This will come to a surprise to many. When you think of quantum computing, what names come to mind? Google. Microsoft. Nvidia. The typical names in advanced computing.
Few would say Honeywell. After all, what does a boring, industrial conglomerate know about something like quantum computing?
Evidently a great deal.
Back in June it was announced that Honeywell had the most powerful quantum computer. Some give that claim to Google but the title, for now resides with Honeywell.
The Honeywell computer is twice as powerful as the next closest competitor. This from a press released earlier in the year:
With a quantum volume of 64, the Honeywell quantum computer is twice as powerful as the next alternative in the industry. That means we are closer to industries leveraging our solutions to solve computational problems that are impractical to solve with traditional computers.
“What makes our quantum computers so powerful is having the highest quality qubits, with the lowest error rates. This is a combination of using identical, fully connected qubits and precision control,” said Tony Uttley, president of Honeywell Quantum Solutions.
Honeywell is advancing fast in its accuracy than the competition. This is vital since, once a certain level of accuracy is reached, each qubit added doubles the computational capacity.
Quantum computers hold great potential for humanity. The allure is that quantum can solve problems, in theory, that classical computers cannot. What would take hundreds of years on a classical computer can be done in a few minutes using quantum.
We are a long way from quantum computers will be used for practical purposes. This period is a proving ground where the computers being built and the algorithms designed are basically to show what the potential is. Much of what is applied to quantum computers are theoretical for the moment. Algorithms are being designed and papers written on what applications are being tested.
Over the next couple years we will see this move to a hybrid system where the heavy computational lifting is done by the quantum but classical computers are used to handle the rest. Quantum chemistry is a field where this is really applicable.
Quantum Computers are destined to solve the salesman problem as to which route is the most efficient. This will hold great potential for logistics, weather, and an host of other applications.
This is a great lesson that the leaders of today in a field might not be there tomorrow. Few consider Honeywell to be a computer company yet here it is the leading quantum company there is. For the time being, it has it eyes sets on retaining the lead. Some project that it will have a system in 2025 that will not be matched by Microsoft until 2030.
Here we are seeing one of the most powerful technologies we ever developed. Many claim mastering this will unleash the secrets of the universe since that is quantum in nature. That is far beyond my ability to determine, however, I can say it will be an couple decades.
Technology is racing ahead.
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