Personally I find quantum computers really impressive, and they havent been given its righteous hype.

I know they won’t be something everyone has in their house but it will greatly improve some services.

  • feannag@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    1·
    3 months ago

    That’s not entirely true. There are companies right now with prototypes solving real world problems.

        • hendrik@palaver.p3x.deEnglish
          1·
          3 months ago

          That certainly counts as hype. But I wonder if there’s any independent information out there about these computers. All I can find is self-advertising and news about investors. I mean we occasionally do get these claims that someone proved quantum supremacy. But as far as I know the validity often isn’t clear or the results aren’t reproduced yet. And sadly I can’t skim the papers since lots of them aren’t open access.

          And for research it doesn’t matter if you need days to cool down the computer just for one calculation. Or if most results are wrong due to noise and you have to re-do every computation on a traditional computer to check which results are correct. But I’d expect it takes them years or decades from a protopype like that to something actually useful. And as of now we haven’t even solved superconductivity or the temperatures or decoherence. So I’m always a bit careful with these claims frome the quantum startups.

          And does the company you mentioned actually own a quantum computer prototype? Because it seems their focus is writing algorithms/software.

          • xavier666@lemm.eeEnglish
            2·
            3 months ago

            https://www.sandboxaq.com/solutions/aqnav

            This is their only product on the market which has quantum in their product description. It apparently uses “quantum sensors” to provide location information. I don’t know how it works. I think they have made a hard shift in their strategy in the last 2 years by offering AI solutions instead.

            Edit: From their Youtube comment

            The core system of AQNav is a suite of quantum sensors that reads the crustal magnetic field of the Earth, along with proprietary AI algorithms that work to de-noise that signal and provide real-time location information. That’s a very different process, compared to inertial navigation systems

            • hendrik@palaver.p3x.de
              1·
              3 months ago

              That article talks about a bedside magnetometer device, used to measure the heartbeat of a person. I can’t find any reference to quantum computers 🙁

              • feannag@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
                1·
                3 months ago

                I appreciate the conversation, but it does seem like you’re dismissing everything to fit with your narrative. Quantum computing is absolutely a new and emerging field, I was just trying to showcase that it’s farther than 21 divided by 7. From wikipedia, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetocardiography, MCGs are pretty much by definition a quantum sensor. The technical aspects of the paper linked goes in to how their device is different and why it does not require cryogenic cooling.

                • hendrik@palaver.p3x.deEnglish
                  1·
                  3 months ago

                  you’re dismissing everything […]

                  Not at all. On the contrary, I’d love to learn some more about it. That’s why I’m asking all these questions. The thing is, we’re talking about something here (quantum computers) and you’re saying they have one. And then you go on talking about an entirely different subject, saying MCG is useful and they bought some SQUID sensors… Of course I’m dismissing that. Since it has nothing to do with the conversation we’re having?! I don’t even disagree. Quantum effects certainly exist. And I bet measuring small magnetic fields is super useful in many applications. But what’s that got to do with the question I asked?

                  • feannag@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
                    2·
                    3 months ago

                    Ah, I think I misunderstood the conversation, then. I apologize for that. I was considering quantum sensors and other quantum computer adjacent technologies, I suppose. Not just the classic idea of a quantum computer/showing quantum supremacy.

    • cley_faye@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      3 months ago

      Does these “companies” includes the one that were outed for just doing computation on plain old processors and claiming they had made huge breakthrough in quantum computing?