There’s a fine article in the Old Gray Lady about the potential charade known as D-Wave Systems’ Orion, a so-called quantum computer that was first demonstrated in February. D-Wave Systems bills the computer as the world’s first “practical” quantum computer, something many scientists have a problem with. To these scientists, many of whom have devoted their life’s work to help develop quantum computers—computers so powerful there’s no point in comparing them to today’s computers—a quantum computer is inherently impractical. They’re too powerful to ever be made “practical.”
Hence the controversy. Did D-Wave Systems develop the world’s first quantum computer, or have they tricked us all? In the meantime, the company will rent out Orion as a Web server to companies that demand only the best in Web hosting. Hmm… really good Web server, or miracle computer? Those would appear to be two different things. But I’m a layman, not a botanist.
A Giant Leap Forward in Computing? Maybe Not [New York Times]
Dear All:
Get off the backs of D-Wave. It is only 16 Q-B but it is scaleable. We should be congratulating the D-Wave team !.
Chris. Harding
Do you even know what you’re talking about? The reason The Orion is such a breakthrough is because it’s the most complex to date. That doesn’t mean it’s “too powerful to be made practical”. It can’t even keep up with an average PC. There is no “Miracle Computer”, but like Chris.Harding said, it’s got 16 qubits, thus being the most powerful quantum computer ever made. I think you need to keep your facts straight and not try to compare it to theoretical computers that don’t exist.
-Fierce
Hi Nicholas:
The article says that D-Wave is offering Orion as a web service, not a web server. There is an ENORMOUS difference between the two.
jas3
“Potential charade”? Give us a break, already. Visit http://www.dwavesys.com, where the company’s launch, February 13, 15 is fully and carefully documented. Read the materials, including the press release, carefully. Then view the scientists from Harvard and Jet Propulsion Lab commenting on video. Judge for yourself. “Charade”? Doubtful. Rush to judgement by competing scientists? Likely.
I, for one, am skeptical of D-Wave’s claims. Quantum computing, as far as I remember, has been something that even its mere plausibility has been questioned.
I’ve heard 3 years ago about “possible” 2 or 3-qubit computers. To unleash a 16-qubit computer sounds pretty fast for me… much like Peron’s announcement that his government had built a new fusion power plant … back in the 50’s. Yeah, sure.