Lifeboat Foundation

This article introduces new approaches to develop early fault-tolerant quantum computing (early-FTQC) such as improving efficiency of quantum computation on encoded data, new circuit efficiency techniques for quantum algorithms, and combining error-mitigation techniques with fault-tolerant quantum computation.

Yuuki Tokunaga NTT Computer and Data Science Laboratories.

Noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) computers, which do not execute quantum error correction, do not require overhead for encoding. However, because errors inevitably accumulate, there is a limit to computation size. Fault-tolerant quantum computers (FTQCs) carry out computation on encoded qubits, so they have overhead for the encoding and require quantum computers of at least a certain size. The gap between NISQ computers and FTQCs due to the amount of overhead is shown in Fig. 1. Is this gap unavoidable? Decades ago, many researchers would consider the answer to be in the negative. However, our team has recently demonstrated a new, unprecedented method to overcome this gap. Motivation to overcome this gap has also led to a research trend that started at around the same time worldwide. These efforts, collectively called early fault-tolerant quantum computing “early-FTQC”, have become a worldwide research movement.

An organic artificial neuron that is based on a compact nonlinear electrochemical element can operate in a liquid and responds to the concentration of biological species in its surroundings, allowing its behaviour to be modulated, for example, by interfacing with the membranes of living cells.

Japanese chip maker Rohm is collaborating with venture company Quanmatic to improve electrical die sorting (EDS) in what appears to be the first use of quantum computing to optimize a commercial-scale manufacturing process on semiconductor production lines.

After a year of effort, the two companies have announced that full-scale implementation of the probe test technology can begin in April in Rohm’s factories in Japan and overseas. Testing and validation of the prototype indicate that EDS performance can be improved by several percentage points, improving significantly productivity and profitability.

Headquartered in Kyoto, Rohm produces integrated circuits (ICs), discrete semiconductors and other electronic components. It is one of the world’s leading suppliers of silicon carbide wafers and power management devices used in electric vehicles (EVs) and various industrial applications.

New device can recognize similar patterns and operates at room temperatures.

A physicist writes an article in The Conversation exploring when quantum computers might achieve quantum advantage.

The research, which was conducted on mice, demonstrates how these tiny nanomachines are propelled by urea present in urine and precisely target the tumor, attacking it with a radioisotope carried on their surface.

Bladder cancer has one of the highest incidence rates in the world and ranks as the fourth most common tumor in men. Despite its relatively low mortality rate, nearly half of bladder tumors resurface within 5 years, requiring ongoing patient monitoring. Frequent hospital visits and the need for repeat treatments contribute to making this type of cancer one of the most expensive to cure.

Continue reading “Fantastic Voyage: Cancer Tumors Reduced by 90% Using Nanorobots” »

Physicists have extended the conditions in which life can exist further than ever before.

A Northwestern University-led team of researchers has developed a new fuel cell that harvests energy from microbes living in dirt.

New tech harvests energy from microbes in soil to power sensors, communications.

Working in the lab, Northwestern alumnus Bill Yen buries the fuel cell in soil.

For thousands of years, the moon inspired humans from afar, but the bright beacon in Earth’s night sky — located more than 200,000 miles (321,868 kilometers) away — remained out of reach. That all changed on September 13, 1959, when the former Soviet Union’s uncrewed spacecraft, Luna 2, landed on the moon’s surface.

The Luna 2 probe created a crater when it touched down on the moon between the lunar regions of Mare Imbrium and Mare Serenitatis, according to NASA.

That pivotal, lunar dust-stirring moment signaled the beginning of humanity’s endeavors to explore the moon, and some scientists now suggest it was also the start of a new geological epoch — or period of time in history — called the “Lunar Anthropocene,” according to a comment paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience on December 8.