Science Exclusive: IBM achieves quantum computing breakthrough - Rip BTC

  • 🏰 The Fediverse is up. If you know, you know.
  • Want to keep track of this thread?
    Accounts can bookmark posts, watch threads for updates, and jump back to where you stopped reading.
    Create account
Article Archive

Exclusive: IBM achieves quantum computing breakthrough​

IBM has created a quantum processor able to process information so complex the work can't be done or simulated on a traditional computer, CEO Arvind Krishna told "Axios on HBO" ahead of a planned announcement.

Why it matters: Quantum computing could help address problems that are too challenging for even today's most powerful supercomputers, such as figuring out how to make better batteries or sequester carbon emissions.

Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.

Driving the news: IBM says its new Eagle processor can handle 127 qubits, a measure of quantum computing power. In topping 100 qubits, IBM says it has reached a milestone that allows quantum to surpass the power of a traditional computer.

  • "It is impossible to simulate it on something else, which implies it's more powerful than anything else," Krishna told "Axios on HBO."
How it works: While traditional computing uses ones and zeroes and can try many possibilities in quick succession, quantum computing hones in on the right answer, making it well suited to tacking complex problems.

  • "Can it solve every problem? No," Krishna said. But, at the same time, he said you can't do the work that this computer can do on a traditional machine. "It would take a normal computer bigger than this planet to be able to do that."
  • Krishna has been bullish that quantum computing can establish an important place in the computing world within a few years, while others believe it could take a decade to establish a significant role.
Yes, but: The arrival of quantum computing also poses a unique problem. Much of modern cryptography is based on hiding data in a way that it would take modern computers too long to crack. But, with their different approach, quantum computers will be able to break many of today's encryption systems.

The big picture: Krishna acknowledges that IBM hasn't had the financial performance of other tech giants and, as a result, hasn't seen its valuation soar the way that companies like Apple, Facebook and Google have.

"In the long run, it comes back to investors care about: 'Is your revenue growing, and is your cash flow growing?' And for many years, we have not shown either of those. So that's why we have turned into committing that we are going to grow and we are going to grow cash flow as well, not just revenue. If you have both those things, I believe investors reward you.

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna, on "Axios on HBO"

Krishna says the quantum computing push is one part of his approach to return the company to growth.

Go deeper:

 
Last edited:
Click to expand...
I don't believe it because IBM is basically fucking dead at this point but if this is true it means bad news for cryptobros.

t. Non crypto investor
 
Interesting implications for data security and cryptocurrency... not to mention drug synthesis since it will be able to model molecules/catalysts and figure out the likeliest synthesis methods (possibly driving down research costs in the future). Wonder if it will be another decade or so before it hits mass market (ie: businesses, not the common pleb).
 
As I understand it, quantum computing can only really crack public key algorithms based on factoriziation. It can reduce the security of private key algorithms, but not to a terrifying degree. There are public key algorithms that DON'T depend on factorization, but they're not in common use. As quantum computing advances, they'll become more common.

Don't panic.
 
Zero Day Defense said:
This article explained nothing of value about quantum computing vis-a-vis traditional computing.
Click to expand...
It's fast at doing computations and calculations. Very very very fast. iirc correctly, if it took a traditional computer 100 years to break a password, it would take the QC less than a second.

When they crack QCing, it will change the world. It will be an advancement on the levels of Industrial Revolution, electricity, landlines, Radio, TV, computers, WWW and smart phones.

A huge amount of data in an almost unfathomable amount of time. Think of how fast your Internet speed would be and the implications of an all streaming future.
 
Coolio55 said:
I don't believe it because IBM is basically fucking dead at this point
Click to expand...
In the last 15 years they haven't dipped below 35 billion in profit, and rather than die with their old business model they shifted focus. They are still top tier in IT consulting, server solutions and mainframes amongst others.
 
If these things can actually crack factorisation society will instantly collapse and everyone's going to war mark my words, it would be the straw that breaks the camel's back. You know they're storing encrypted communications in case they're ever able to crack it thanks to stuff like this

Lord of the Large Pants said:
As I understand it, quantum computing can only really crack public key algorithms based on factoriziation. It can reduce the security of private key algorithms, but not to a terrifying degree. There are public key algorithms that DON'T depend on factorization, but they're not in common use. As quantum computing advances, they'll become more common.
Click to expand...
The problem isn't making things quantum-proof in future, it's all the historic data that's been captured
 
Remember kids!
Any technology announcement you see in the news is something that you are allowed to know about and actual development is always at least 5 years ahead.
 
NoReturn said:
Remember kids!
Any technology announcement you see in the news is something that you are allowed to know about and actual development is always at least 5 years ahead.
Click to expand...
It's worth pointing out that the NSA does have a quantum computing project going according to Snowden
 
Sage In All Fields said:
If these things can actually crack factorisation society will instantly collapse and everyone's going to war mark my words, it would be the straw that breaks the camel's back. You know they're storing encrypted communications in case they're ever able to crack it thanks to stuff like this.
Click to expand...

War? Who will go to war? QC computers can crack any password or encryption. Nothing is stopping Russia from launching Chinese nukes at Iran, or America from launching French nukes at Pakistan. When this comes online, there are no secrets, no codes, nowhere to hide.

So powerful is this device that, in project manhatten style secrecy, each different country built a piece of the machine separately.

I'll add to the spergery because QC is my too favourite subjects combined; tech and conspiracy theories.

QC computers need to be super cooled.
Only a few places on earth are naturally cold enough.
Only one place on earth is cold enough and true neutral territory.

Where did the world leaders meet a couple or three years ago?

The phrase "gateway to another world", among others, were thrown around in conspiracy circles. But the gateway to another world was just a metaphor. The QC is the gateway, and the other world is how much is going to change.

Give a 12th century peasant an iPhone. That's the advancement we're talking about.

From digital music being the same level of audio fidelity as analogue, to Self driving cars having the sensors and computational power to navigate effectively. From instant streaming data to cataloguing everything in an instant. Everything will change. Everything.
 
Hot Cup of Joe said:
War? Who will go to war? QC computers can crack any password or encryption. Nothing is stopping Russia from launching Chinese nukes at Iran, or America from launching French nukes at Pakistan. When this comes online, there are no secrets, no codes, nowhere to hide.

So powerful is this device that, in project manhatten style secrecy, each different country built a piece of the machine separately.

I'll add to the spergery because QC is my too favourite subjects combined; tech and conspiracy theories.

QC computers need to be super cooled.
Only a few places on earth are naturally cold enough.
Only one place on earth is cold enough and true neutral territory.

Where did the world leaders meet a couple or three years ago?

The phrase "gateway to another world", among others, were thrown around in conspiracy circles. But the gateway to another world was just a metaphor. The QC is the gateway, and the other world is how much is going to change.

Give a 12th century peasant an iPhone. That's the advancement we're talking about.

From digital music being the same level of audio fidelity as analogue, to Self driving cars having the sensors and computational power to navigate effectively. From instant streaming data to cataloguing everything in an instant. Everything will change. Everything.
Click to expand...
The result will be A.M.H.O.L.E., an evil tranny supercomputer that will torment normal people after deleting fucking everything in the world.
 
Last edited:
I attended a webinar that IBM was hosting on their future efforts at quantum computing, and they were saying then that they expected to have machines with over 65000 qubits by 2025. It's coming, and it's going to fundamentally change the game in a lot of different fields. I'm still not sure if that's a good thing or not... I guess we'll find out over the next few years.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom