An international team, led by a scientist from the University |
completely impossible to construct an actual quantum |
of Sussex, has unveiled the first practical blueprint for how |
computer. With our work we have not only shown that it |
to build a quantum computer, the most powerful computer |
can be done but now we are delivering a nuts and bolts |
on Earth. |
construction plan to build an actual large-scale machine." |
It has long been known that such a computer would |
Lead author Bjoern Lekitsch, also from the University of |
revolutionize industry, science and commerce on a similar |
Sussex, explains: " It was most important to us to highlight |
scale as the invention of ordinary computers. But this new |
the substantial technical challenges as well as to provide |
work features the actual industrial blueprint to construct |
practical engineering solutions ". |
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such a large-scale machine, more powerful in solving certain problems than any computer ever constructed before.
Once built, the computer ' s capabilities mean it would have the potential to answer many questions in science; create new, lifesaving medicines; solve the most mind-boggling scientific problems; unravel the yet unknown mysteries of the furthest reaches of deepest space; and solve some problems that an ordinary computer would take billions of years to compute.
The work features a new invention permitting actual quantum bits to be transmitted between individual
quantum computing modules in order to obtain a fully modular large-scale machine capable of reaching nearly arbitrary large computational processing powers.
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As a next step, the team will construct a prototype quantum computer, based on this design, at the University.
The effort is part of the UK Government ' s plan to develop quantum technologies towards industrial exploitation and makes use of a recent invention by the Sussex team to replace billions of laser beams required for quantum computing operations within a large-scale quantum computer with the simple application of voltages to a microchip.
Prof Hensinger said: " The availability of a universal quantum computer may have a fundamental impact on society as a whole. Without doubt it is still challenging to build a large- scale machine, but now is the time to translate academic excellence into actual application building on the UK ' s strengths in this ground-breaking technology. I am very
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Previously, scientists had proposed using fibre optic |
excited to work with industry and government to make this |
connections to connect individual computer modules. The |
happen." |
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new invention introduces connections created by electric fields that allow charged atoms( ions) to be transported from one module to another. This new approach allows
100,000 times faster connection speeds between individual quantum computing modules compared to current state-ofthe-art fibre link technology.
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The computer ' s possibilities for solving, explaining or developing could be endless. However, its size will be anything but small. The machine is expected to fill a large building, consisting of sophisticated vacuum apparatus featuring integrated quantum computing silicon microchips that hold individual charged atoms( ions) using electric |
The new blueprint is the work of an international team of |
fields. |
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scientists from the University of Sussex( UK), Google( USA),
Aarhus University( Denmark), RIKEN( Japan) and Siegen
University( Germany).
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The blueprint to develop such computers has been made public to ensure scientists throughout the world can collaborate and further develop this brilliant, ground- |
Prof Winfried Hensinge, head of Ion Quantum Technology |
breaking technology as well as to encourage industrial |
Group at the University of Sussex, who has been leading |
exploitation. |
this research, said: " For many years, people said that it was | |