Major Leaps Forward for Fast Quantum Computers
A graphical representation of the molecular machine
I know this sounds like something out of a Star Trek Movie but the future of super fast quantum computers are now at our door step, thanks to a recent breakthrough by scientists. Edinburgh and Manchester University researchers have created a molecular structure which will act as a building block for quantum computers. This new discovery will allow manufactures to develop super fast quantum computers via new components that perform complicated calculations far faster than todays conventional computers by using molecular scale technology instead of silicon chips. This was done by combining tiny magnets with molecular machines that can shuttle between two locations without the use of external force. Therefore these maneuverable magnets may at some time in the near future be used as the basic component in quantum computers.
Exactly how does all this work?
Todays computers function by storing data in the form of bits, which can represent information in binary code (in other words a zero or a one). Quantum computers will process data by using quantum binary digits (qubits), instead of todays binary code. Quantum Binary Digits are far more superior as they are capable of representing not only zero and one, but a range of values simultaneously.As you can see this is really mind blowing. This new process will enable quantum computers the ability to perform calculations far complex and faster that what man has ever seen before.
Professor David Leigh, of Edinburgh University’s school of chemistry, said: “This development brings super-fast, non-silicon based computing a step closer. “The major challenges we face now are to bring many of these qubits together to build a device that could perform calculations, and to discover how to communicate between them.”
The study, by Edinburgh and Manchester university scientists and published in the journal Nature, was funded by the European Commission.
[Via BBC News]
