World's first quantum computer, mid February signup

[NanoStuff]

Well, it's been a long wait, but it's time. Registration on site.

http://www.dwavesys.com/registration.php?eventid=1 (Mountain View, CA)
http://www.dwavesys.com/registration.php?eventid=2 (Vancouver, BC)

Nothing close to me, oh well Someone should grab a few pictures.

 

[yllus]

*frowns* This exists? Won't this render all current forms of encryption useless?

 

[Molondo]

One in vacouver? Sweet.

 

[five40]

D-DANG that's awesome if it's true. I would love to know how they overcame the numerous hurdles involved with quantum computing.

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: yllus
*frowns* This exists? Won't this render all current forms of encryption useless?

Based on my understanding of computing capabilities, its instantaneous encryption/decryption is specific to algorithms designed for it, not applicable to non-quantum algorithms.

 

[xanis]

Anyone care to explain quantum computing in layman's terms? I found an article on Wikipedia but it's pretty heavy reading.

 

[five40]

Originally posted by: yllus
*frowns* This exists? Won't this render all current forms of encryption useless?

Yes, but if this thing does exist I bet it's a small scale quantum computer...aka two photon "processors", so it won't blow away any encryption yet. But, quantum encryption would be un-breakable (outside of a middle-man attack).

 

[Deleted member 4644]

So what can this thing do?>

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: five40

Originally posted by: yllus
*frowns* This exists? Won't this render all current forms of encryption useless?

Yes, but if this thing does exist I bet it's a small scale quantum computer...aka two photon "processors", so it won't blow away any encryption yet. But, quantum encryption would be un-breakable (outside of a middle-man attack).

So does that mean there is going to be an "arms race" for quantum computers in the future?

 

[five40]

Originally posted by: Xanis
Anyone care to explain quantum computing in layman's terms? I found an article on Wikipedia but it's pretty heavy reading.

Basically view it as something that can be on and off at the same time. So a current day processor goes through things one step at a time. A quantum computer is in multiple states at the same time (0 and 1). Say you have a quantum computer with 8 photons, each photon can represent 0 and 1 in binary at the same time, therefore the computer can be in 256 states per cycle (2^8), whereas a current day system with 8 CPU's can only be in 8 states per cycle. So when you get a 256 photon machine, you are in some serious number crunching business.

 

[NanoStuff]

Originally posted by: yllus
*frowns* This exists? Won't this render all current forms of encryption useless?

I'd say it's time to get a really long password 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 characters may be enough to hold you over until 2009 (their 1000-qubit system should be out by then)

Originally posted by: five40
D-DANG that's awesome if it's true. I would love to know how they overcame the numerous hurdles involved with quantum computing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_quantum_computing

Originally posted by: SagaLore

Originally posted by: yllus
*frowns* This exists? Won't this render all current forms of encryption useless?

Based on my understanding of computing capabilities, its instantaneous encryption/decryption is specific to algorithms designed for it, not applicable to non-quantum algorithms.

I'm quite sure quantum computers are capable of cracking any present method of encryption. It's not instantaneous BTW, it's naturally limited to the quantum computer's abilities and the complexity of the encryption. Let's just leave it at absurdly faster

 

[five40]

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: five40

Originally posted by: yllus
*frowns* This exists? Won't this render all current forms of encryption useless?

Yes, but if this thing does exist I bet it's a small scale quantum computer...aka two photon "processors", so it won't blow away any encryption yet. But, quantum encryption would be un-breakable (outside of a middle-man attack).

So does that mean there is going to be an "arms race" for quantum computers in the future?

Yes. There have been rumors for years that the NSA has had real small scale quantum computers (4 photons).

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Originally posted by: five40

Originally posted by: Xanis
Anyone care to explain quantum computing in layman's terms? I found an article on Wikipedia but it's pretty heavy reading.

Basically view it as something that can be on and off at the same time. So a current day processor goes through things one step at a time. A quantum computer is in multiple states at the same time (0 and 1). Say you have a quantum computer with 8 photons, each photon can represent 0 and 1 in binary at the same time, therefore the computer can be in 256 states per cycle (2^8), whereas a current day system with 8 CPU's can only be in 8 states per cycle. So when you get a 256 photon machine, you are in some serious number crunching business.

cliff notes on that

 

[cliftonite]

Should I hold off on my planned quad core rig?

 

[five40]

Originally posted by: NanoStuff

Originally posted by: yllus
*frowns* This exists? Won't this render all current forms of encryption useless?

I'd say it's time to get a really long password 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 characters may be enough to hold you over until 2009 (their 1000-qubit system should be out by then)

Originally posted by: five40
D-DANG that's awesome if it's true. I would love to know how they overcame the numerous hurdles involved with quantum computing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_quantum_computing

Originally posted by: SagaLore

Originally posted by: yllus
*frowns* This exists? Won't this render all current forms of encryption useless?

Based on my understanding of computing capabilities, its instantaneous encryption/decryption is specific to algorithms designed for it, not applicable to non-quantum algorithms.

I'm quite sure quantum computers are capable of cracking any present method of encryption. It's not instantaneous BTW, it's naturally limited to the quantum computer's abilities and the complexity of the encryption. Let's just leave it at absurdly faster

16 cubit! That's the equivalent of a 65,000+ processor machine. Of course it's all going to come down to software developers to harness that power. Eventually a quantum computer could crack today's encryption instantaneously. A 256 cubit machine could crack a 256-bit encryption scheme in one cycle. Currently I think the biggest scheme defeated is 64-bit.

 

[five40]

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004

Originally posted by: five40

Originally posted by: Xanis
Anyone care to explain quantum computing in layman's terms? I found an article on Wikipedia but it's pretty heavy reading.

Basically view it as something that can be on and off at the same time. So a current day processor goes through things one step at a time. A quantum computer is in multiple states at the same time (0 and 1). Say you have a quantum computer with 8 photons, each photon can represent 0 and 1 in binary at the same time, therefore the computer can be in 256 states per cycle (2^8), whereas a current day system with 8 CPU's can only be in 8 states per cycle. So when you get a 256 photon machine, you are in some serious number crunching business.

cliff notes on that

lol...I tried to simplify as much as possible. Cliffs: It's really fast.

 

[NanoStuff]

Originally posted by: LordSegan
So what can this thing do?>

This particular one not all that much(64,000 calcs), but their next one will be impressive, to say the least. It will be 2^301 simultaneous calculations. Or ~40,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. More simultaneous calculations than there are atoms in the known universe, try and put that together

 

[Jassi]

I'm gonna go ahead and call shens.

 

[xanis]

Originally posted by: Jassi
I'm gonna go ahead and call shens.

I hope that's sarcasm.

 

[NanoStuff]

Originally posted by: Jassi
I'm gonna go ahead and call shens.

http://dwave.wordpress.com/files/2007/02/img_5568-2.jpg
http://dwave.wordpress.com/files/2007/02/lef-plate-tunnel.jpg
http://dwave.wordpress.com/files/2007/0...mple-holder-with-europa-chip_small.JPG

That's a shitload of work for a shens

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=2864363&page=1

They are unveiling it tomorrow. Should be interesting. A lot of people are calling shens... Even the guy whose work the computer is based on is skeptical. Looks like everyone has to upgrade their encryption systems by a factor of a gazillion now.

Edit: Anyone want to bet that the NSA has had a version of this thing for a while now?

 

[NanoStuff]

Today is the big day

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy
Edit: Anyone want to bet that the NSA has had a version of this thing for a while now?

I want to bet that they didn't, if you accept

It's a Canadian-built device, I can't see why they would be required to hand it over to another nation. In fact you might have just solved the mystery as to why they decided to collaborate and develop in Canada.

 

[silverpig]

See my thread in HT


I signed up for the Vancouver demonstration on Thursday.

It's a 16-qubit QC, but they're not all entangled. They've got nearest neighbour coupling and is designed to solve NP-complete/2D Ising model type stuff.

 

[five40]

Another one bites the dust. No peer review. They had to watch a video from a remote location. And quote "D-Wave Chief Executive Herb Martin emphasized that the machine is not a true quantum computer and is instead a kind of special-purpose machine that uses some quantum mechanics to solve problems". Basically it's a bunch of bullsh!t hype.

Hey guys...I built a car that works on salt water as the fuel and it goes 300mph. Come see come see. Ok, it's just a normal car with a sticker on the bumper that says "Salt Water powered".