Major Quantum Computing Strategy Suffers Serious Setbacks - Quanta Magaine
( September 29, 2021; Quanta Magazine )
These “topological” qubits are extremely difficult to build, but despite the technical challenges, some researchers are convinced that they are the only path to building a useful quantum computer with many hundreds or thousands of qubits. Microsoft, for one, is staking its main quantum computing strategy on topological qubits.
That’s one reason why the 2018 Nature paper garnered so much attention. A team led by Leo Kouwenhoven, a physicist at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, said that they had found the definitive signature of MZM quasiparticles in indium antimonide nanowires. Their paper was heralded, with much press fanfare, as the dawn of topological quantum computing. In 2019, Microsoft opened its own quantum laboratory on the Delft campus, with Kouwenhoven as its director.
Then things started to fall apart.
Sergey Frolov from the University of Pittsburgh and Vincent Mourik from Australia's University of South Wales could not replicate the results and eventually uncovered some inconsistencies in the data. The paper was retracted and an investigation found that the erroneous results were accidental, not fraudulent. Nevertheless the whole episode raises questions about whether MZM quasiparticles or similar topological techniques can be used as a basis for quantum computing.
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All this reminds me of the beginning of computing, like the ENIAC that was launched in 1946, how many trials and errors were made until it was finally completed. Quantum computing is still in its initial phase of development, like everything else, it will suffer many trials and errors until little by little it takes shape. I am sure that all these errors, setbacks and large test devices, in the future will be summarized as a finished product in a small box on the office desks.
A small box for our home offices isn't something that I had considered before, but you might be right. Also, these problems are specific to the topological qubit design. I believe that companies like IBM, Google, and even Honeywell have been reporting progress with other paradigms.
Yes, I appreciated this:
-Ady Stern of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel
Interesting topic of conversation, it is logical that quantum computing has flaws and errors at the beginning, that is to say, when one is born we cry because the doctor slaps us on the buttocks to see if we react, quantum computing needs that slap to be a reality .
Although a while ago I read an article where it says that google was creating or created a super quantum computer, but I don't remember where I read it.
You're right. Google is working on quantum computing. So are other companies like IBM, D-Wave, and Honeywell. As far as I know, none of them are using this particular architecture, though.
I agree that it's normal and expected for immature technology models to encounter problems. This is part of the shakeout while the competitors find out which paradigms are most (and least) effective.
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Topology can be hardly characterized as a "major quantum computing strategy", it's still in its very early stages, even before this set back. Also, it's not like it's a dead end either, they're basically trying to improve the technology, getting over process errors etc., so that they'd be able to measure the MZM quasi particle.