[QBTS] D-Wave Systems, a Canadian Quantum Computing Company, Goes Public
What is D-wave systems?
Founded in 1999, D - Wave is a leader in the development and delivery of quantum computing systems, software, and services, and is the first company in the world to successfully commercialize a quantum computer.
It was announced that NASA, Google, and USRA would jointly establish a "Quantum Computing AI Lab" using the 512-qubit D-Wave Two; D-Wave Two was to be used in machine learning and other research areas.
If quantum artificial intelligence is developed, Singularity could really come to play.
What is a quantum computer anyway?
Quantum computing is a branch of computer science that uses the principles of quantum theory. Quantum theory describes the behavior of energy and matter at the atomic and subatomic level.
Quantum computing uses elementary particles such as electrons and photons. Quantum bits allow these particles to exist in multiple states (i.e., ones and zeros) simultaneously.
Theoretically, coupled qubits can use interference between wave-like quantum states to perform calculations that would normally take millions of years.
Current classical computers represent information in bits using a binary representation of a stream of electrical impulses (1s and 0s). As a result, they have limited processing power when compared to quantum computers.
Understanding Quantum Computers
Quantum computing is a field that emerged in the 1980s. It was discovered that certain computational problems could be tackled more efficiently with quantum algorithms than with classical algorithms.
Quantum computers have the ability to sift through a vast number of possibilities and derive potential solutions to complex problems and challenges. Whereas classical computers store information in bits of 0s or 1s, quantum computers use qubits. Quantum bits hold information in a quantum state that is a multidimensional mixture of zeros and ones.
Because of the enormous computing potential and the projected market size from its use, prominent companies are taking notice: IBM, Microsoft, Google, D-Waves Systems, Alibaba, Nokia, Intel, Airbus, HP, Toshiba, Mitsubishi, SK Telecom, NEC, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Rigetti, Biogen, Volkswagen, Amgen and many more.
Quantum Computing Applications
The world's first quantum computing platform provided by IBM Cloud Services is called "IBM Q", which allows anyone to use quantum computers.
Anyone can use the quantum computer managed in a large cooling facility in New York State for free.
Cryptography is broken by prime factorization!
The "RSA cipher" currently in standard use on the Internet uses a number obtained by multiplying two large prime numbers together as a key. The security is ensured by the fact that it requires a very large amount of computation to find the original prime number by prime factorizing the multiplied number. It is said that it would take a supercomputer more than 100 million years to break the 2048-bit key currently in use.
However, a future will surely come when quantum computers will be able to perform prime factorization at very high speeds, making it no longer secure.
Quantum Annealing
It can compute optimization problems that are difficult for classical computers at ultra-high speeds.
It is generally used for combinatorial optimization and is also expected to solve traffic congestion.
D-Wave Systems has developed a quantum annealing (QA) machine.
As a result, it triggered the appearance of a series of SA machines inspired by this QA machine.
Expanding at a Rate that Exceeds Moore's Law
What is Moore's Law?
Moore's Law is a rule of thumb regarding the progress of semiconductor technology published in an American magazine in 1965 by Gordon Moore, one of the co-founders of Intel Corporation, the largest conductor company in the world. In other words, it indicates that performance increases at an accelerated rate.
Since 2011, D-Wave has been increasing the number of qubits at an astonishing pace, initially doubling in 1.5 years, and even recently doubling at less than 2 years. Currently, the number of qubits is approximately 5,000, which is by far the highest number of qubits for a qubit implementation machine.
Conclusion
We have high expectations for d-wave systems, the world's leading company in quantum computing.
I am very excited to see that the company's stock has also been listed on the stock exchange. Will they be like GAFAM (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft) in the future?
