IMAGE CREDIT: Microsoft
A new state of mind for computers?
Quantum computing is complicated, and that’s already taking into account that classical computing is plenty hard to understand, but at least a one is a one, and a zero is a zero.
Quantum computers promise to solve in moments what would take a standard computer thousands or millions of years, but so far that’s all we have: promises.
There are two main challenges here. The first is how to make quantum bits that are so fragile that you end up with tons of errors in your readings and a useless computer.
The second is how to scale things up so you have enough quantum bits to do useful work. Most quantum chips so far have very few qubits, so they’re nothing more than a proof of concept attached to very large,and expensive refrigerators systems.
Majorana Might be the Answer
IMAGE CREDIT: Microsoft
There are numerous approaches to creating qubits that won’t explode when a fly sneezes nearby. Everyone chases the holy grail of a stable quantum processor that hopefully runs at room temperature and doesn’t need to be babied. It’s a tall order, but we might as well dream big, right?
There are Cat Qubits, which are promising composite qubits that might put a big dent in the stability and error problem. Yes, they are named for the famous thought experiment by Erwin Schrödinger.
Then we have Superconducting Bosonic Qubits which allow for a much more redundant quantum computer.
So what’s Microsoft’s contribution here? It’s called “topological qubits” which are cubits that have properties protected by conservation laws. Which is what physicists have said, but we have no idea what that actually means.
What Microsoft says is that Majorana is a new state of matter, that it can scale up to millions of cubits, and that it all happens on one chip. This announcement gave a big boost to stock prices, but is there more to it?
Scientists are Skeptical
There’s a good chance that Microsoft has jumped the gun here, because though the company has claimed that it’s created topological qubits, the evidence isn’t conclusive. The whole problem is explained by Dr. Sabine Hossenfelder in detail here.
EMBED:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJTsFZtD7xE
A Quantum Desktop?
Even if Microsoft is 100% on the money with their claims for Majorana, we’re not going to see quantum computers in a desktop workstation any time soon. It will be a good long while where such computers will live in the controlled environment of special data centers, where they can be protected from any interference that can cause errors.
We’d love to one day sell you a Titan Quantum workstation, but for now you’ll have to be content with buying one of the best classical, hand-assembled, and tested classical workstations in the world instead.
