Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Quantum computing controversy!

Now I wish that all those classes in quantum mechanics weren't so long ago ... maybe I would be able to follow these arguments a little better!

Yesterday I mentioned D-Wave and the 16-qubit quantum computer they demonstrated in California and B.C. yesterday -- well, the big news hasn't picked this up yet, as far as I know, but it's sparking some debate in the scientific community! (and elswhere)

Here's the CTO of the company fending off critics, and here's a little more on the adiabatiac quantum computing they claim to be doing.

The main arguments seem to be 1) whether this is truly "quantum," ie does it use quantum properties like the superposition of states, and 2) will it be any faster than a normal computer.

More to come!

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