Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced its new quantum computing chip, a prototype called Ocelot, on Thursday, marking its entry into the competitive quantum computing arena.
Tech giants like Google and Microsoft are also in the race to develop full-fledged quantum computers.
According to AWS, the Ocelot quantum computing processor can cut quantum error correction costs by up to 90 per cent compared to current technologies.
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Quantum computing advance: AWS’s Ocelot chip reduces error correction by 90%
Ocelot was developed by the AWS Centre for Quantum Computing in conjunction with the California Institute of Technology.
“With the recent advancements in quantum research, it is no longer a matter of if but when practical, fault-tolerant quantum computers will be available for real-world applications. Ocelot is an important step on that journey,” said Oskar Painter, AWS director of Quantum Hardware. “
Ocelot’s design uses “cat qubits” inspired by Schrödinger’s cat thought experiment to remedy errors from the start.
The resources necessary for error correction are reduced by these qubits’ inherent suppression of specific error categories.
AWS researchers have incorporated cat qubit technology with additional error correction components into a scalable microchip using advanced microelectronics manufacturing processes for the first time.
Quantum computers are particularly susceptible to environmental noise, including electromagnetic interference, vibrations, and heat, which disrupt their delicate quantum states and induce errors.
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Traditional error correction methods are both costly and challenging to scale due to the necessity of substantial computational resources.
Addressing these challenges, Ocelot provides a more efficient approach, which has the potential to reduce the resources required for a completely operational quantum computer by up to 90 per cent. This development can potentially expedite the timeline for practical quantum computation by up to five years.
Although Ocelot is still a prototype, AWS is dedicated to advancing quantum research, using its expertise in scaling cloud technologies.
Quantum computing could revolutionise pharmaceuticals, materials research, and financial models by solving issues that classical computers cannot.