NIST and the University of Colorado Boulder have launched CURBy, a publicly available random number generator based on quantum nonlocality, offering verifiable, truly random numbers. At the heart of this service is the NIST-run Bell test, which provides truly random results. This randomness acts as a kind of raw material that the rest of the researchers’ setup “refines” into random numbers published by the beacon. The Bell test measures pairs of “entangled” photons whose properties are correlated even when separated by vast distances. When researchers measure an individual particle, the outcome is random, but the properties of the pair are more correlated than classical physics allows, enabling researchers to verify the randomness. Einstein called this quantum nonlocality “spooky action at a distance.” This is the first random number generator service to use quantum nonlocality as a source of its numbers, and the most transparent source of random numbers to date. That’s because the results are certifiable and traceable to a greater extent than ever before. CURBy uses entangled photons in a Bell test to generate certifiable randomness, achieving a 99.7% success rate in its first 40 days and producing 512-bit outputs per run. A novel blockchain-based system called the Twine protocol ensures transparency and security by allowing users to trace and verify each step of the randomness generation process. CURBy can be used anywhere an independent, public source of random numbers would be useful, such as selecting jury candidates, making[A1] [A2] a random selection for an audit, or assigning resources through a public lottery.
New approach to quantum error-detection uses a dual-rail dimon qubit technology to detect and suppress errors at the individual qubit level, reducing the hardware overheads
Oxford Quantum Circuits (OQC), a global leader in quantum computing solutions, has developed a new approach to quantum error-detection that could accelerate the development of commercially viable quantum computers. The company’s breakthrough, the Dimon approach, uses a dual-rail dimon qubit technology to detect and suppress errors at the individual qubit level, reducing the hardware overheads required for quantum error-corrected logical qubits. This breakthrough has the potential to fundamentally change the economics of quantum computing by reducing the infrastructure and hardware costs needed for commercially-useful quantum computation. The research demonstrates that superconducting qubits can be made more robust with minimal increase in size and complexity. OQC’s breakthrough represents a major step towards a parallel transition in quantum technology, allowing for the development of affordable quantum computing infrastructure by 2028.
Microsoft’s new family of 4D geometric codes require very few physical qubits, can check for errors in a single shot, and exhibit a 1,000-fold reduction in quantum error rates
Microsoft Quantum is advancing the global quantum ecosystem by developing powerful error-correction codes for various types of qubits. These codes require very few physical qubits per logical qubit, can check for errors in a single shot, and exhibit a 1,000-fold reduction in error rates. Microsoft’s qubit-virtualization system, a core component of the Microsoft Quantum compute platform, enables the creation and entanglement of reliable logical qubits from high-quality physical qubits. Microsoft’s new 4D geometric codes require very few physical qubits to make each logical qubit, have efficient logical operations, and improve the performance of quantum hardware. This family of codes reduces the number of steps required to diagnose errors, resulting in low-depth operations and computations. Incorporation of these codes into the Microsoft Quantum compute platform will enable the creation and entanglement of 50 logical qubits in the near term, with the potential to scale to thousands of logical qubits in the future. Microsoft is bringing the capabilities for quantum advantage forward by coupling state-of-the-art quantum hardware with the Microsoft Quantum compute platform, which includes error correction, cloud high-performance computing, and advanced AI models. Microsoft’s team of experts is available to provide insight and technical expertise on use cases, industry challenges, and opportunities for innovation and collaborative research projects. Microsoft and Atom Computing have co-designed a pairing of neutral-atom qubits with the Microsoft Quantum compute platform, offering extensive scalability, low susceptibility to noise, and high fidelities needed for quantum error correction. The most groundbreaking use cases of quantum computing are likely to be achieved when quantum is used to improve and accelerate other technologies, such as high-performance computing and AI.
New quantum states that are magnet-freee could support building topological quantum computers that are stable and less prone to the errors
A new study published in Nature reports the discovery of over a dozen previously unseen quantum states in twisted molybdenum ditelluride, expanding the “quantum zoo” of exotic matter. Among them are states that could be used to create what is known, theoretically at the moment, as a topological quantum computer. Topological quantum computers will have unique quantum properties that should make them less prone to the errors that hinder quantum computers, which are currently built with superconducting materials. But superconducting materials are disrupted by magnets, which have until now been used in attempts to create the topological states needed for this (still unrealized) next generation of quantum computers. Lead author from Howard Family Professor of Nanoscience at Columbia, Xiaoyang Zhu’s zoo solves that problem: The states he and his team discovered can all be created without an external magnet, thanks to the special properties of a material called twisted molybdenum ditelluride. These states, including magnet-free fractional quantum Hall effects, could support non-Abelian anyons—key building blocks for more stable, topological quantum computers. The discoveries were made using a pump-probe spectroscopy technique that detects subtle shifts in quantum states with high sensitivity, revealing fractional charges and dynamic quantum behavior.
New algorithm reduces quantum data preparation time by 85% by using advanced graph analytics and clique partitioning to compress and organize massive datasets
Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have developed a new algorithm, Picasso, that reduces quantum data preparation time by 85%, addressing a key bottleneck in hybrid quantum-classical computing. The algorithm uses advanced graph analytics and clique partitioning to compress and organize massive datasets, making it feasible to prepare quantum inputs from problems 50 times larger than previous tools allowed. The PNNL team was able to lighten the computational load substantially by developing new graph analytics methods to group the Pauli operations, slashing the number of Pauli strings included in the calculation by about 85 percent. Altogether, the algorithm solved a problem with 2 million Pauli strings and a trillion-plus relationships in 15 minutes. Compared to other approaches, the team’s algorithm can process input from nearly 50 times as many Pauli strings, or vertices, and more than 2,400 times as many relationships, or edges. The scientists reduced the computational load through a technique known as clique partitioning. Instead of pulling along all the available data through each stage of computation, the team created a way to use a much smaller amount of the data to guide its calculations by sorting similar items into distinct groupings known as “cliques.” The goal is to sort all data into the smallest number of cliques possible and still enable accurate calculations. By combining sparsification techniques with AI-guided optimization, Picasso enables efficient scaling toward quantum systems with hundreds or thousands of qubits.
Scientists develop OS that allows quantum computers to connect with each other, paving the way for a quantum internet
Scientists have developed the world’s first operating system for quantum computers, QNodeOS. This system allows quantum computers to connect with each other, paving the way for a quantum internet. QNodeOS operates by combining a classical network processing unit (CNPU) with a quantum network processing unit (QNPU), which controls the quantum code. The QNodeOS connects to a separate quantum device called the QDevice, which is responsible for executing quantum operations. The QDriver is a key component of QNodeOS, enabling it to control different types of quantum computers. The QNodeOS was demonstrated by connecting different quantum computers together and running a test program. Further experimentation is required, including using more quantum computers of different types and increasing the distance between them. The architecture could be improved by having the CNPU and QNPU on a single system board to avoid millisecond delays in communication. A quantum computer operating system represents a major step forward in their development, with potential applications for distributed quantum computing and potentially laying the foundations for a quantum internet.
Fujitsu and RIKEN develop world-leading 256-qubit superconducting quantum computer for more complex challenges like implementing error correction algorithms and seamless collaboration between quantum and classical computers
Fujitsu Limited and RIKEN have developed a 256-qubit superconducting quantum computer, which will be integrated into their hybrid quantum computing platform starting in Q1 2025. The computer builds on the 64-qubit version, launched with the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s support in October 2023. The 256-qubit superconducting quantum computer will enable users to tackle complex challenges like analyzing larger molecules and implementing error correction algorithms. The platform will also enable seamless collaboration between quantum and classical computers, enabling efficient execution of hybrid quantum-classical algorithms. The computer overcomes technical challenges, including appropriate cooling within the dilution refrigerator. Scalable 3D connection structure: Enables efficient scaling of qubit count without requiring complex redesigns by arranging 4-qubit unit cells in a 3D configuration; The 256-qubit machine utilizes the same unit cell design established in its 64-qubit predecessor, effectively demonstrating the scalability of this architectural approach. Quadrupled implementation density within dilution refrigerator: Quadrupled implementation density achieved within the dilution refrigerator, allowing the 256-qubit machine to operate within the same cooling unit as the 64-qubit system; Highly optimized design that carefully balances heat generation from control circuits with the cooling capacity of the refrigerator, while maintaining the necessary ultra-high vacuum and extremely low temperatures