Amazon unveiled the first quantum computing chip, Ocelot, and advanced the push to develop large quantum systems. The chip developed by AWS Center for Quantum Computing in Pasadena, California is a key move in Amazon’s long-term goal of building scalable quantum systems.
Amazon announces Ocelot: the first quantum computing chip
The announcement has gained momentum in the space following Microsoft’s own quantum chip debut last week. The launch also shows the push for an intensification from high-tech giants to quantum research.
“We believe that scaling ocelots into full-scale quantum computers that have a transformative social impact will require more resources than a typical approach.
Quantum computing promises to tackle problems beyond the scope of traditional computers. Unlike regular processors that use bits that switch between zero and one, Quantum chips run on qubits. This fundamental difference could open the door to breakthroughs in materials science, encryption and complex simulations.
Quantum Computing’s biggest challenge: Scale
For years, quantum computing has been a field of research and has had little commercial impact. The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has funded work in the region for 20 years, but the technology is still far from mainstream use. The biggest hurdle is scale. Quantum computers require millions of qubits to ensure they function.
“It’s not big enough yet,” said Peter Barrett, founder and general partner of Playground Global, which supported Quantum Startups Phasecraft and Psiquantum.
Currently, even the most advanced quantum chips are short of them. The most powerful Google Willow chip to date has 105 Qubits. Ocelot is only 9. This is a long way from million qubit systems experts who believe quantum computing is necessary to make it useful at scale.
Amazon has laid the foundation for years. In 2020, when Andy Jussy was still leading AWS, he said, “Quantum Computing will play a role in the future.” Six months later, AWS launched Amazon Braket. This is a service that allows developers to experiment with quantum computers from companies such as IONQ and Rigetti. Now, Amazon wants its own hardware to become part of its ecosystem.
Amazon isn’t just trying to build these systems. Microsoft has moved forward with a unique approach that published quantum research in nature last week. Like Microsoft, Amazon has developed chips in-house, but scaling up could require partnerships with major semiconductor manufacturers. The painter suggested that outsourcing could become part of Amazon’s strategy as outsourcing moves further into hardware development.
Public interest in Quantum Computing has been driven by new ways to make Qubits resistant to errors. Ocelot was designed with error correction in mind. This is an important issue in quantum computing. Google’s Willow chips also show progress.
Quantum Computing: It’s a long way to go
Quantum computing has recently been driven by research on ways to reduce chkubit error, one of the biggest obstacles in large systems, and has recently made headlines. Ocelot is designed with error correction in mind. This is a challenge that Google’s Willow Chip is also dealing with.
Still, don’t think quantum computing will soon become mainstream. y. Painter estimated that commercial workloads would not be run on quantum computers for at least 10 years. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang went further, telling analysts in January that useful quantum computing could be 15-30 years away. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared a similar view in a recent interview with Joe Rogan.
Not everyone is that careful. Former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger holds the company in previous forecasts.
“I support my prediction years ago – by 2030, useful quantum computing,” Gelsinger wrote in a LinkedIn comment this week.
For now, companies like Amazon, Google, Microsoft are still in their early stages. Actual breakthroughs occur when these chips can be scaled to the millions of qubits needed for practical applications. Until then, quantum computing remains a more promise than reality.
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