https://newsroom.ibm.com/2021-11-16-IBM-Unveils-Breakthrough-127-Qubit-Quantum-Processor
13 replies (most recent on top)
sensitive to thinly disguised posts which aim to move the feel-good needle
Well something immediately happened to correct the needle's velocity: two days after IBM announced 127 qubits, another company announced 256 qubits.
All well and good, and kudos to the excellent engineers behind this. I know nothing about quantum computing but this sounds like progress.
Without wishing to rain on the parade, this is a layoff site. What was the motivation behind the OP? I guess I'm hyper-sensitive to thinly disguised posts which aim to move the feel-good needle into positive territory.
I call it the front door issue. Nothing new gets past the front door. Sounds good internally, but until you can commerialize it means nothing. This is why IBM has sold off so many businesses. I do think its time for an ousider to come in and run the place. Now letting newcos build an idea and product from the ground floor up and then acquiring them is done in all industries. Our problem is trying to integrate them into our operations. or shoud we just leave them independant?
Waste of time and effort for real world computing. Quantum is not stable enough to last for minutes let alone hours, days and years. I truly believe it will never be stable like good ol electronic computers. I might be wrong but I haven't seen yet.
Ok and what is the practical use of it? Can it, like, solve some problem that other computers cannot solve?
I hope IBM understands that the very few resources here who understand this stuff are also in very high demand elsewhere, even if they are old and grey.
I am not against R&D in quantum and IBM has held a somewhat leading position in this space. My real concern is can they execute at scale. Right now we are working on scaling up but we also need to scale out. We seem to be settling into a Moore’s law increase in quantum but until we can scale it out there is not a lot of use for it. I would guess as always IBM will do all the research and Google will eclipse IBM rolling out hardware, Microsoft will lead with the software while IBM shareholders will be left holding the bag.
Waste of money... another field where IBM will loose big time as usual.
They do these PRs (see also world’s first 2nm chip! Just don’t ask if we can make it or if it will ever ship!) to distract from reality. It’s pathetic.
Wonder how many people were laid off to support that useless project?
Can I put it into my IBM ThinkPad, but it's been dragging a$$ for years now?
But what does it mean? Nothing. Who cares.
Quantum Computers sitting in their cryogenic chambers are such works of art, stacks of giant brass plates and hundreds of heat pipes (or coolant pipes? liquid helium I suppose) twisted and coiling throughout the structure hanging like some steampunk chandelier
…
The esoteric design reminds me of the Connection Machine blog posted the other day, "to communicate to people that this was the first of a new generation of computers, unlike any machine they had seen before."
I'm curious what they do with these prototypes once they are obsoleted in a matter of months, are the parts so expensive they tear it down to reuse them? Or will the machines be able to go on tour and stand in glass cases to intrigue the next generation of engineers? I know it had a tremendous effect on me to stand in front of a hand-wired lisp machine at the MIT museum.