DTN 157: The Era of Quantum Computers is Nigh
Plus: New frontiers for neural data, the race to land rovers on the moon, Antares receives DOE approval for demo reactor, General Atomics pauses drone wingman flight tests, and more.
“Today, because you can only produce ammonia at massive scale, you need a billion dollars and gigawatt-scale energy input to build a new plant. Our technology removes those barriers.”
New Advances Bring the Era of Quantum Computers Closer Than Ever
“For 30 years, Shor’s algorithm has been a security threat in theory only. Physicists initially estimated that they would need a colossal quantum machine with billions of qubits — the elements used in quantum calculations — to run it. That estimate has come down drastically over the years, falling recently to a million qubits. But it has still always sat comfortably beyond the modest capabilities of existing quantum computers, which typically have just hundreds of qubits.
However, two different groups of researchers have just announced advances that notably reduce the gap between theoretical estimates and real machines. Neither company has the hardware to break encryption today. But the results underscore what some quantum physicists had already come to suspect: that powerful quantum computers may be years away, rather than decades.” (via Quanta Magazine)
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“NASA has finally released the first photos taken by the Artemis II astronauts, just after they completed 40 minutes of disconnection on the far side of the moon. Thanks to that moment, Earth has a new “selfie” taken from the far hemisphere of the satellite, an image reminiscent of the famous “Earthrise” photo captured by the crew of the Apollo 8 mission in December 1968.” (via WIRED)
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