Planck’s constant – or 4.14 x 10-15 electronvolt (eV) seconds – is a foundational piece of quantum mechanics, defining the pivotal relationship between a photon and its frequency. As such, leading-edge scientists, organizations and government agencies have marked April 14“World Quantum Day,” to build awareness around the rapid advancements with quantum technologies, and as a nod to the enormous impact that they’ll have in the years ahead.
Quantum computing is a big part of the quantum ecosystem, leveraging the peculiar properties of subatomic particles (namely entanglementand superposition) to perform calculations fundamentally unlike those of classical computers. It generates unique computational power that has the potential to be far stronger than even today’s largest supercomputers.
National Quantum Initiative
The support for quantum and its burgeoning ecosystem is equally strong at the governmental level – in fact, the U.S. passed a pivotal piece of legislation, the National Quantum Initiative Act, in which a broad coalition of U.S. agencies (including the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Energy) were charged with advancing quantum-driven research and development opportunities, and fostering a climate where this next-gen technology can flourish. Additional legislation has also passed in recent months, including one hyper-focused on cybersecurity and the future of encryption, all of which has helped drive awareness around our quantum future.
As our collective understanding of quantum’s impact expands, we’re realizing its many applications across commercial industries, in science, or for government use. This is a goal we call achieving “quantum advantage,” or a point when quantum systems can handily outperform classical devices.
Ion Trap Technology
At IonQ, we use trapped ions–a naturally occuring quantum system–to create quantum bits. These ions are trapped in 3D space and manipulated by lasers, in a process requiring precise optical and mechanical engineering. It’s a method that also lends itself nicely to networking architectures, which is a pivotal way to scale singular devices.
Complex calculations that may take classical computers 10,000 years (or more) to solve could be cracked by quantum computers in a matter of minutes or even seconds. That’s why in the future, it’s possible our quantum computers could lead to breakthroughs in a wide variety of areas including finance or insurance, logistics optimization, and even mapping or optimizing chemical composition.
Innovating in the PNW
In addition to this technology’s incredible promise, along with the awareness efforts being led by entities like the National Quantum Coordination Office, we’re also seeing an impressive quantum ecosystem emerging – including IonQ’s own tech hub in the Pacific Northwest. Earlier this year, we announced that we’ll be opening a 65,000-square-foot quantum research and manufacturing facility in Bothell, Wash., as part of our broader plan to invest $1 billion in the region over the next decade. (It’s the first known dedicated quantum computer manufacturing facility in the U.S.)
With the opening, we expect to create thousands of jobs in the region – which is just a small sampling of the positive effects we anticipate from quantum technology. We know it has the power to help solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges – whether that’s combating climate change, optimizing energy sources or improving our transportation systems, among others.
Happy World Quantum Day–Now and in the Future!
Our systems continue to improve. Last year we achieved a new technical milestone on our new Aria computing system, reaching 25 algorithmic qubits (#AQ). Additionally, with 32 qubits, our next-gen Forte system represents IonQ’s largest single core quantum processor. On it, early-access researchers will run quantum programs that have never been executed on physical quantum processing units (QPUs).
We look forward to exploring thrilling new use cases for these devices. It’s possible that future World Quantum Days will be celebrating new innovations that we can’t even imagine today.
We’d like to share further thanks to the wider quantum community, and the NQCO, among others, for continuing to shed light on this important technology. Happy World Quantum Day!