The vendor, a commercially-driven merger of Cambridge Quantum and Honeywell Quantum Solutions, made its quantum supremacy claim in a press release and blog following the upgrade of its H2-1 model from 32 to 56 qubits.

Quantum bits, or qubits, are the basic unit of information in quantum computers.

In a mission to demonstrate that a programmable quantum computer can solve a problem that no classical computer can solve in any feasible amount of time, the manufacturer enlisted the help of long-term collaborator, the multinational finance company JPMorgan Chase & Co.

The team ran a Random Circuit Sampling (RCS) algorithm that it claimed achieved “100 x improvement” over previous results delivered by Google in 2019.

Quantinuum claimed that the H2 has also set a new world record for the ‘cross entropy benchmark’, a measure of how error-free (or ‘noise-free’) a computer is.

Qubits are highly sensitive to the environment, making error correction the biggest obstacle to quantum computing.  The closer the benchmark is to 1, the closer a computer is to an ideal ‘noiseless’ quantum computer.

Quantinuum claimed that its cross-entropy benchmark score was 0.35 which is over 100 times better than Google’s record score of 0.00224 set in 2019.

Until now, classical computers could fully simulate quantum computers, meaning they could solve the answers to any problem that a quantum computer could solve.

Following this demonstration. Quantinuum concluded that its 56-qubit trapped-ion quantum computer could not be simulated by a classical computer.

Explaining the significance of this “key milestone” for the finance industry, Marco Pistoia, head of Global Technology Applied Research at JPMorgan Chase, said: “The fidelity achieved in our random circuit sampling experiment shows unprecedented system-level performance of the Quantinuum quantum computer.

“We are excited to leverage this high fidelity to advance the field of quantum algorithms for industrial use cases broadly, and financial use cases.”

Rajeeb Hazra, CEO of Quantinuum added that the firm’s focus on the quality of qubits rather than the quality was “changing what is possible”. He added: “It’s also bringing us closer to the long-awaited commercialization of quantum’s applications across industries like finance, logistics, transportation and chemistry.”

Quantinuum is also exploring quantum computing uses with the BBC,  University College London and HSBC.

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“Generative AI came last year and took the world by storm, and everyone is now talking of quantum, but will it really change the world and how soon will it be?” asked Singh in his speech at The AI Summit in London.

Setting out his roadmap for quantum, Singh said the focus in the next one-to-five years would be on error mitigation techniques and small applications that leverage quantum algorithms.

Between five and ten years, he said there will likely be significant breakthroughs in error correction, while users will also see the realization of practical, mid-sized quantum computers. However, full-scale deployment is unlikely in the next decade.

“At the moment, it’s not possible to build that system and the challenge is because they operate at a sub-zero level,” said Singh, who has worked on AI and machine learning, Blockchain, cyber security and other tech projects across both the public and private sectors.

Running these supercomputers at near zero temperatures means they require dilution refrigerators, which have an average power consumption of 10 to 20 kilowatts, compared to an average classical computer server which uses one to two.

“It’s a huge jump,” said Singh. “We are not going to be carbon friendly if we are going to use quantum computing excessively.”

Alongside this, he said that specialised quantum computer data centres demand a lot more energy than the average data centre.

To ensure that quantum is environmentally friendly, research is being done to create more energy-efficient qubits and error-correction methods.

Singh also added that they are looking for renewable energy sources for data centres and alternative, more energy-efficient cooling technologies.

Industries that will see quantum solutions the soonest include finance, for security solutions, healthcare and pharmaceuticals for drug discovery, and the optimisation of energy grids and the use of quantum simulations for more efficient solar panels.

For other industries, “maybe after 2035.”

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“We have shown for the first time that quantum computing in the cloud can be accessed in a scalable, practical way,” announced David Lucas, co-head of the Oxford University physics research team and lead scientist at the UK Quantum Computing and Simulation Hub.

While quantum cloud-based services are already offered by providers such as Google, Amazon, and IBM, scaling and expanding their use are limited due to a lack of assurance in the privacy and security of customers’ data.

The team at Oxford University believe a new approach dubbed “blind quantum computing” will address these challenges by allowing any individual, either at home or in an office accessing a cloud server, to use quantum through the cloud without their data being vulnerable to exposure.

It claims this will allow their new method to be scaled up to large quantum computations.

Everything you need to know about quantum (but were afraid to ask)

“Using blind quantum computing, clients can access remote quantum computers to process confidential data with secret algorithms and even verify the results are correct, without revealing any useful information,” explains Peter Drmota, study lead at Oxford University Physics.

“As quantum computers become more capable, people will seek to use them with complete security and privacy over networks, and our new results mark a step change in capability in this respect,” Lucas adds.

According to the experts, we are just at the beginning regarding quantum, with use cases and testing in the field happening now. Read about Finland’s bid to become the forerunner in quantum here and how Rolls-Royce uses it in its research to build nuclear reactors on the moon and Mars.

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Last year Digital Catapult, the UK support body for digital technologies, launched the Quantum Technology Access Programme (QTAP) which brought together quantum experts from ORCA Computing, Riverlane and BT, with enterprises to test quantum computing and algorithms on a use case of their choice.

Firms included major mechanical engineering company Rolls-Royce, the Port of Dover, consultancy Arup, aircraft manufacturer Airbus, and earth observation analytics firm Neptune NewSpace.

This week, TI had the opportunity to observe the results of the programme. We asked Digital Catapult’s innovation delivery manager Daniela Valenzuela why there was such a buzz around quantum right now.

“Because quantum is fantastic at specific, complex problems,” she replies. “Even more so than artificial intelligence and can get into deeper technological problems such as making nuclear reactors safer (Rolls-Royce), making digital twins of the earth (Neptune NewSpace), or untangling the complex traffic issues around a port (Port of Dover).”

Everything you need to know about quantum

While the computers are not quite ready, the programme is hoping to prepare firms for what’s to come: “We’re shaping the narrative, and we’re helping business get ahead.”

Quantum is just at the beginning, says Richard Murray, CEO and co-founder of ORCA computing: “I personally believe it’s only a matter of time now.”

“Quantum is now attracting a lot of global investment, both from governments and from private sources, that is being used to create some really rapid improvements in the quality of these quantum systems and their ability to be able to process larger and larger amounts of data.”

While we’re still at the point where quantum computers aren’t yet solving “really commercially valuable problems,” Murray believes it’ll only be a few years before we start seeing it used more commonly.

“Maybe, the ChatGPT moment,” he remarks. “All of a sudden, real quantum hardware will align with real applications to provide massive value to customers, and at that point, I think the industry will change all over again.”

Rolls-Royce

During the programme, manufacturing firm Rolls-Royce used data from the Fukushima nuclear accident and a quantum machine learning model to identify potentially hazardous situations in nuclear reactors quickly and contribute to research into the machinery.

The accident happened in 2011 because of an earthquake and tsunami that led to a power loss at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan. Without power, the cooling systems failed in three reactors, and their cores subsequently overheated. This resulted in a partial meltdown in the fuel rods, a fire in the storage reactor, explosions in the outer containment buildings, and the release of radiation into the air and ocean – forcing 150,000 nearby residents to evacuate their homes.

With Rolls-Royce plans to build autonomous nuclear reactors to be deployed in remote mining colonies, and even the Moon and Mars, the firm used the data from the accident to present the feasibility of a quantum machine learning model’s ability to quickly identify potentially hazardous situations.

“This machine learning algorithm is able to predict when these parameters of pressure and temperature go outside of the normal scope and operate in unsafe conditions,” explains Daniela Valenzuela, innovation delivery manager of Digital Catapult.

“This could ensure that these reactors it is planning for the future would operate safely,” enabling engineers to shut it down, if necessary, with minimum human involvement.

Assistant chief engineer at Rolls-Royce, Jonathon Adams explains that the Novel Nuclear team at the firm is “very future focussed” and is “seeking to develop revolutionary new technologies and explore energy-efficient applications for nuclear power on Earth and in Space.”

“Quantum technologies, including quantum computing, will be an enabler for this over the next 15 years. It’s important that we develop an understanding of how and when we can adopt this technology,” he adds.

Neptune NewSpace

Neptune NewSpace is a firm dedicated to building simulations of the Earth. The firm used quantum computing algorithms in this test case to simulate extreme weather patterns and predict the effect of catastrophic events such as hurricanes, monsoons and tornadoes on critical infrastructure such as renewable energy sites.

As weather systems are notoriously complex, with numerous variables interacting simultaneously, classic computers often struggle to provide accurate simulations due to their limited processing power.

Quantum computing, however, can handle the vast number of variables more efficiently, with enhanced accuracy and speed, according to the firm’s co-founder Lanval O’Garro.

Once the weather simulations are in place, quantum can be used again to predict when weather events are likely to happen, and what damage they may cause.

Still, challenges remain as quantum computers are still nascent, and the task of implementing an algorithm and handling the data is specialised and complex.

However, adds, O’Garro, “while challenges remain, ongoing research and development in the field of quantum computing are steadily paving the way for a future where more accurate weather simulations and disaster predictions become a reality.”

“This holds the potential to save lives, protect property, and enhance our resilience in the face of nature’s fury,” he adds.

Port of Dover

Europe’s busiest port, the Port of Dover, also took on quantum to make its operations more efficient.

Statistically, the port handles £144 billion worth of trade, or 33% of the UK’s trade in goods. Peak times in the summer saw 23,000 cars on the same day, and 10,000 trucks.

While there are certain things the port can do to reduce traffic and waiting times, such as building new infrastructure, or finding ways to reduce times spent at border control, costs and post-Brexit EU laws make this difficult.

“So, there’s only one thing that we can do, which is optimise the little land space that we have, and hopefully use quantum computing to get more efficient operations,” explains strategy manager, Timothy van Vugt.

“How do I get all of these goods through my port in the most efficient way possible?” adds Murray. “All that might sound like a trivial problem, but there is a huge amount of wealth and value that passes through a port, and if you can optimise that, there are tremendous advantages to be had.”

Port of Dover’s simulation modeller specialist, Siti Fariya, explains that with the help of Orca computing’s quantum experts, the Port of Dover modelled its traffic flow through arriving, border control, check-in and embarking, and the boats themselves, and used a quantum-inspired algorithm to determine how traffic can be managed to reduce congestion.

“This is an example that crops up in many companies,” says Murray. “If you take any firm that organises large amounts of resources across large infrastructure, they will have similar issues.”

“That becomes a massively computationally challenging task to solve, and one in which quantum can really provide much better answers.”

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£15 million of the investment will be used to fund public projects, including the development of a quantum brain scanner that aims to improve the diagnosis of disorders such as epilepsy and dementia; smart navigation systems for trains; and using quantum computing to solve optimisation problems in energy grids.

The science minister, Andrew Griffith, commented: “As we steer towards an economy benefitting from quantum, this further £45 million in funding underscores our commitment to support bright UK innovators who are pushing boundaries and seizing the potential of this technology to transform our public services.”

The seven projects that will receive support under the Quantum Catalyst fund have been through an initial feasibility round and selected for a second phase, in which they will receive backing to build physical prototypes.

Everything you need to know about quantum (but were afraid to ask)

The other £30 million in investment will go towards the development of prototype quantum computers, providing scientists and engineers with testbeds to study qubits, and to test and validate algorithms, devices, and technologies.

Kedar Pandya, executive director of cross-council programmes at UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) said: “We are on the brink of a quantum technology revolution that is poised to transform diverse industries from the financial sector to healthcare.”

“This investment will help our researchers and innovators develop the blueprint for quantum computing hardware and software, and secure the UK’s place in this developing field.”

With quantum computing now beginning to take pace, countries across the globe are keen to make themselves a quantum nation – read about Finland’s bid here, with chips, refrigeration, and quantum drug discovery all happening within its capital.

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The university, based in the Swedish city of Gothenburg, will host a 25-qubit quantum computer and allow researchers and firms to use it as a test bed.

Those in the industry will be able to test their algorithms on the computer and will have the opportunity to continue their work on IBM’s quantum computing systems, including the firm’s 127-qubit IBM Eagle processors and the latest 133-qubit IBM Heron processor.

Everything you need to know about quantum (but were too afraid to ask)

A support desk will also be present to help researchers and industry boil down problems in executable quantum algorithms.

“Because we are completely transparent about what’s under the hood of our own, on-premises quantum computer, the idea is to make it easier and cheaper to optimise the algorithms run on the hardware in our system,” said professor of quantum technology, microtechnology and nanoscience, and director of the Wallenberg Centre for Quantum Technology (WACQT), Per Delsing.

“At the same time, we want to allow researchers within Swedish academia and industry to learn how to use and work with larger and more powerful quantum processors through our collaboration with IBM.”

“We look forward to working with the WACQT programme at Chalmers, funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, to support their quantum mission of helping to lower the threshold for companies and researchers in Sweden to explore how quantum computing could help tackle their industries’ challenges,” said Vahid Zohali, country general manager of IBM Sweden.

The computer is a copy of WACQT’s first quantum computer, which will now be built to a target 100-qubits by 2029.

The agreement with IBM is supported through a SEK 50 million grant (just under $4.8 million at time of writing) with the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.

The Nordics are making their presence in the quantum sphere known with Finland also making its mark, hosting Quantum refrigerator manufacturers, chip makers, and drug discovery all within its capital. Read more about it here.

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Quantum processors need to be stored within a few thousandths of a degree of absolute zero to eliminate thermal noise and vibrations, which can destroy the information contained in the delicate qubits.

While such labs are dotted all over the world, snowy Finland does feel an apt home for the development of quantum computers, and the country is aiming for global hub status, with aspirations to become one of the top three nations in the field.

Last week, the Research Council of Finland awarded €13 million to the newly launched Finnish Quantum Flagship project, which includes quantum organisations such as VTT, and several Finnish universities.

“Finland is one of the known forerunners in quantum technologies,” claims FQF’s director, and professor of physics at Aalto University, Peter Liljeroth, “and our national collaboration is flexible.”

“Although global competition is getting fierce, the spirit of collaboration among Finnish universities, research institutions, government agencies, and industrial partners is what sets us apart from other countries,” he adds.

While in frosty Finland last month, TI met with three organisations hoping to sustain Finland’s quantum leadership.

Bluefors: refrigeration

Looking at the chandelier of the quantum computer, “what you may be seeing is a quantum computer, but what I’m seeing is a Bluefors refrigerator,” says the firm’s sales director, Jukka Puputti.

While all the qubits powering the technology we know assemble in a smaller chip, the cooling technology allowing for temperatures near absolute zero takes up most of the visible hardware.

Founded in 2008, Bluefors develops ultra-low-temperature cooling solutions for a range of technologies and scientific research.

For quantum, the firm boasts that it sets the “global benchmark for the ultra-low temperature cooling systems needed in quantum applications.”

It’s also needed for other quantum technologies such as quantum sensors, which provide more accurate sensor measurements than current technology, according to Bluefors, used in applications such as atomic clocks, imaging, and navigation systems.

According to Puputti, current customers include academia, researchers, and scientists.

IQM – the hardware

Right now, quantum computers’ main market sits in research and education, explains head of engineering of quantum computer manufacturer IQM, Juha Hassel.

Based in Helsinki, the start-up provides on-premises quantum computers for supercomputing centres and research labs.

Founded in 2018, IQM and VTT announced the completion of Finland’s second quantum computer last year, which uses 20 superconducting qubits, and is currently working on the country’s first 50-qubit machine.

The pair currently use the machine to demonstrate and learn more about the methods needed to scale up to 50 qubits.

Hassel hails Finland as a differentiator for its ecosystem built in and around the capital to support quantum innovation, including quantum computing studies in the local universities, which collaborate with local businesses for research.

“There’s a lot of talent, and a lot of [educated] workforce available, which is a shortage in the domain,” explains Hassel. “We have a good ecosystem and good venture capital funding.”

There has been some controversy over what real-life applications quantum should be used for. Back in 2021, the US sanctioned 28 organisations based in China, Russia, Pakistan, Japan, and Singapore, for helping advance and distribute quantum computing technologies to military weapon programmes.

In Finland however, the emphasis appears to be ‘quantum for good’. At IQM, for instance, it hopes to use its computers for sustainability and life science development.

In 2022, the climate venture capitalist firm World Fund invested $128 million in IQM to help tackle the climate crisis.

The fund was inspired by McKinsey research which found quantum computing could help develop climate technology that could mitigate carbon on the order of 7 gigatons per year by 2035.

World Fund believes quantum’s ability to simulate real situations better than current supercomputers will contribute to this and IQM already has a couple of study projects in the sustainability space such as carbon capture, Hassel adds.

In this instance, the quantum computers are mostly there for material and chemistry research- enabling a better membrane for carbon capture. IQM’s computers are also working on drug development too, something quantum is coming into play more.

Algorithmiq – the software

Helsinki-based scaleup, Algorithmiq claims to harnesses quantum computing to solve complex issues in life sciences.

It claims to leverage the potential of quantum software so that new drugs can be discovered, invented, and brought to market efficiently and cost-effectively.

It has already worked with AstraZeneca and IBM and has a continuous flow of research in medical discoveries such as X-rays, scar tissue, and many other drug discoveries.

More recently, Algorithmiq’s team secured $4.25 million from investor Wellcome Leap to design new drug interactions in cancer prevention and treatment, alongside partners IBM and medical centre Cleveland Clinic.

When IBM’s supercomputer was first deployed at the clinic last March, IBM’s CEO said that it would enable researchers to “explore and uncover new scientific advancements in biomedical research.”

Currently, IBM and Algorithmiq are working hard on ensuring quantum computers can scale without error, and its most recent achievement was the ability to run faultless experiments with minimal noise, a dominant issue in quantum devices.

“I’ve dedicated over 20 years of my life to the study of noisy quantum systems, as a professor, and I never thought this type of experiment would be possible so soon,” enthused Algoirthmiq’s CEO, Sabrina Maniscalco.

“Needless to say, I’m extremely excited about the goals we’ve set ourselves for 2024.”

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The agency, which exists to provide scientific data on the natural hazards that threaten earth, including earthquakes, volcanoes, and other natural disasters, said in a statement that it hoped to apply quantum to some of the key challenges in geophysics and environmental sensing.

Sydney HQ’d firm Q-CTR is focussed on quantum control engineering, which looks how quantum systems can be applied practically to real-world challenges.

Everything you need to know about quantum (but were afraid to ask)

Q-CTR claims to use quantum techniques such as quantum gravimetry, quantum magnetometry, and quantum-enhanced logistics optimisation to deliver previously impossible insights and solve previously intractable problems.

Last year the firm announced a partnership with Australia’s Department of Defence to develop quantum sensors that will deliver quantum-assured navigation capability for military platforms.

The Aussie engineering outfit has partnered with USGS specifically to use quantum to solve problems in critical areas such as underground water resource management, polar ice-sheet monitoring, natural-hazard preparedness, and the discovery and utilisation of energy and mineral resources.

The technology under exploration promises earlier detection of hazards, new ways to see through the earth to monitor sensitive water assets, and dramatic cost reduction in resources production.

These carry both exceptional economic and strategic value in the presence of a changing climate, the company claims.

Q-CTRL and USGS said that they plan to embark on workshops and field investigations to fully exploit quantum technologies’ capabilities to set anew benchmark in geophysical exploration and environmental monitoring “both on Earth and beyond”.

Jonathan Stock, director of the USGS National Innovation Center (NIC) said, “combined with other enabling technologies, quantum sensors may dramatically improve the ability to detect and assess resources and hazards in the undiscovered country of planetary sub surfaces, on our own world and beyond. This is a frontier that will require public, private and international partners together to explore, and we are delighted to be exploring with Q-CTRL.”

Click here to read more about quantum computing and business

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The biggest challenges are not having enough time, money or expertise to prepare, with only 30% of respondents allocating budget for PQC readiness.

According to the survey— taken from 1,426 IT and IT security practitioners in the US (605), EMEA (428) and Asia-Pacific (393) regions — time is of the essence.

Under half (41%) of business leaders expressed concern about having less than five years to prepare for the change.

Almost half of respondents also said that their organisations’ leadership is only somewhat aware or completely unaware about the security implications of quantum computing.

While quantum computing can solve problems too complex for classical computers, it can make cracking encryption much easier, posing an enormous threat to data and user security.

The survey found that three quarters of businesses are concerned that advanced attackers could conduct “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks, in which they collect and store encrypted data with the goal of decrypting the data in the future.

But only 23% of respondents said they have a strategy for addressing these security implications.

Bigger enterprises, such as HSBC, BT and IBM are currently trialling alternative ‘Q-safe’ methods of encryption.

Yet, as it stands, the majority of businesses remain in the dark about the characteristics and locations of their current cryptographic keys.

Around half (52%) of businesses are currently taking an inventory of the types of cryptography keys used. And 39% are prioritising cryptographic assets.

So what can be done?

According to Ponemon, to secure information assets and the IT infrastructure, organisations need to improve their ability to effectively deploy cryptographic solutions and methods.

Most respondents said their organisations do not have a high ability to drive enterprise-wide best practices and policies, detect and respond to certificate/key misuse, remediate algorithm remediation or breach and prevent unplanned certificates.

Businesses also need to shift investment into hiring people with the right expertise – something they do recognise, the report claims. Over half of businesses (55%) have ranked hiring qualified personnel as the most important strategic priority for digital security.

This is followed by achieving crypto-agility (51%), which is the ability to efficiently update cryptographic algorithms, parameters, processes and technologies to better respond to new protocols, standards and security threats.

To be ready for post-quantum computing, businesses also need to have a strategy that includes backing by senior leadership, visibility into cryptographic keys and assets, and centralised crypto-management strategies that are applied consistently across the enterprise with accountability and ownership.

Resources are available to help organisations prepare for a safe post quantum computing future, such as ANSI X9’s Quantum Risk Study Group and NIST’s post-quantum cryptography project. 60% of respondents are very knowledgeable about these groups.

The US and Chinese governments along with various other groups such as the World Economic Forum are also formulating standards to help mitigate threats to quantum computing.

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The telco – which made the announcement at the China Computational Conference – claimed that the technology is the first system-level platform in the industry to facilitate ‘unified hybrid scheduling of quantum and general computing power’.

In 2016 US computing giant IBM launched the world’s first quantum-computing-as-a-cloud service putting a quantum processor on the cloud for anyone to run experiments.

China’s platform connects China Mobile’s existing public cloud service to 20-qubit quantum computers, designed and built by state-backed CETGC.

According to a China Mobile statement, the platform proves that quantum in China is gradually moving towards a practical stage.

The platform is open to enterprises, researchers, universities and government agencies explore practical quantum use cases.  China Mobile added that it would be targeting artificial intelligence, biomedicine, intelligent transportation and aerospace applications.

Quantum technologies are a key focus for Beijing’s ambition to pull ahead in the global race to harness the power of quantum computing.

In May this year China mobile’s competitor China Telecom invested 3 billion yuan ($434 million) to establish the China Telecom Quantum Information Technology Group.

Based in eastern China, the new entity is focussed on developing quantum technology, stepping up the pace of quantum product updates and promoting the industry nationwide.

We unpack quantum computing  and it’s potential for businesses in a new two-part report.

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