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Microsoft Predicts Practical Quantum Computers Within 10 Years


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Artist's representation of quantum computing.

Researchers at Microsoft suggest a working quantum computer could be available within the next 10 years.

Credit: Shutterstock

Microsoft researchers say they are working on an ultra-powerful quantum computer system, and its Station Q quantum lab says the computer would have capabilities that greatly exceed those of other quantum machines currently in development. The researchers say a working quantum computer, capable of outperforming traditional computers by orders of magnitude, could be available within the next decade.

"While it has been shown that such a quantum computer can in principle solve certain small electronic structure problems...the highly relevant problem of directly solving a complex correlated material appears to require prohibitive amount of resources," Microsoft notes.

The team at the lab previously questioned whether the systems built by D-Wave offer the advantages of quantum computers. The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Google are among the organizations that are pioneering quantum development and using D-Wave systems. Station Q has taken issue with the processing power of the D-Wave systems, arguing it is not greatly different from conventional systems. The Microsoft team maintains a "hybrid quantum-classical" algorithm needs to be utilized in order to incorporate the power of a small quantum computer into a conventional framework.

From International Business Times
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