Computer technology A quantum leap for Germany?

Status: 15.06.2021 6:25 p.m.

Europe’s first quantum computer was inaugurated in Ehningen near Stuttgart. The ultra-fast computer from IBM is supposed to help the economy compete with China and the USA. From Michael Herr, SWR The “marvel of technology”, as Angela Merkel called it, is massive: the quantum computer, IBM and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft on Tuesday at the German headquarters, is supposed to have a footprint of three by three meters at a height of three meters of the IT group in Ehningen near Stuttgart has presented to the public. According to IBM, the “most powerful quantum computer in the industrial environment of Europe” has officially arrived in Swabia. It was set up in November last year. Because of the pandemic, the computer could only be inaugurated today. The expectations that many have placed on the system are even greater than the computer: some experts predict that quantum technology will be the starting point for the next industrial revolution. The quantum computer should also ensure that Germany is at the forefront when it breaks out.

03/09/2021

Favorite project of the Chancellor

The new computer in Ehningen is called “Quantum System One” – and is considered a kind of favorite project of Merkel. At least it could be switched on live at the opening. She arranged the project herself – on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos 2019, during a conversation with IBM boss Ginni Rometty. In the autumn of the same year the promise was made: the computer will come to Germany. The Fraunhofer researchers will initially use the facility exclusively until the end of 2023. Fraunhofer President Reimund Neugebauer said that computing power would be rented to research institutions and companies of all sizes. Companies should also make use of their research results. Only recently, a quantum alliance of leading corporations in the field was founded in Germany. On board are among others BASF, SAP and VW. A total of six projects have now been started with partners from science and industry to research quantum technology, possible application scenarios and algorithms. The computer is the first that the US corporation IBM is making available outside the USA.

October 24, 2019

Computer technology revolution

Now that the potential of supercomputers has largely been exhausted, quantum computers are seen as a new beacon of hope for industry and research. Wherever large amounts of data arise, for example in the simulation of molecules or in drug research with its innumerable variables, quantum computers have the edge. The reason for this lies in their special type of information processing. A normal computer calculates in bits. However, these can only assume two states, 1 or 0. The computing power that can be provided is therefore limited. Quantum computers, on the other hand, calculate with qubits, tiny quantum particles such as photons or electrons. To put it simply, these can not only alternately assume the states 1 or 0, but both at the same time. This enables you to carry out many calculations in parallel.

05/12/2021

Germany Developing country in quantum computing

So far, Germany and Europe have practically not appeared on the world map of quantum computing. This is shown not least by the fact that it first took a US company to bring the first commercial quantum computer to Europe. The big players in the business are in the USA; A total of 13 established companies are currently working there on computers or associated software, including names like Google and Microsoft. China has also invested huge sums in the technology. In order to catch up with the deficit of the German economy, the state has reached into its pockets: 40 million euros are provided for the system in Ehingen, financed by the federal government and the state of Baden-Württemberg. The Chancellor said it was a future technology that could achieve breakthroughs in medical technology and revolutionize materials research because the speed of computers would make very complex calculations possible. With its funding of two billion euros until 2025, the federal government wants to support market-oriented development. In addition, Germany wants to develop its own quantum computer demonstrator with a company consortium in the next two years. In Germany the results of quantum technology research must now be used “as quickly as possible”, also economically, said Merkel. In other words: New industrial applications for the technology are needed. Many possible uses of quantum mechanics have so far only been at the research stage.

Exclusive 02/04/2021

Quantum technology improves cancer diagnostics

You can already see the potential of the technology at the start-up “NVision” in Ulm. 30 employees from nine nations work here. They share knowledge and curiosity for quantum physics. They are making use of their principles for new diagnostic methods with which cancer can be detected better and earlier. To do this, they use a sugar-like active ingredient that makes cancer cells detectable in the magnetic resonance tomograph. “We make sugar visible by using quantum technology to magnify the signals it sends out ten thousand times.” explains Ilia Schwartz, one of the founders of “NVision” and one of the most renowned quantum scientists at all. With the new technology, tumor diagnoses could soon be made without the use of radioactive contrast media. And doctors would gain deep insights into diseased tissue like never before: Tumors could be detected earlier and the success or failure of therapies could be determined. The new computer should also ensure that such success stories of quantum technology become even more common in Germany. However, there is another problem to be resolved on the way there: So far, there has been a lack of a sufficient number of programmers in this country who can exploit the potential of the new machine.

Humans used to believe that the Earth was the center of the solar system until Nicolaus Copernicus, a Polish astronomer, proved that our Earth is just a planet revolving around the Sun. Later, Newton proved the principle behind the planets orbiting the Sun with the law of universal gravitation. He said the larger the objects, the greater the force of attraction between them, but the further apart they are, the weaker the attraction. Next came Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, which suggested that all objects in the universe lie on “a cloth”, which is a four-dimensional continuum known as space-time and causes distortion. Massive objects like the Sun warp space-time around them, so Earth’s orbit is simply the result of our planet obeying this curvature, similar to gravity. Newton. Does quantum theory contradict the concept of space-time? Besides, we also have another concept that is quantum theory. In the quantum world, a physical system always has overlapping states. Specifically, a particle can exist in many places or have many velocities at the same time. In the 1930s, physicist Erwin Schrödinger devised a thought experiment that is still known today as “Schrödinger’s cat” to discuss this quantum theory. Suppose there is a sealed box, inside is a living cat with a vial of poison and a radioactive substance that will decay after about an hour (but also probably not). If decay occurs, it will be recorded by the quantum state meter and activate the counter causing the hammer to be dropped to break the vial of poison, which will kill the cat. If the potion hadn’t been broken, the cat was still alive. The problem here is that until the measurement is taken, the cat will be in two superpositions of life and death. Massive objects warp the structure of space and time around them, resulting in neighboring objects following a curve. Photo: Space. This cannot be reconciled with the space-time continuum. “The gravitational field cannot be in two places at once,” said Sabine Hossenfelder, a theoretical physicist at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Study. According to Einstein, space-time is warped by matter and energy, but according to quantum physics, matter and energy exist in many states simultaneously. “So where is the gravitational field?” Hossenfelder asked. However, no one has an answer to that question. Looking for a solution To be able to reconcile the two theories, physicists have tried to find a common theory that solves both quantum physics and space-time theory. Perhaps the most famous theory is the string theory of physicist Andrew Strominger. It’s the idea that subatomic particles like electrons and quarks are created from the continuous oscillations of microscopic filaments, not from collections of particles. However, the strings must vibrate in 11 dimensions, while Einstein’s fabric of space-time has only four. “String theory is interesting math, but whether it describes the space-time we live in, we need an experiment to prove it,” said Professor Jorma Louko from the University of Nottingham. know. String theory, a way to reconcile relativity and quantum theory, says that reality is made of vibrating strings. Photo: Spice. Evolving from the limitations of string theory, other physicists have turned to an alternative called Ring Quantum Gravity (LQG). They argue that space-time is made up of a series of interwoven loops structured on the smallest size scales, like a cloth. However, it is made of a network of stitches, or like a computer photo, made of individual pixels. According to physicists studying the LQG, these loops are so small that the number of rings in a cubic centimeter of space is more than the volume of the entire observable universe in cubic centimeters. “If space-time differs only on the Planck scale, this would be difficult to test in any particle accelerator,” says Louko. You’ll need an atom smasher 1,000 trillion times more powerful than the large particle accelerator (LHC) at CERN. To find the answer, scientists must use light from Gamma rays at a distance to look for evidence for LQG. The signals we receive from the universe may have traveled billions of light years, experiencing the influence of space-time. Cosmic flashes are emitted as stars reach the end of their lives, scientists are still trying to understand the meaning of these explosions in space. “Their spectral ranges have systematic distortion,” commented Hossenfelder. However, the problem now is to find the answer to the cause of this distortion. An alternate picture shows that space and time are not smooth, but are instead created by a series of small loops. Photo: Space. Quantum entanglement According to Einstein, space-time always exists even if there are no stars or planets around it. However, physicists Laurent Freidel, Robert Leigh and Djordje Minic argue that space-time does not exist independently of the objects in it. According to them, space-time is defined by the interactions between objects. “This may sound confusing, but it’s the best way to approach the problem,” Mr. Minic said. The theory mentioned above is called the modulus of space-time, which can explain a well-known phenomenon called “quantum entanglement”. Quantum entanglement is when two atomic particles are brought together and linked their quantum properties. Then, when the scientists separated them from each other, they found that the particles retained their property bonds. When the properties of a particle are changed, the particle at the other end will sense this change immediately, faster than the speed of light. Einstein was so confused by this phenomenon that he called it the ‘spooky effect at a distance’, because the speed of light is the fastest, according to him. Modularity of space-time theory can modify the properties of a particle by looking at the “separation” from a different perspective. If space-time emerges from the quantum world, it would be simpler to be closer in the quantum sense than in the physical sense. “Each person will have a different concept depending on the context,” says Minic. It’s like a person-to-person relationship. We can feel closer to our loved ones far away than to strangers around us,” added Hossenfelder. Albert Einstein presented a Newtonian picture of gravity as a force, replacing it with space-time. Photo: Science Photo Library. Freidel, Leigh and Minic have been working on their concept for the past five years and believe they are taking steps towards perfecting it. According to Minic, this would be a novel approach to bring the concept of gravity into the quantum world, instead of quantizing gravity as with the LQG theory. However, any scientific theory needs to be tested. For now, the trio is looking for a way to incorporate time into their model. This new discovery could have a more profound effect on our daily lives. “All of our current devices work solely on quantum theory. If we better understand the quantum structure of space-time, that will have an impact on future technologies – maybe in 200 years,” said Hossenfelder.

According to the Techradar TV sales in the first quarter increased by 9.9% year-on-year (46.6 million units), bringing revenue up from $20.63 billion to $27.39 billion. Sales of high-end TVs played a big part in this growth. LG’s OLED TV shipments doubled year-on-year. By the end of the first quarter, the company has sold a total of 7.2 million TVs, including OLED and LCD. Compared to the same period last year, growth reached 15%. Meanwhile, the demand to buy Samsung Neo QLED TVs has also increased. The company sold a total of 11.6 million TVs in the first quarter of 2021, an increase of 11.1%. Samsung holds 46.5% market share of 75-inch TVs or ultra-wide screens. Besides, the Korean giant occupies 52.4% of the 80+ inch TV market. Samsung is leading the global TV market share. In Vietnam, according to the latest report of research firm GfK, by the end of the third quarter of 2020, the three leading brands in market share are Sony, Samsung and LG. In which, Samsung accounted for the largest share, up to 44.7%. However, while Samsung and LG continuously increased 1-5% market share year over year from 2018, Sony’s “piece of cake” gradually got smaller, from 32.6% in 2018 to 25.9% in end of September 2020. In April, Sony launched the brand new BRAVIA XR series of TVs, packed with technology and announced a focus on the premium TV group. Share with Zing Satoru Arai, the new CEO of Sony Vietnam, said the world’s first “cognitive intelligence” technology that Sony owns will be the focus of the new business strategy. Instead of just searching and analyzing image elements such as color, contrast and details individually like conventional AI, the new Sony TV processor can cross-analyze several hundred thousand elements. at the same time similar to how the human brain works. Meanwhile, rival Samsung also launched a new series of TVs including Neo QLED, Micro LED TV and Lifestyle TV series. According to Samsung, the Neo QLED series will feature Backlight Dimming as the main technology, which helps to precisely control Quantum Mini LED lights 40 times smaller than conventional lights, helping the TV control light and picture quality. better photos. In addition, the Neo Quantum 8K processor uses data generated from 16 artificial neural networks, which can upscale normal images to near 8K standards. Samsung’s new Micro LED TV line also has many technological improvements and a better price than before.

Germany will focus on developing the first quantum computer and related technologies. Illustration: Reuters The German Science Ministry will spend 1.1 billion euros until 2025 to support research and development of quantum computers, while the Economy Ministry will spend 878 million euros to support practical applications. The German Aerospace Center will receive about 740 million euros to work with industrial companies, medium-sized enterprises and start-ups to create two business complexes. According to Economy Minister Peter Altmaier, quantum computers have the potential to revolutionize key industrial sectors of the economy. He pointed out that applications are in areas such as improving the quality of energy supply and demand management, improving traffic control and promoting the testing of new active ingredients. Mr. Altmaier said Germany’s goal is to become one of the leading countries in the development and application of quantum computers. Meanwhile, Science Minister Anja Karliczek said the government’s goal is to develop a competitive quantum computer within five years and create a network of companies in the field to develop. outstanding applications.

Earth 300 is expected to launch in 2025. In particular, there are 22 laboratories on this ship. Scheduled to launch in 2025, this ship can accommodate 450 people. The Earth 300 ship was built by Aaron Olivera. This researcher expressed a desire to bring an inspiring object that will spur public interest in climate change. “The ship is designed to capture people’s attention, as well as their hearts and imagination. If we want to make big, bold changes, we need everyone’s help, ”Mr. Olivera emphasized. The Earth 300 ship will be nearly 300 meters long and have a 13-story “science ball”. Olivera wants to bring together a team of scientists working in many different fields. As a result, it helps to come up with new climate solutions with modern technology. Equipped with integrated sensors, artificial intelligence, robots, machine learning and real-time data processing, Earth 300 will also have the world’s first commercial quantum computer. With this technology, the ship can process huge amounts of data collected. The information collected by Earth 300 will be shared with other climate scientists, Olivera said. According to the researchers, Earth 300 will be zero emissions. Because, it is powered by the atomic energy from an onboard salt reactor. Described as an atomic battery pack, Earth 300 is based on the technology of TerraPower – the nuclear reactor design company founded by Bill Gates. “Currently, neither quantum computing nor molten salt reactors are installed on board. It will take an extremely high level of technicality to do that. Then we can talk about the fact that this ship will have no less than a million sensors. Basically, it will be built as a floating computer and that will be a challenge, ”said Olivera. Olivera and his team believe that radical thinking is essential to advancing research and concerns about climate change. “We live at a pivotal moment in human history and face the greatest challenge to civilization. But we also live at a time when we have access to talent, tools and technology to tackle any challenge. There’s no reason not to think big. We want to awaken the world and bring new awareness, ”Mr. Olivera emphasized.