IBM refutes 'quantum transcendence' that Google demonstrated for the first time in the world, can quantum computers be simulated?


by Google

On October 23, 2019, Google announced quantum transcendence that 'the quantum computer finally exceeded the computing power of the traditional computer (classical computer)'. However, two days before the paper was published, IBM, Google ’s rival in the field of quantum computer research, denied that Google was unable to demonstrate quantum transcendence . In response, computer scientist Scott Aaronson explains what IBM has countered.

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https://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=4372

On September 20, 2019, the news that `` Google has demonstrated quantum transcendence '' was triggered by the fact that the NASA accidentally posted a paper by a Google researcher on the website I ran around.

What does “quantum transcendence” that Google has demonstrated and quantum computers have made great progress mean? -GIGAZINE



Google papers were reviewed and published in the journal “ Nature ” dated 23 October 2019. Among them, Google reports that quantum processor Sycamore has solved a task that takes about 10,000 years in just 3 minutes and 20 seconds at Summit , a supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory .

Google completes a quantum computer that can solve a calculation problem that takes 10,000 years in 3 minutes and 20 seconds-GIGAZINE



In response to Google ’s announcement, IBM ’s quantum computing department published an article titled “On“ Quantum Supremacy ””. In this, IBM said, `` The original meaning of the word quantum transcendence is that `` calculations that can not be solved with classical computers can be solved with quantum computers '', '' Summit can also solve As mentioned above, I pointed out that the content of the task that Google has done for Sycamore does not satisfy this condition.

On “Quantum Supremacy” | IBM Research Blog
https://www.ibm.com/blogs/research/category/quantcomp/


In addition, IBM denies Google's guess that it would take 10,000 years at Summit, the world's fastest supercomputer. By using an algorithm called the “ Schrödinger = Feynman algorithm ”, Summit can solve the same task in just 2.5 days by simulating all 53 qubit quantum states on a hard disk with 250 petabytes of Summit. And analyzed.


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Oak Ridge National Laboratory

According to Mr. Aaronson, the capacity of 250 petabytes is quite limited to record all the quantum state vectors on the hard disk. Of course, this is only theoretical, and IBM does not run this simulation with Summit, but Mr. Aaronson sees IBM's analysis as 'summit can be calculated in 2.5 days' is generally correct.

On the other hand, Aaronson responded to the question of whether Google ’s quantum transcendence is denied by the Schrödinger-Feynman algorithm. “No, IBM ’s counter-analysis has been used to date. It does not apply to the definition of “quantum transcendence”. In the first place, Google's Sycamore solves a given task in just 3 minutes and 20 seconds, and it is calculating 1200 times faster than Summit, Aaronson points out.

Also, even if we approach the quantum computer by storing all 53 qubit quantum states on Summit's hard disk, Google will easily exceed Summit's storage capacity if Sycamore's qubit is increased to 55 I will. And if you increase it to 60, you need 33 Summit, and if you increase it to 70, you need enough Summit to fill up one city. Of course, adding one qubit is not unusual, but you can see that the computing power of classical computers cannot keep up with quantum computers.


by Google

“A quantum transcendence is not a milestone like landing on the moon, but in other words, eradicating the epidemic. Once the epidemic has been eradicated, it will continue to revive and eradicate for a while. Classical computing Was defeated by quantum computing, but for a while we can fight back against quantum computing. '

Boaz Barak, a computer scientist, said to Aaronson: 'The battle between IBM and Google is similar to a game between the former chess world champion Garli Kasparov and IBM's Deep Blue . “The fight between Kasparov and Deep Blue is in a fierce battle, but the human side is finally losing,” he said.

In addition, Dr. John Preskill of California Institute of Technology who first proposed the concept of `` quantum transcendence '' said in a column sent to Quanta Magazine of scientific media, `` Assuming that Google's report is true, `` It is a remarkable achievement in experimental physics, '' and `` The problem solved by the Google team with quantum computers was carefully selected only to demonstrate the superiority of quantum computers, and it was practical It ’s not a matter of great interest. ”

in Hardware, Posted by log1i_yk