New Coupler Design for Quantum Annealers
June 22, 2017 | London Centre for NanotechnologyEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Quantum annealing machines of the type manufactured by D-Wave Systems have made major advances in the last few years. A recent demonstration by Google showed that the D-Wave machine could solve a certain type of problem 100,000,000 times faster than comparable methods run on classical computers. So how come there is not a quantum annealing machine in every data centre?
One limitation is the design of the couplers which allow the quantum bits in the annealer to interact with each other. Now a team of researchers from LCN, Oxford and Durham Universities led by Professor Paul Warburton, who heads the Electronic Materials and Devices group at UCL, has designed a new type of coupler for quantum annealing machines. As demonstrated in the associated publication detailing the coupler design in Nature Partner Journals Quantum Information; whereas current couplers on existing annealers couple two quantum bits together at a time, the new design allows interactions which can involve three or more qubits.
Paul's team also show how this circuit can be used as a unit cell for a scalable architecture using a recently improved embedding technique.
This new design opens up exciting possibilities since it allows for more efficient implementation of real-world problems on these quantum annealing devices. How to implement problems efficiently presents a major challenge for annealers. Moreover, some architectures which have been recently proposed (as per the quantum annealer described in a Science Advances 2015 journal) require interactions between more than two qubits to work.
The work so far is only theoretical, but Professor Warburton hopes to be able to get test devices built soon as part of a major new international collaboration. The researchers have also applied for a UK patent for the idea, which is available for license through Oxford Innovation. Prospective investors and industrial collaborators that want to join the research team in the realisation of a crucial technology, for the success of quantum computers in the near future, can read about the business opportunity.
Suggested Items
KIC’s Miles Moreau to Present Profiling Basics and Best Practices at SMTA Wisconsin Chapter PCBA Profile Workshop
01/25/2024 | KICKIC, a renowned pioneer in thermal process and temperature measurement solutions for electronics manufacturing, announces that Miles Moreau, General Manager, will be a featured speaker at the SMTA Wisconsin Chapter In-Person PCBA Profile Workshop.
The Drive Toward UHDI and Substrates
09/20/2023 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamPanasonic’s Darren Hitchcock spoke with the I-Connect007 Editorial Team on the complexities of moving toward ultra HDI manufacturing. As we learn in this conversation, the number of shifting constraints relative to traditional PCB fabrication is quite large and can sometimes conflict with each other.
Standard Of Excellence: The Products of the Future
09/19/2023 | Anaya Vardya -- Column: Standard of ExcellenceIn my last column, I discussed cutting-edge innovations in printed circuit board technology, focusing on innovative trends in ultra HDI, embedded passives and components, green PCBs, and advanced substrate materials. This month, I’m following up with the products these new PCB technologies are destined for. Why do we need all these new technologies?
Experience ViTrox's State-of-the-Art Offerings at SMTA Guadalajara 2023 Presented by Sales Channel Partner—SMTo Engineering
09/18/2023 | ViTroxViTrox, which aims to be the world’s most trusted technology company, is excited to announce that our trusted Sales Channel Partner (SCP) in Mexico, SMTo Engineering, S.A. de C.V., will be participating in SMTA Guadalajara Expo & Tech Forum. They will be exhibiting in Booth #911 from the 25th to the 26th of October 2023, at the Expo Guadalajara in Jalisco, Mexico.
Intel Unveils Industry-Leading Glass Substrates to Meet Demand for More Powerful Compute
09/18/2023 | IntelIntel announced one of the industry’s first glass substrates for next-generation advanced packaging, planned for the latter part of this decade.