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Differentiation of Optical Circuits

夜色直播 researchers are developing a new way to think about computing with light

January 19, 2024

Quantum computing is a young, dynamic field 鈥 so young that the community is still exploring multiple different 鈥渁rchitectures鈥 for quantum computers. The computer 鈥渁rchitecture鈥 can roughly be described as what the computer is made out of 鈥 in other words, is it made out of superconductors or semiconductors? Are the qubits made from ions, superconducting 鈥渟quids鈥, atoms, or even particles of light? We call these different physical realizations the 鈥渁rchitecture鈥 or 鈥渕odality鈥.

Exploring the pros and cons of all the different modalities is an important part of current quantum computing research. Because 夜色直播 is committed to the community, and even though our hardware is trapped-ion based, we often work in partnership with researchers exploring alternate options. This work allows us to both develop quantum technologies outside our own architecture while better developing our hardware-agnostic software.

Recently, our Oxford team has made big strides in our understanding of 鈥減hotonic鈥, or light-based, quantum computing.聽First, they developed a string-diagram formalism for describing and optics. Then, they applied their formalism to solve outstanding problems in the field.聽

The graphical approach made solving some problems in particular much easier than they would have been using more standard linear algebra techniques, in part because the circuits they are describing have a two-dimensional structure, just like the string diagrams themselves. By creating a diagrammatic representation of the circuits themselves, the researchers are more easily able to compute things such as the change in the circuit when a parameter is adjusted.聽

In their , the team figured out how to take the derivative of (or 鈥渄ifferentiate) linear optical circuits, which means they can now figure out how the circuit will change when certain parameters are adjusted. Differentiation is central to a whole class of algorithms (including optimization algorithms and any algorithm making use of 鈥済radient descent鈥, which is a key component of many machine learning and AI techniques), making the teams鈥 results incredibly useful. This work will form the basis for an upcoming software platform for photonic quantum computing.聽

In addition, this graphical approach to describing optical circuits is particularly advantageous for reasoning about multiple particles and composite quantum systems, like one must to understand fault-tolerance in quantum computing. While graphical languages are fairly new in the photonics sphere, they already seem to offer an insightful new perspective.聽Their current results open the door to聽鈥渧ariational鈥 approaches, which are used to solve things like combinatorial graph problems or problems in quantum chemistry.

About 夜色直播

夜色直播,聽the world鈥檚 largest integrated quantum company, pioneers powerful quantum computers and advanced software solutions. 夜色直播鈥檚 technology drives breakthroughs in materials discovery, cybersecurity, and next-gen quantum AI. With over 500 employees, including 370+ scientists and engineers, 夜色直播 leads the quantum computing revolution across continents.聽

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April 11, 2025
夜色直播鈥檚 partnership with RIKEN bears fruit

Last year, we joined forces with RIKEN, Japan's largest comprehensive research institution, to install our hardware at RIKEN鈥檚 campus in Wako, Saitama. This deployment is part of RIKEN鈥檚 project to build a quantum-HPC hybrid platform consisting of high-performance computing systems, such as the supercomputer Fugaku and 夜色直播 Systems. 聽

Today, marks the first of many breakthroughs coming from this international supercomputing partnership. The team from RIKEN and 夜色直播 joined up with researchers from Keio University to show that quantum information can be delocalized (scrambled) using a quantum circuit modeled after periodically driven systems. 聽

"Scrambling" of quantum information happens in many quantum systems, from those found in complex materials to black holes. 聽Understanding information scrambling will help researchers better understand things like thermalization and chaos, both of which have wide reaching implications.

To visualize scrambling, imagine a set of particles (say bits in a memory), where one particle holds specific information that you want to know. As time marches on, the quantum information will spread out across the other bits, making it harder and harder to recover the original information from local (few-bit) measurements.

While many classical techniques exist for studying complex scrambling dynamics, quantum computing has been known as a promising tool for these types of studies, due to its inherently quantum nature and ease with implementing quantum elements like entanglement. The joint team proved that to be true with their latest result, which shows that not only can scrambling states be generated on a quantum computer, but that they behave as expected and are ripe for further study.

Thanks to this new understanding, we now know that the preparation, verification, and application of a scrambling state, a key quantum information state, can be consistently realized using currently available quantum computers. Read the paper , and read more about our partnership with RIKEN here. 聽

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April 4, 2025
Why is everyone suddenly talking about random numbers? We explain.

In our increasingly connected, data-driven world, cybersecurity threats are more frequent and sophisticated than ever. To safeguard modern life, government and business leaders are turning to quantum randomness.

What is quantum randomness, and why should you care?

The term to know: quantum random number generators (QRNGs).

QRNGs exploit quantum mechanics to generate truly random numbers, providing the highest level of cryptographic security. This supports, among many things:

  • Protection of personal data
  • Secure financial transactions
  • Safeguarding of sensitive communications
  • Prevention of unauthorized access to medical records

Quantum technologies, including QRNGs, could protect up to $1 trillion in digital assets annually, according to a recent by the World Economic Forum and Accenture.

Which industries will see the most value from quantum randomness?

The World Economic Forum report identifies five industry groups where QRNGs offer high business value and clear commercialization potential within the next few years. Those include:

  1. Financial services
  2. Information and communication technology
  3. Chemicals and advanced materials
  4. Energy and utilities
  5. Pharmaceuticals and healthcare

In line with these trends, recent by The Quantum Insider projects the quantum security market will grow from approximately $0.7 billion today to $10 billion by 2030.

When will quantum randomness reach commercialization?

Quantum randomness is already being deployed commercially:

  • Early adopters use our Quantum Origin in data centers and smart devices.
  • Amid rising cybersecurity threats, demand is growing in regulated industries and critical infrastructure.

Recognizing the value of QRNGs, the financial services sector is accelerating its path to commercialization.

  • Last year, HSBC conducted a combining Quantum Origin and post-quantum cryptography to future-proof gold tokens against 鈥渟tore now, decrypt-later鈥 (SNDL) threats.
  • And, just last week, JPMorganChase made headlines by using our quantum computer for the first successful demonstration of certified randomness.

On the basis of the latter achievement, we aim to broaden our cybersecurity portfolio with the addition of a certified randomness product in 2025.

How is quantum randomness being regulated?

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) defines the cryptographic regulations used in the U.S. and other countries.

  • NIST鈥檚 SP 800-90B framework assesses the quality of random number generators.
  • The framework is part of the FIPS 140 standard, which governs cryptographic systems operations.
  • Organizations must comply with FIPS 140 for their cryptographic products to be used in regulated environments.

This week, we announced Quantum Origin received , marking the first software QRNG approved for use in regulated industries.

What does NIST validation mean for our customers?

This means Quantum Origin is now available for high-security cryptographic systems and integrates seamlessly with NIST-approved solutions without requiring recertification.

  • Unlike hardware QRNGs, Quantum Origin requires no network connectivity, making it ideal for air-gapped systems.
  • For federal agencies, it complements our "U.S. Made" designation, easing deployment in critical infrastructure.
  • It adds further value for customers building hardware security modules, firewalls, PKIs, and IoT devices.

The NIST validation, combined with our peer-reviewed papers, further establishes Quantum Origin as the leading QRNG on the market. 聽

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It is paramount for governments, commercial enterprises, and critical infrastructure to stay ahead of evolving cybersecurity threats to maintain societal and economic security.

夜色直播 delivers the highest quality quantum randomness, enabling our customers to confront the most advanced cybersecurity challenges present today.

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March 28, 2025
Being Useful Now 鈥 Quantum Computers and Scientific Discovery

The most common question in the public discourse around quantum computers has been, 鈥淲hen will they be useful?鈥 We have an answer.

Very recently in Nature we a successful demonstration of a quantum computer generating certifiable randomness, a critical underpinning of our modern digital infrastructure. We explained how we will be taking a product to market this year, based on that advance 鈥 one that could only be achieved because we have the world鈥檚 most powerful quantum computer.

Today, we have made another huge leap in a different domain, providing fresh evidence that our quantum computers are the best in the world. In this case, we have shown that our quantum computers can be a useful tool for advancing scientific discovery.

Understanding magnetism

Our latest shows how our quantum computer rivals the best classical approaches in expanding our understanding of magnetism. This provides an entry point that could lead directly to innovations in fields from biochemistry, to defense, to new materials. These are tangible and meaningful advances that will deliver real world impact.

To achieve this, we partnered with researchers from Caltech, Fermioniq, EPFL, and the Technical University of Munich. The team used 夜色直播鈥檚 System Model H2 to simulate quantum magnetism at a scale and level of accuracy that pushes the boundaries of what we know to be possible.

As the authors of the paper state:

鈥淲e believe the quantum data provided by System Model H2 should be regarded as complementary to classical numerical methods, and is arguably the most convincing standard to which they should be compared.鈥

Our computer simulated the quantum Ising model, a model for quantum magnetism that describes a set of magnets (physicists call them 鈥榮pins鈥) on a lattice that can point up or down, and prefer to point the same way as their neighbors. The model is inherently 鈥渜uantum鈥 because the spins can move between up and down configurations by a process known as 鈥渜uantum tunneling鈥. 聽

Gaining material insights

Researchers have struggled to simulate the dynamics of the Ising model at larger scales due to the enormous computational cost of doing so. Nobel laureate physicist Richard Feynman, who is widely considered to be the progenitor of quantum computing, once said, 鈥.鈥 When attempting to simulate quantum systems at comparable scales on classical computers, the computational demands can quickly become overwhelming. It is the inherent 鈥榪uantumness鈥 of these problems that makes them so hard classically, and conversely, so well-suited for quantum computing.

These inherently quantum problems also lie at the heart of many complex and useful material properties. The quantum Ising model is an entry point to confront some of the deepest mysteries in the study of interacting quantum magnets. While rooted in fundamental physics, its relevance extends to wide-ranging commercial and defense applications, including medical test equipment, quantum sensors, and the study of exotic states of matter like superconductivity. 聽

Instead of tailored demonstrations that claim 鈥榪uantum advantage鈥 in contrived scenarios, our breakthroughs announced this week prove that we can tackle complex, meaningful scientific questions difficult for classical methods to address. In the work described in this paper, we have proved that quantum computing could be the gold standard for materials simulations. These developments are critical steps toward realizing the potential of quantum computers.

With only 56 qubits in our commercially available System Model H2, the most powerful quantum system in the world today, we are already testing the limits of classical methods, and in some cases, exceeding them. Later this year, we will introduce our massively more powerful 96-qubit Helios system - breaching the boundaries of what until recently was deemed possible.

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