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Quantum computing promises society-changing breakthroughs in drug development and tackling climate change, and on an unassuming English high street, the race to unleash the latest tech revolution is gathering pace.<\/p>\n
The founder of Cambridge-based Riverlane, Steve Brierley, predicts that the technology will have its \u201cSputnik\u201d breakthrough within years.<\/p>\n
\u201cQuantum computing is not going to be just slightly better than the previous computer, it\u2019s going to be a huge step forward,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
His company produces the world\u2019s first dedicated quantum decoder chip, which detects and corrects the errors currently holding the technology back.<\/p>\n
Building devices \u201cthat live up to the technology\u2019s incredible promise requires a massive step change in scale and reliability, and that requires reliable error correction schemes\u201d, explained John Martinis, former quantum computing lead at Google Quantum AI.<\/p>\n
In a sign of confidence in Riverlane\u2019s work and the sector in general, the company announced on Tuesday that it had raised $75 million in Series C funding, typically the last round of venture capital financing\u00a0prior to an initial public offering.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the next two to three years, we\u2019ll be able to get to systems that can support a million error-free operations,\u201d said Earl Campbell, vice president of quantum science at\u00a0Riverlane.<\/p>\n
This is the threshold where a quantum computer should be able to perform certain tasks better than conventional computers, he added.<\/p>\n
Quantum computers are \u201creally good at simulating other quantum systems\u201d, explained Brierley, meaning they can simulate interactions between particles, atoms and molecules.<\/p>\n
This could open the door to revolutionary medicines and also promises huge efficiency improvements in how fertilisers are made, transforming an industry that today produces around two percent of global CO2 emissions.<\/p>\n
It also paves the way for much more efficient batteries, another crucial weapon in the fight against climate change.<\/p>\n
The amount of information that quantum computers can harness increases exponentially when the machine is scaled up, compared with conventional computers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think most people are more familiar with exponential after Covid, so we know how quickly something that\u2019s exponential can spread,\u201d said Campbell, inside Riverlane\u2019s testing lab, a den of oscilloscopes and chipboards.<\/p>\n
In traditional computers, data is stored in bits, and each bit can take a value of 0 or 1, much like a light-switch can be \u2018on\u2019 or \u2018off\u2019.<\/p>\n
One bit can therefore represent two states, such as black or white.<\/p>\n
Quantum bits, or \u2018qubits\u2019, are more like dimmer switches, and one of them can store all values between 0 and 1, meaning all colours of the spectrum can be represented on one qubit.<\/p>\n
But there is a catch. The strangeness of quantum behaviour means that the values have to be read many times and processed by complex algorithms, requiring \u201cexquisite control\u201d of the qubits.<\/p>\n
The qubits are also highly susceptible to errors generated by noise, and the solution to this problem is the \u201ckey to unlocking useful quantum computing\u201d, said Brierley.<\/p>\n
Tech giants such as Google, IBM, Microsoft and Amazon are all investing huge sums in generating qubits, and in trying to reduce errors, either through shielding the hardware or by combining qubits and then using algorithms to detect and correct mistakes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is like the way an SSD (memory) card works. It\u2019s built out of faulty components with active error correction on top,\u201d said Brierley.<\/p>\n
All of which increases the number of components required and time taken to execute individual operations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe definitely won\u2019t be using quantum computers to send email,\u201d explained Brierley.<\/p>\n
Those drawbacks grow at a steady rate as the computer gets larger, whereas the benefits increase on an upward curve, explaining why they work better on larger, more complex tasks.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd this means that we\u2019ll be able to solve problems which would otherwise be unsolvable,\u201d said Brierley.<\/p>\n
While today\u2019s quantum computers can only perform around 1,000 operations before being overwhelmed by errors, the quality of the actual components has \u201cgot to the point where the physical qubits are good enough,\u201d said Brierley.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo this is a super exciting time. The challenge now is to scale up\u2026 and to add error correction into the systems,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Such progress, along with quantum computing\u2019s potential to crack all existing cryptography and create potent new materials, is spurring regulators into action.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s definitely a scrambling to\u00a0understand what\u2019s coming next in technology.\u00a0It\u2019s really important that we learn the lessons from \u00a0AI, to not be surprised by the technology and think early about what those implications are going to be,\u201d said Brierley.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there will ultimately be regulation around quantum computing, because it\u2019s such an important technology.\u00a0And I think this is a technology where no government wants to come second.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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