Changelog - Quantum computing squares up to the error-correction challenge
Whither quantum computing? That’s the question stalking any so-called ‘breakthrough’ in this notoriously complex field. You’ll be familiar with the pitch, I suspect: that quantum computers will provide us with a great leap forward in our capacity to crunch complex mathematical conundrums compared to all our dusty and dismal classical computers. And while we shouldn’t expect to see these powerful computational engines on our desks by the end of the decade – many of the most advanced examples are large, chandelier-like structures hooked up to refrigeration units the size of a small van – we should anticipate their use in mapping power distribution across continental electrical grids, cracking conventional encryption techniques or even, some argue, forecasting the weather with pinpoint accuracy.
That’s the theory. In practice, experimentation with even these kinds of niche applications has been slow, resulting in most followers of the science half-joking that quantum computing is, and shall always be, a practical reality in five years' time. Much of that disquiet has hinged on the achingly slow progress of quantum error correction (QEC), the process in which the erratic output from the building blocks of quantum computing, known as qubits, is rationalised to produce so-called ‘logical qubits.’ The more logical qubits, the reasoning goes, the more capable the quantum computer – which explains all the periodic celebration that erupts and recedes in the scientific community whenever a tech giant like Google or IBM claims that they’ve amassed such-and-such number in their own private research programs.
But as Berenice Baker demonstrates in her magisterial feature for Tech Monitor, they’re far from the only players contending with error correction, a field that has shown some promising breakthroughs of late. ‘A series of announcements,’ she says, ‘shows QEC shifting from abstract theory to practical engineering, collectively signalling steady progress towards quantum computers capable of running useful tasks.’
Read more of Baker’s fantastic debut for Tech Monitor here. Also this week: Eugenia Perozo on Sacramento’s silicon potential; Russell Reynolds Associates’ Harriet Wood on the ascendancy of tech execs in UK companies; Varuni Paranavitane on the implications of the recent Getty Images vs Stability AI decision; and emma’s Dmitry Panekov on when cloud sovereignty isn’t actually, well, sovereign.
Until next week!
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Greg Noone – Editor, Tech Monitor
