Japan's Full-Stack Quantum Computer That Works At Room Temperature Has Just Gone Live, Powered By 50 Qubits - iflscience.com
Quantum computers have the potential to be world-changing, but they haven't quite fulfilled that bold promise just yet. In the latest slow but steady step forward, Japan has unveiled its first full-stack neutral-atom quantum computer, which can work its "magic" at room temperature.The machine was designed by the Institute for Molecular Science (IMS) at Japan's National Institutes of Natural Sciences in collaboration with Hitachi, using a quantum processing unit (QPU) from the US-based tech company Infleqtion. Welcome to the world, ShunkaiIt's called “Shunkai,” named in honor of Shibukawa Shunkai, AKA Shibukawa Harumi, an astronomer from the Edo Period (1603-1867) who was a dab hand at the wonderfully complex board game Go.The Japanese quantum computer is an example of neutral-atom quantum computing, meaning each of its "qubits" is a single atom held in place by laser light. Quantum calculations are performed by blasting the atom with microwaves or laser light, then observing subtle changes to the light and other electromagnetic radiation it emits.Unlike a classical computer bit, which must be strictly 0 or 1, a qubit can exist in multiple states simultaneously until it is directly measured. Together with other quirks of quantum mechanics, like entanglement, this gives it a huge edge in solving certain problems at far faster speeds than classical computers.In practice, quantum computers still can't beat high-end supercomputers at most tasks because of the many difficulties in scaling the technology and the trickiness of working with quantum mechanics.With the help of Shunkai, though, the researchers hope to flatten some of those hurdles. "Neutral atom-based quantum computers have recently been rapidly attracting attention around the world as a new modality that could exceed the limits of the superconducting modality, which started its development earlier,” Kenji Ohmori, a Professor at the Institute for Molecular Science who is leading the project, said in a
