GCN (Sep 10) - "DOE, Google [independently] back quantum computing research": http://gcn.com/blogs/pulse/2014/09/doe-google-quantum.aspx
> The Department of Energy is investing in a project to speed the development > of unhackable quantum encryption technology that will protect the country's > power grid from cyberattack. > > Under the DOE's Cybersecurity for Energy Delivery Systems program, the > nation's top program for grid security, San Diego startup Qubitekk was > awarded $3 million to work in partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, > Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the University of Texas at Austin, > Sandia National Laboratory and Pacific Gas & Electric to develop practical > quantum security for the nation’s power grid. > > Qubitekk, founded in 2012 to commercialize technology required to speed the > adoption of quantum computing, recently announced the availability of the > world's first plug-and-play entangled photon generator, the QES1. Like the > transistors at the hearts of classical computers, the QES1 enables the flow > of information through quantum computers and quantum encryption products – > both of which the company is currently developing. > > Meanwhile, Google is planning to build its own quantum computer. The Quantum > Artificial Intelligence team at Google is launching a hardware initiative to > design and build new quantum information processors based on superconducting > electronics, according to a Google+ post by the lab team. Google also > announced that John Martinis and his team at UC Santa Barbara will join > Google in the initiative. > > Google has been working with D-Wave Systems, maker of the quantum computer > being tested by the Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab at NASA’s Ames > Research Center. Martinis will try to make his own versions of the kind of > chip inside a D-Wave machine. > > The Google Quantum AI team will test “new designs for quantum optimization > and inference processors based on recent theoretical insights as well as our > learnings from the D-Wave quantum annealing architecture,” Google said. The > company will continue to work with D-Wave scientists and to experiment with > the 512-qubit “Vesuvius” machine at NASA Ames that will be upgraded to a 1000 > qubit “Washington” processor. gf -- Gregory Foster || [email protected] @gregoryfoster <> http://entersection.com/
