2023年2月22日

谈到量子计算，中性原子架构为该技术提供了一种领先的量子比特类型。正因为如此，包括QuEra Computing在内的许多量子公司正在成为开发成功的中性原子量子计算机的市场领导者。最近，QuEra的研究人员已经开发出一种方法，可以在他们的中性原子量子计算机Aquila上进行更广泛的优化计算，Aquila是第一台也是唯一一台公开访问的机器。“因此，这种新方法扩展了中性原子量子计算机在解决优化问题方面的现有能力，”QuEra量子算法和应用经理王胜涛博士解释道。这种新方法可以帮助进一步推进中性原子计算，使其在量子比特竞赛中领先。Wang说，新方法关注的是几何图形以外的编码问题。使用以前的编码方法，非几何图形很难分析，这主要是由于量子位之间的本机连通性受到给定硬件几何的限制。这些图形必须集中在二维平面内的特定几何图形上。王说:“有了这种新方法，我们扩展了这种能力，基本上是具有任意连通性的图形，包括三维连通性。”“这意味着就像任何一种复杂的非几何连接一样，我们也可以使用一些额外的量子位来编码我们当前的机器。” The problems that this new method can solve also go beyond the hardware-native maximum independent set optimization problem, and can be applied to problems like the factoring problem or quadratic unconstrained binary optimization. This expanded class of problems is also helpful in applying the Aquila platform to specific use cases, from mobile networks to quantum chemistry. As Wang explained: “If we think about a specific problem use case, like how a protein fold is three dimensional, we can also think about how molecules interact with each other. Because this is three-dimensional, our new method can analyze and optimize that.” Wang added that this new method can be applied to other use cases including financial (such as portfolio optimization), as well as scheduling and logistics. With an expansion in its capabilities, QuEra is confident that it can expand its impact within the quantum industry. “There is no question that today’s news helps QuEra deliver value to more partners, sooner. It helps bring us closer to our objectives, and marks an important milestone for the industry as well” said Alex Keesling, CEO at QuEra Computing in a press release. “This opens the door to working with more corporate partners who may have needs in logistics, from transport and retail to robotics and other high-tech sectors, and we are very excited about cultivating those opportunities.” How QuEra is Scaling Up Of course, this new method relies on a larger number of qubits. But as Wang explained, this won’t be a problem for their neutral atom computing architecture. “The neutral atom platform already has the largest number of qubits compared to other cloud-available platforms,” Wang stated. “At QuEra, we now have over 256 qubits on the cloud, and we’re going to have more than 1000 qubits soon. So, this new method is actually sustainable with our goals for scaling up.” Kenna Hughes-Castleberry is a staff writer at Inside Quantum Technology and the Science Communicator at JILA (a partnership between the University of Colorado Boulder and NIST). Her writing beats include deep tech, the metaverse, and quantum technology. Latest Reports