quantum

Airplanes have been depending on GPS for decades. Some engineers have another idea to replace it: quantum technology

by

Airbus and the company derived from Google focused on quantum technology and IA, Sandboxaq, have completed more than 150 flight hours Testing Magnava revolutionary system that uses Quantum sensors to detect the unique magnetic “fingerprints” of each point on the earth. The initial results have been promising, and are a sign that technology could rival the Traditional GPS and even overcome it in precision. Why is it relevant. The GPS has become the Achilles heel of modern aviation. Interference attacks and Spoofing They are dramatically increasing in conflicting areas such as the Middle East, Ukraine and Russia, and this It also affects civil flights. The military use these techniques to confuse missiles and drones, but the consequences extend dangerously to commercial aviation. Hence the importance of looking for a viable alternative to GPS. Magnav. Image: Sandboxaq The secret of its operation. Magnav has more or less the size of a toaster, and has a laser that shoots photons against electrons. When the laser goes out, these electrons release the absorbed photons with a unique energy firm that reflects the intensity of the earth’s magnetic field in that exact location. An artificial intelligence algorithm processes this information and compares it with detailed magnetic maps to determine the position of the plane. Each square meter of the planet has an unrepeatable magnetic firm, created by the iron particles of the earth’s core that magnetize the minerals of the cortex. More precision and more difficult to supplant. Unlike GPS, which depends on vulnerable digital signals from satellites, quantum sensors are completely analog and process data generated entirely on board. Jack Hidary, CEO of Sandboxaq, Explain that this makes them “essentially impossible to interfere or supplant.” During the evidence, Magnav managed to meet the standards of the Federal American Aviation Administration 100% of the time, maintaining precision within 2 nautical miles. Even more impressive, it reached a 550 -meter accuracy in 64% of the occasions. Beyond aircraft. The experts They predict A quantum sensor market valued between 1,000 and 6,000 million dollars by 2040. This technology promises to detect submarines and hidden tunnels in defensive applications, and weak magnetic signs of the heart and brain in medicine, allowing non -invasive diagnoses. Joe Depa, Global Innovation Director of EY, Underline That “we are not talking about something within 20 years, but about something that is here and now.” The next step. Sandboxaq plans to go first to the defense sector before expanding to commercial flights. Although more evidence and certifications are required, Hidary stands out that have overcome “the difficult part: demonstrate that technology works.” According to him, it is the “first novel absolute navigation system that we know in the last 50 years.” Cover image | Ross Parmly In Xataka | The 777x is Boeing’s great bet to return to the top: folding wings, redesign cabin and the largest engine in the world

A “real” quantum computer before 2030

by

Spinq is one of the main manufacturers of Quantum computers from China. We discovered this company in early 2023 because it placed in the market An amazing quantum team Very compact that looked much more like a PC than one of the huge and exotic quantum computers of IBM, Google or Honeywell. However, Spinq machine technology It was very different to which the equipment with Superconductor cubits or ion traps. And it is that their cubits were implemented taking advantage of the possibility of measuring spin states of certain atoms of a molecule using nuclear magnetic resonance techniques (NMR). A brief note: the spin is an intrinsic property of elementary particles, as well as the electric charge, derived from its time of angular rotation. This strategy has allowed this Chinese company to point out some reasonably simple cubits, which can also operate in relatively little demanding environmental conditions. Spinq has ties with the Chinese government The computer we can see in the cover image of this article is the machine with spinq NMR cubits. This is a mature technology that has been known for more than two decades. In fact, the quantum computer that executed for the first time the quantum algorithm of Shor numbers factoring it. This happened in 2001. However, these cubits are very sensitive to noise, so this technique is not appropriate to put quantum processors with many cubits. Spinq plans to have a quantum machine of 100 cubits before expiring 2025 Another advantage of NMR cubits is that they are much simpler than superconductor cubits or those of trapped ions, so putting them ready is cheaper. Spinq says in Your website That their quantum computers Gemini Mini and Mini Pro, both of two cubits, and Triangulum II, of three cubits, They are low -cost quantum equipment. It makes sense that they are much cheaper than quantum computers with IBM or Google Superconductor cubits, and also that computers with Honeywell or Ionq ion traps. Even so, they are much more expensive than our PC. In fact, the first version of Triangulum, the most advanced of these compact quantum computers, cost approximately 56,000 euros in 2023. In any case, Spinq does not manufacture quantum machines for educational projects and to address some simple scientific problems; It also designs and produces quantum computers with much more ambitious superconductor cubits. According to SCMPthis company plans to have a quantum machine of 100 cubits before it expires 2025. It does not seem a great achievement if we are in mind that IBM has since 2023 ‘Condor’a quantum processor of 1,121 cubits, but Spinq’s plans do not end here. And before this decade ends up having prepared a quantum computer “useful to solve real world problems”, According to Spinq itself. To carry out this successful plan you will have to develop a machine with thousands of superconductor cubits, and, in addition, with the ability to amend your own mistakes. There is something that is worth not overlooked: this company has Very narrow ties with the Chinese government. In fact, has received a subsidy of the administration of Shenzhen and collaborates with the Harbin Institute of Technology and the Ministry of Education. There is no doubt about one thing: quantum technologies are a priority, and Spinq is one of its main assets. IBM also plans Having a quantum computer equipped with the ability to amend your errors before this decade ends, so for China it is essential to match this milestone. Image | Spinq More information | SCMP In Xataka | China manufactures quantum computers as if it were life in it. Its best plant is capable of producing eight at the same time

The almost instantaneous load batteries and a shelf life close to eternity are taking shape. Thanks to quantum physics

by

Integrated circuits containing all our electronic devices, Solar panelsmagnetic resonance machines, The lasers or the atomic watches that allow the human being to measure time with an unprecedented precision would not be possible without the knowledge he has given us Modern Quantum Theory. And, of course, without this model we would not have Quantum computers. Objectively, and it is not at all an exaggeration, quantum physics is present in much of modern technology. During the last five years several research groups, such as the PSL Research University (University of Recherche Paris Sciences et Lettres), which resides in Paris (France), or that of the University of Pisa, in Italy, have tried to use the basic principles of quantum mechanics to point A new generation of batteries. And the results are getting little by little. This is its starting point: they pursue to use overlap, entanglement and superabsorption to tear down the limitations that electrochemical batteries currently impose. The quantum storage of energy is an ideal that is increasingly closer The main difference between quantum batteries and conventional electrochemicals is that the latter depend on chemical reactions, while quantum devices seek to store energy in the quantum states of some particles, such as, for example, photons. It seems complicated, and it is, but the really important thing for users is that quantum batteries on paper can be loaded almost instantaneously, they will have a much higher energy density, and, in addition, their degradation will be minimal as the load cycles pass. Quantum batteries can store energy in a superposition of multiple energy states simultaneously It sounds wonderful. So much, in fact, that seems science fiction. However, it is very important that, as we have just seen, let’s not overlook that their principle of operation will be, if they finally come to fruition, very different from that of conventional electrochemical batteries. Existing theoretical proposals argue that quantum batteries They can store energy in an overlap of multiple energy states simultaneously, which should allow them to deliver a much greater energy density. In addition, your theory load will be much faster, even almost instantaneous, due to the collective quantum effects of the quantum units that make them up. The most amazing thing in this field is that the higher the capacity of the quantum battery, the faster it will load. It is an intuitive characteristic, it is true, but it is possible precisely thanks to the collective quantum effects I just talked about. However, this is not all. And it is that on paper the degradation that these batteries will experience during energy transfer will be minimal, so your useful life will be much greater than that of conventional batteries. Perhaps, even, almost eternal if we compare it with the longevity of the human being. So far all the work that researchers had carried out in this area had condensed in purely theoretical models, but this panorama has just changed. And it is that several scientists from the universities that I have mentioned in the second paragraph of this text have published an article very interesting in which they propose How to make a quantum battery. Your idea is to use superconductor circuits produced with materials that exhibit essentially zero resistance at low temperatures. They have not yet manufactured anything, so it is evident that the hardest work, the experimental, is still pending. But there is no doubt that this proposal invites us to tie the future of quantum batteries with reasonable optimism. Image | Generated by Xataka with Gemini More information | Phys.org In Xataka | We have created the most lasting battery in history: 5,700 years thanks to the diamond and carbon-14

Exactly 100 years ago we began to understand how the world works. Quantum physics has radically changed our lives

by

Well, not exactly 100 years ago. 100 years ago and one day. On July 9, 1925, German physicist Werner Heisenberg sent a letter to his friend Wolfgang Pauli, who at that time was already a very renowned theoretical physicist of Austrian origin. Heisenberg had been engaged for several months in the development of an idea that was permanently breaking with The classical conception of the atom as a tiny planetary system in which electrons orbit around a nucleus constituted by protons and neutrons. That letter contained several reflections that Pauli knew how to appreciate. In fact, shortly after receiving it Max Born, Pascual Jordan and Wolfgang Pauli himself took the work of Werner Heisenberg as a starting point to prepare for the first time in history a mature formulation of Quantum theory. The content of that letter supports nothing more and nothing less the most ambitious and precise framework in the history of science: Standard model of particle physics. Without him many of the technologies we enjoy today would not be possible. Quantum mechanics is very present in our day to day “Dear Pauli, if he believes that I read his letter laughing mockingly, he is deeply mistaken. Actually, the opposite happens; from Helgoland (it is a small German island located in the North Sea) my views on the mechanics have become more radical every day that passes, and I am firmly convinced that Bohr’s theory of the hydrogen atom in its current form Zeeman “. The article ‘Umdeutung’ (‘Reinterpretation’) of Heisenberg is considered the birth certificate of modern quantum theory The first lines of Heisenberg’s letter They clearly reflect the trust and respect he professed towards Pauli. And also how much the revolutionary ideas I had in mind were disturbed. In fact, a few lines later confess to having many doubts about the way he could carry out The rigorous formulation of those thoughts: “As for my own opinion about this scribble, with which I am not at all satisfied: I am firmly convinced of the value of the negative and critical part, but I consider that the positive part is rather poor. Even so, perhaps those most capable that I can get something sensible to it.” The scribble that Heisenberg speaks was actually the draft of his famous article ‘Umdeutung’ (‘Reinterpretation’), which shortly after was published. Many physicists consider that text the birth certificate of Modern Quantum Theory. Neither more nor less. Anyway, there is no doubt: during the next 100 years Heisenberg’s ideas and other physicists who also made decisive contributions to quantum theory, such as Wolfgang Pauli, Erwin Schrödinger, Max Born, Paul Am Douc, Niels Bohr or Albert Einstein, triggered the birth of many of the technologies we currently use. Integrated circuits containing all our electronic devices, Solar panelsmagnetic resonance machines, The lasers or the atomic watches that allow the human being to measure time with an unprecedented precision would not be possible without the knowledge that modern quantum theory has given us. And, of course, without this model we would not have Quantum computers. Objectively, and it is not at all an exaggeration, Quantum physics is present in much of modern technology. And all probability will continue to be in many of the innovations that will arrive in the future. That is not the slightest doubt. After all, it is the best tool we have to understand how the world works. Image | Generated by Xataka with Gemini More information | Cern In Xataka | The authentic alchemy is being made by the CERN: it has detected the transformation of lead into gold

A quantum solution for black holes

by

The two families of physics They have not spoken for 100 years. Einstein’s general relativity describes with centenary precision The large-scale universe: how the planets, stars and galaxies deform the space-time fabric. On the other hand, quantum mechanics explains the strange and tiny world of subatomic particles. Both theories form the pillars of modern science, but are fundamentally incompatible. Unifying them in a single theory of “quantum severity” is, for decades, The Holy Grail of Physics. New research suggests that the key to achieving this could be hidden in the heart of the more enigmatic objects of the universe: Black holes. The impassable wall of physics. The problem is simple and the time incredibly complex. Quantum mechanics has managed to explain three of the four fundamental forces of nature: electromagnetism, strong nuclear force and weak nuclear force. Gravity, however, resists him. General relativity, our best theory of gravity, falls apart in the most extreme environments of the universe, precisely where quantum effects should be crucial. The clearest example of this rupture is the singularities, the theoretically infinite density points that are found In the center of black holes. For physicists, an infinity in an equation is an alarm signal that indicates that the theory has reached its limit. “We believe that general relativity only works on large or ‘macroscopic’ scales, but that in very short distances, or microscopic scales, it must be replaced by a quantum theory of gravity,” He explained to Space.com Theoretical physicist Xavier Calmet, author of a new study published in Europhysics Letters. A new recipe for black holes. Until now, string theory was the main candidate for this unification, in the absence of experimental verification. But Calmet and his team have adopted a different and surprisingly effective approach. Instead of a complete and finished quantum theory, they have used what is known as the “effective action of Vilkovisky-Dewitt” to calculate universal quantum corrections that should be applied to Einstein’s equations, regardless of the underlying theory. When applying these corrections, the team discovered something fascinating: in addition to black holes that arise from general relativity, there must also be holes born from “quantum solutions.” And it is not simple adjustments to the black holes we already knew. “They are completely new black holes that exist in a world of quantum gravity,” explains Calmet. New theoretical objects that emerge from the same mathematics, but with a quantum “flavor.” What all this means. Einstein’s relativity works great for huge things such as planets and galaxies (a continuous world); and quantum mechanics, for the tiny, like atoms (a world to jump). When it comes to explaining black holes, relativity predicts a singularity, an infinite density point that, in practice, tells us that the theory does not work anymore. What these physicists have done is to use a mathematical “patch” to add the basic quantum rules to relativity. This patch is the action of Vilkovisky-Dewittdeveloped by physicists Georgy Vilkovisky and Bryce Dewitt. In doing so, they not only fixed the “error”, but discovered that the new rules allow the existence of a completely new type of black hole, one that simply could not exist according to Einstein’s old rules. Can we ever see them? The study details how these solutions can be built near the events horizon, the border from which nothing can escape the black hole. Although these quantum solutions are theoretically different, distinguishing them from their classic counterparts is, for now, an almost impossible task. The most significant differences manifest very close to the horizon of events, a region that we cannot observe directly. “The astrophysical black holes that we are observing well could be described with our new solutions instead of those of general relativity,” Callmet concludes. “As both theories match great distances, it will be difficult to propose evidence capable of differentiating between the two types of solutions.” The theory shows that it is possible that There are black holes within a frame of quantum gravity. But the secrets of quantum gravity remain fiercely saved by these cosmic titans: the response to the greatest enigma of modern physics is not in a particle accelerator, but quietly orbiting in the darkness of space. Image | POT In Xataka | The Webb Telescope has observed quasars where they should not be. Something fails in the theory of black holes

Superconductor quantum computers are being sabotaged. Fortunately, several Chinese scientists have found those responsible

by

Superconductor cubits are extremely fragile. Even so, if we stick to the number of companies that are working on this type of quantum bits it is reasonable to conclude that this is the technology that has greater support and greater investmentso, somehow, is the one that goes in the lead. This strategy is probably the one that will help us to have more cubits, but also It is more prone to make mistakes That ion traps cubits, which are one of the alternatives to superconductors. In addition, these last cubits are characterized by working at a temperature of about 20 millikelvin, which are approximately -273 degrees Celsius, with the purpose of operating with the greater degree of isolation of the possible environment. IBM is one of the companies that have opted to set Quantum computers With superconductor cubits, and plans to make available to its customers in 2029 ‘Starling’, its first large -scale quantum computer equipped with the capacity to amend your own mistakes. However, something happened that can complicate the plans of this and other companies involved in the development of quantum computers. And is that a group of researchers from the Academy of Quantum Information Sciences (China) has discovered that Cosmic rays and Gamma radiation They have the ability to cause errors in superconductor cubits. This discovery is very important because it justifies the need to develop technologies that allow building reliable quantum computers despite the interference of cosmic rays and gamma rays. These scientists have published the result of their research in Nature Communications. Cosmic rays are putting quantum computers in trouble Researchers from the Academy of Quantum Information Sciences of Beijing have carried out this discovery using a 63 -cubits superconductor quantum processor. However, their most ingenious idea led them to install muones detectors within the quantum computer cooling system. This strategy allowed them to realize that gamma rays and cosmic radiation were inducing the appearance of errors in the extremely fragile superconductor cubits, thus weakening their ability to maintain coherence. It is evident that to solve a problem it is essential to identify it and know its origin, so it is good news that these scientists have made this discovery. However, before concluding this article I propose that we review briefly What are these two forms of radiation. Cosmic rays are constituted by high -energy ionized atomic nuclei that move through space at a speed very close to that of light (which is approximately 300,000 km/s). Cosmic rays are constituted by high -energy ionized atomic nuclei that move through space at a speed very close to that of light That they are ionized indicates that they have acquired electric charge because they have been stripped of their electrons, but, curiously, these atomic nuclei are made of the same matter that constitutes us and everything that surrounds us. However, and here comes the first surprise, the atomic nuclei that constitute the cosmic rays are distributed in a different way to the subject that shapes us. Hydrogen and helium are much more abundant in our solar system than in cosmic rays, while other heavier elements, such as lithium, beryllium or boron, are ten thousand times more abundant in cosmic radiation. One of the most important characteristics of cosmic radiation is its essentially perfect isotropy. This parameter reflects that the rays arrive from all directions with the same frequency, which indicates that they must coexist simultaneously numerous sources capable of generating them. And this invites us to ask ourselves one more question: where cosmic radiation comes from. A good part of the cosmic rays we receive proceed from outside our solar system. Of other stars. And travel through space with enormous energy until impacting with the atoms present in the upper layers of the atmosphere of our planet. Finally, Gamma radiationwhich is the most energetic and the most penetrating of all, requires the emission of a high -energy photon, usually known as Rayo Gamma, so the atomic nucleus maintains its original structure. Some of these high -energy photons are able to cross very thick concrete walls and lead plates, so this is the most dangerous radiation form of all. More information | Nature Communications In Xataka | Bitcoin encryption and other cryptocurrencies will fall. And those responsible will be quantum computers

Scientists have a new very powerful tool to fight Alzheimer’s and Parkinson: quantum computers

by

To solve most of the problems that scientists expect to be able to address in the future with Quantum computers capable of amending their own mistakes, such as optimization, those in the field of cryptography or artificial intelligenceit will be necessary have several million cubits. It can even, that hundreds of millions of cubits. The most advanced quantum processor currently IBM has itand it has just over a thousand cubits, so it is evident that many technological challenges remain that it is necessary to solve. The interesting thing is that there is no single way to go through this path. Organizations that are investigating in the field of quantum computing work in several different cubits technologiesand each of them is in a different degree of development. IBM, Intel and Google are some of the big companies that have opted for superconductor cubits, but also do so smaller ones, such as Atlantic Quantum, IQM, Anyon Systems, Rigetti Computing or Bleximo. In fact, if we stick to the number of companies that are working on this type of quantum bits it is reasonable to conclude that this is the technology that has greater support and greater investment, so, in some way, it is the one that goes in the lead. This strategy is probably what will help us to have more cubits, but it is also more prone to make mistakes than ion traps cubits, which are one of the alternatives to superconductors. In addition, these last cubits are characterized by working at a temperature of about 20 millikelvin, which are approximately -273 degrees Celsius, with the purpose of operating with the greater degree of isolation of the possible environment. Ion traps are given great proteins Ion traps are currently the main alternative to superconductor cubits. This is the technology in which they are working, among other companies, Ionq and Honeywell, and is characterized by using ionized atoms, and, therefore, with a non -neutral global electric charge. This property allows them to be isolated and confined inside an electromagnetic field, although this is only the starting point. From here Ionq acts on the quantum state of its cubits with ion traps cooling them to reduce the level of computational noise and uses lasers just then to operate with them. However, it does not use a single laser; Use one for each ionand also a global laser that acts on all of them simultaneously. Honeywell also uses ionized and laser atoms, but the procedure used to establish the intertwining between two ions and act on them with a laser is different from that used by Ionq. For scientists it is crucial to understand the folding of proteins that triggers Alzheimer’s or Parkinson Parkinson Precisely a team of researchers from this last company and the German emerging company specialized in quantum quantum computing To do something amazing: Solve protein folding problems with up to 12 amino acids. To carry it out they designed a quantum optimization method that seeks to find the optimal configuration of protein folding. Expressed in this way it seems complex, and it is, but the really important thing, and with what is worth it, it is that these quantum computers thanks to the appropriate algorithm are able to help scientists Understand the protein folding mechanism that triggers diseases such as Alzheimer’s or the Parkinson. And understand this phenomenon well is the first step towards the elaboration of effective treatment. This result is very promising, but there is still a lot of work to do so that quantum computers help us in front of these diseases. On the one hand, folding models must evolve to be more reliable and realistic. And, in addition, the classic algorithm that is responsible for refining the results delivered by the quantum algorithm should be more precise. Even so, the work of these researchers is an exceptionally promising starting point. Image | Ionq More information | Arxiv In Xataka | Quantum computers threaten encryption technologies. This is the reason why we do not have to panic

Quantum computers threaten encryption technologies. This is the reason why we do not have to panic

by

This month is being very exciting for enthusiasts who follow up the current Quantum computers. Xanadu, a young Canadian company founded in 2016, has announced that Plan to have ready before 2030 A quantum computer of one million photonic ulna with error correction. However, it is not the only company that intends to make this milestone come true. IBM plans to make available to its customers in 2029 ‘Starling’its first large -scale quantum computer endowed with the ability to amend your own mistakes. The main problem facing quantum computers in the field of error correction is noise, understood as the disturbances that can alter the internal state of the cubits and introduce calculation errors. In any case, if finally the correction of errors comes to fruition the prototypes of quantum computers that we have currently will leave behind their status of prototypes and allow us to face really significant problems. And presumably Bitcoin encryption and other cryptocurrencies will fall. We are facing a worrying challenge Quantum computer experts have known for several years that quantum computers They will end classical cryptography. That moment came in May 2024. A team of researchers from the University of Shanghai (China) led by Professor Wang Chao used a quantum computer D-Wave for I successfully violate the SPN encryption (Substitation-Permutation Network), which is a cryptographic algorithm that is used to encrypt information. This encryption is the cornerstone of, for example, the AES standard (Advanced Encryption Standard), which is used a lot. These scientists published the result of their research in An interesting article entitled “Public Cryptographic Attack Algorithm based on quantum processing with the advantage of D-Wave”. However, this is not all. And it is that in the middle of May several Google researchers They published an entry In the blog dedicated to the security of this American company in which they support a crucial premise: an integer RSA (Rivest – Shamir – Adleman) of 2,048 bits can factor in less than a week with a quantum computer of less than one million cubits. An RSA integer of 2,048 bits can be factor in less than a week with a quantum computer of less than one million cubits Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and the other modern cryptocurrencies use a cryptography technique known as elliptical curve that is more robust, efficient and difficult to break than RSA, but its mathematical foundations are similar to those of the latter encryption algorithm. In fact, according to Google scientists signed by the article that I have mentioned above, if the future quantum computers will cost them less than initially breaking the RSA encryption, the cryptography of elliptical curve will also fall with relative ease. So far we have talked about cryptocurrencies, but it is crucial that we do not overlook that encryption technologies have a fundamental role in our daily lives. In fact, WhatsApp and Telegram use them to encrypt our messages; Banks turn to them to Protect our transactions And every time we buy something on the Internet, it is the encryption that is responsible for protecting our credit card information. These are just some of the applications of this technology. Keith Martin, professor of the Information Security Group at the University of London (England), has published in The conversation An interesting article in which it addresses this topic. And it reminds us of something important: the threat of quantum computers to encryption technologies is very real, but we have no reason to panic because many researchers have been working on the solution to this challenge for several years. In fact, most of the theoretical work is already done. In 2024 the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the United States published an initial set of standards that includes a post -mecuantic keys exchange mechanism and several postcuantic digital signature schemes. The work that is already done invites us to anticipate that at the time the relevant quantum computers appear from a cryptographic point of view Technologies will already be ready They will be able to protect our information. And in all likelihood these techniques will also be in the hands of quantum computers, such as Juan José García Ripoll holdsResearcher at the Institute of Fundamental Physics of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC). Image | IBM More information | The conversation In Xataka | China manufactures quantum computers as if it were life in it. Its best plant is capable of producing eight at the same time

The first quantum computer with error correction already has date. It is close and will be 20,000 times more powerful than the current

by

It seems that in the end Israeli mathematician Gil Kalai was wrong. This professor at Yale University has been very critical for several years with Quantum computing. In fact, he argues that the increase in the number of states of quantum systems and their complexity will cause They end up behaving like classic computersso the superiority of the former will end up evaporating. It defends, in short, that totally functional quantum computers They will never arrive. However, we currently have very solid reasons to anticipate otherwise. And there are several companies that ensure that they will have a quantum machine equipped with the ability to amend your own mistakes Before I expire this decade. These computers will be very important because they will presumably have the ability to solve a very wide range of problems with which not even the most powerful classic supercomdators available can deal. Just a week ago we told you that Xanadu, a young Canadian company founded in 2016, Plan to have ready before 2030 A quantum computer of one million phototonic ulna with error correction. However, it is not the only company that intends to make this milestone come true. IBM plans to make available to its customers in 2029 ‘Starling’, its first large -scale quantum computer equipped with the ability to amend their own mistakes. It will execute 20,000 times more operations than current quantum computers IBM is going to build The quantum computer ‘Starling’ in a new data center that will be housed in Paughkeepsie, New York (USA). This machine will bring together 200 logical cubits that, in theory, will allow you to execute 100 million quantum operations. Logical cubits represent a way to overcome the difficulty involved in the use of hardware or physical cubits, which are extremely noise sensitive, and, therefore, prone to make mistakes. Each logical ul Each logical cubit is constructed abstractly on several physical or hardware cubits, so that a single logical cubit encodes a single cubit of quantum information, but with redundancy. It is precisely this redundancy that allows detect and correct errors that are present in physical cubits. Until very recently the number of hardware cubits that was necessary to implement a single logical cubit immune to errors was impracticable, but IBM says it has found the solution to this problem. Their engineers have published two very interesting technical articles in which they develop the strategy they will use to bring to fruition their large -scale quantum computer and error correction. In the first These articles explain what procedure will continue to process instructions and execute operations in an efficient way. AND In the second They describe how they will decode the information that physical cubits contain in an efficient way, and also what strategy they will use to identify and correct real -time errors using conventional computational resources. As I mentioned a few lines above, IBM says that ‘Starling’ will be ready in 2029, but before its arrival this company expects to reach other important milestones. At the end of 2025 ‘Quantum Loon’ will prove the technology used to connect cubits to a larger distance Within a single chip. In 2026 ‘Kookaburra’ it will be the first IBM modular processor designed to store and process coded information. In 2027 ‘Cockatoo’ will arrive to demonstrate that it is possible to intertwine two ‘Kookaburra’ modules, and, consequently, that it is viable to connect several quantum chips such as nodes of a larger platform. And finally, after ‘Starling’ will arrive ‘Blue Jay’, which will bring together 2,000 logical cubits that, in theory, will allow you to execute 1 billion quantum operations. Image | IBM More information | IBM In Xataka | Bitcoin encryption and other cryptocurrencies will fall. And those responsible will be quantum computers

Bitcoin encryption and other cryptocurrencies will fall. And those responsible will be quantum computers

by

Experts Quantum computing They have known for several years that quantum computers will end classical cryptography. One of them, Juan José García Ripoll, a researcher at the Institute of Fundamental Physics of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) who develops his research activity within the quantum information group and foundations of quantum theory, He warned us During the conversation we had with him in October 2019. That moment arrived in May 2024. A team of researchers from the University of Shanghai (China) led by Professor Wang Chao used a D-Wave quantum computer for I successfully violate the SPN encryption (Substitation-Permutation Network), which is a cryptographic algorithm that is used to encrypt information. This encryption is the cornerstone of, for example, the AES standard (Advanced Encryption Standard), which is used a lot. These scientists published the result of their research in An interesting article entitled “Public Cryptographic Attack Algorithm based on quantum processing with the advantage of D-Wave”. Interestingly, Professor Wang Chao and his team used two strategies to carry out their attack on cryptographic algorithms. The first one consists of broad strokes to deliver to the quantum computer the combination of an optimization problem and another search. Quantum machines are very effective when solving these challenges. And the second strategy consists in combining Schnorr’s algorithm, Babai rounding and a quantum method of optimization. In any case, the most interesting thing is that these Chinese scientists concluded that AES-256 and other military degree encryption algorithms are closer than ever to be violated. Google says that quantum machines will break the encryption of cryptocurrencies During my conversation with Juan José García Ripoll I did not let the opportunity to ask what would happen when quantum computers were able to violate the most advanced encryption technologies we currently use. “In principle, quantum computers will make the encryption algorithms that we use. For this reason there is a research area in mathematics and cryptography: cryptography resistant to quantum computers. It is a very difficult field of work. The alternative to the fact that many codes can break with quantum computers is to use quantum systems for cryptography,” Ripoll holds. An RSA integer of 2,048 bits can be factor in less than a week with a quantum computer of less than one million cubits The course of time has proved him right. And it is that several Google researchers less than a week ago They published an entry In the blog dedicated to the security of this American company in which they support a crucial premise: an integer RSA (Rivest – Shamir – Adleman) of 2,048 bits can factor in less than a week with a quantum computer of less than one million cubits. One of the most advanced quantum processors that currently exist, IBM Condor Chipagglutina 1,121 superconductor cubits, so it is evident that we still do not have quantum machines with the necessary power to violate RSA encryption. However, they could be ready before we suspect. The quantum machine described by Google researchers use noisy cubits, and IBM’s official itinerary argues that ‘Starling’, its first quantum hardware endowed with the ability to correct their own mistakes, It will arrive in 2029. Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and the other modern cryptocurrencies use a cryptography technique known as elliptical curve that is more robust, efficient and difficult to break than RSA, but its mathematical foundations are similar to those of the latter encryption algorithm. In fact, according to Google scientists signed by the article that I have mentioned above, if the future quantum computers will cost them less than initially breaking the RSA encryption, the cryptography of elliptical curve will also fall with relative ease. It is still not clear What capabilities will have to have quantum machines which will be able to violate this encryption technique, but According to a research group from Kent University (United Kingdom), Bitcoin can update the encryption of the entire network without “turning it off” in approximately ten months. Image | IBM More information | Google In Xataka | China manufactures quantum computers as if it were life in it. Its best plant is capable of producing eight at the same time

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.