need product provides access to quantum annealers; gate-based systems built on superconducting qubits and on trapped ions; and hybrid quantum and classical algorithms tools. Users work in the Jupyter notebook environment.
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Quantum cloud endeavors are not new: IBM and Microsoft are already doing it. In fact, IBM is already in the middle of a [13]three-year collab with QEP in which Big Blue provides NUS researchers cloud access to 15 of IBM's current-gen quantum-computing systems.
As for [14]the massive machine that is AWS , Ling said there was already an existing relationship: "Researchers in Singapore already had some links to the companies working with AWS to offer cloud access to quantum hardware." ®
Get our [15]Tech Resources
[1] https://qepsg.org/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/networks&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YQu23jiGhmPLFCf@37SqvQAAAJc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/networks&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YQu23jiGhmPLFCf@37SqvQAAAJc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/networks&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YQu23jiGhmPLFCf@37SqvQAAAJc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2021/07/16/google_quantum_error_correction/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/25/south_korea_quantum_encryption/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/10/quantum_confusion/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/03/09/quantum_paper_withdrawn/
[9] https://news.nus.edu.sg/quantum-engineering-programme-teams-with-amazon-web/
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/networks&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YQu23jiGhmPLFCf@37SqvQAAAJc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2020/08/14/aws_braket_quantum_cloud/
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/networks&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YQu23jiGhmPLFCf@37SqvQAAAJc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://news.nus.edu.sg/nus-and-ibm-tie-up-to-tap-quantum-computing-for-problem-solving/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2021/07/30/amazon_q2_2021/
[15] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Hmmmm? Another Stairway to Heaven* and Highway to Hell**
Vapourware as a Service. IT Magic.
And we all all know how effective Magic is. Nice one, Singapore/AWS, that's an AWEsome Crack Hack although incredibly difficult, as in nigh next to impossible, to Guarantee Never Malign and Always Benign with/without Almighty Pragmatic Command and Remote Virtual Control.
Pandora and Merlin the AI MetaDataBase Physician say Hello and Thanks for all the Phish.
And to be perfectly honest with y'all, you aint seen fcuk all yet for the Greater IntelAIgent Games are only just getting set up to [1]rock your socks off and blow your minds. And Amen to that.
* [2]https://youtu.be/6hBLHkmBKDg
** [3]https://youtu.be/gEPmA3USJdI
Now you have been made aware of the matter, prepare yourselves for the payload nodes.
[1] https://youtu.be/O24AipZ-buQ
[2] https://youtu.be/6hBLHkmBKDg
[3] https://youtu.be/gEPmA3USJdI
IBM has 15 quantum computing machines ?
Well, when we finally learn how to program them, IBM looks to finally have a leading position once again.
If it survives until then, that is.
Quantum - more than a fad.
Undoubtedly quantum theory is powerful because it explains why electrons have predictable orbits around nuclei and so we end up with DNA and intelligent life. Despite an immense amount of noise and chaos continually raining on the parade, the pattern of life grows around it and thrives. But in order to thrive, Life with a capital 'L' accepts death with a small 'd' - noise and chaos demands it fair share.
For that reason I do not have gut level confidence that the present iteration of quantum computing, which requires elimination of noise and chaos, is going to be successful. I think recurrent quantum systems that find their own stable eigenstates and thus have built in noise cancelling are more likely to be successful.
That sounds a like what D-wave is hoping to achieve, but apparently they are not there yet in terms of getting better solutions than classical computers can provide.
Quantum bubble sort
"AWS debuted a cloud quantum computing service the tech giant calls “accessible, affordable and easy to use”"
It's an AWS emulator of brute force algos.
So a company comes along "Quantum supremecy.... look how much faster our Quantum bubble sort is vs a digital computer bubble sort"!
And along comes Amazon, with a "Use a giant cluster of our AWS computers to emulate your 'quantum bubble sort'! It's so much cheaper than their fancy machine with its liquid nitrogen and magnets and finiky hardware. Instead of $20 million to sort your 1000 entry list, ours will do it for only $2 million on 1000 of our AWS server instances!
And then people point out that it doesn't actually sort correctly, a more sorted list is possible to find using proper digital sort algos!
"Quantum bubble sort needs more research...." they scream ".... we need billions to fix the error correction and get quantum bubble sort error free and unlock its potential"
Well either that, or it never worked the way you said it did, and it is an analogue computer.
elReg, a Thomas Buchert 'finite universe' article, or the "light from behind black hole" article would be nice.... there's some ''minor things' there....