The world is becoming more terrible and wonderful, part 23

[_MeDotOrg]

Microsoft is developing a quantum computer, from chips to operating system. How fast is quantum computing? There is a company called D-Wave that makes a quantum computer that is 3,600 times faster than a super computer. Quantum bits, unlike the binary zeros and ones of our current computers, can have many different states other than off or on. It takes fewer bits to represent complex states, so information can be calculated and retrieved much faster. This is about as far as my understanding of quantum anything goes.

Quantum computers will make our current computers look like vacuum tubes. These aren't for consumers, they require supercooling for the extreme heat of the chips. But for weather forecasting, fluid dynamics, and engineering technology at the cutting edge of computational abilities, this will be a huge boon.

And the rate of change continues to accelerate...

[_The CCC]

I can imagine that in a relatively few years they will be available for the PC user.
Exactly how few I have no clue.

[_Gunnar]

I can imagine that in a relatively few years they will be available for the PC user.
Exactly how few I have no clue.

As potentially amazing quantum computing is, there is a downside that could be potentially devastating. Quantum computers can potentially solve with ease problems and decrypt security codes and systems that the fastest present day supercomputers would take thousands of years to crack. It would be extremely difficult if not impossible to stop a determined, savvy and unprincipled hacker with access to a quantum computer from hacking into virtually anyone's personal or classified data, no matter how well or cleverly encrypted.

September 26, 2016

In a laboratory in Shanghai, researchers work on developing a quantum computer—a new kind of machine that could make hacking much more common.
Zhejiang Daily / AP

Given the recent ubiquity of cyber-scandals—Colin Powell’s stolen e-mails, Simone Biles’s leaked medical records, half a billion plundered Yahoo accounts—you might get the impression that hackers can already break into just about any computer they want. But the situation could be a lot worse. The encryption methods that protect everything from online shopping to diplomatic communications remain effectively impregnable when properly implemented, even if, in practice, there are frequent breaches—whistle-blowers, careless clicks, and so on. This relatively happy state of affairs will not, however, endure. Scientists around the world are inching toward the development of a fully functioning quantum computer, a new type of machine that would, on its first day of operation, be capable of cracking the Internet’s most widely used codes. Precisely when that day will arrive is unclear, but it could be in as little as ten years. Experts call the countdown Y2Q: “years to quantum.”

As for personal quantum computers affordable by average, ordinary people, that may not happen nearly as quickly as one might suppose, unless and until we discover and/or invent practical and affordable room temperature superconductive materials. As I understand it, quantum computers require superconductive computational circuits. At present, super conductivity can only be achieved at cryogenic temperatures, within a very few degrees of absolute zero. Achieving and maintaining such temperatures is neither cheap, easy nor convenient, and is out of the reach of most people.

[_honorentheos]

I was listening to a discussion between futurists regarding drone technology proliferation. As one finished postulating on the future potential of drone shipping, one of the others brought up hacking and if it presented a barrier to automated shipping. He imagined a world where hacking would present such a headache for automated shipping it could possibly kill it for all but the most inconsequential of deliveries. It was interesting to consider how the arms race between hackers, corps, with consumers in the middle is potentially one of the formative forces on what the future looks like.

[_Choyo Chagas]

we will reach kolob in
0.00000000000000000001 secs
or it may be
0.000000000000000000001 secs

waiting for prophecy
ten years or a century...
that is one digit of range

[_Doctor Steuss]

Very cool. Thanks for sharing MeDotOrg.

With the success of distributed computing projects like Folding@Home, I think these types of computers will ultimately become novelty objects that will see fairly limited use.

With AMD’s new Ryzen chips driving down the cost of the Kaby Lake series Intel chips, and the new AMD Vega cards, the potential for distributed computing (especially GPU-based) is going to far outpace any type of quantum/super computers.

At least that’s my (potentially wrong) opinion.

[_moksha]

I can imagine that in a relatively few years they will be available for the PC user.

It would take more than the intellectual climate of BYU to achieve the cooling effect required for such computers.

[_The CCC]

It is like military secrets. They just don't last very long. So it is a concern but such is the case with all new technology. Someone will always find a way to make it better, cheaper, faster. I still remember my first hand held computer I got during college. Expensive, and did little more than add, subtract, multiply, and divide. I thought it wonderful. Now they do almost everything but brush my teeth for me.
We still sometimes refer to electrical refrigerators as "Ice Boxes" but don't know as many people today still wait for the ice man to come and fill them up. When we will get to that point of a Quantum PC. I have no clue. But given human ingenuity I won't vote against it.

[_MeDotOrg]

Very cool. Thanks for sharing MeDotOrg.

With the success of distributed computing projects like Folding@Home, I think these types of computers will ultimately become novelty objects that will see fairly limited use.

With AMD’s new Ryzen chips driving down the cost of the Kaby Lake series Intel chips, and the new AMD Vega cards, the potential for distributed computing (especially GPU-based) is going to far outpace any type of quantum/super computers.

At least that’s my (potentially wrong) opinion.

Been looking at the Ryzen 7 chip. (I have a 1st Generation i5). They are supposed to be amazing at parallel processing, although the benchmarks aren't quite as high as I hoped against Intel i7. I'm not sure all the motherboard BIOS issues have been ironed out. I'm going to wait a bit. I think they're may be more of a price drop. Intel is bringing out their 8th generation chips with more cores....

As someone once said, there are two types of computers: prototype and obsolete.

[_Doctor Steuss]

Been looking at the Ryzen 7 chip. (I have a 1st Generation i5). They are supposed to be amazing at parallel processing, although the benchmarks aren't quite as high as I hoped against Intel i7. I'm not sure all the motherboard BIOS issues have been ironed out. I'm going to wait a bit. I think they're may be more of a price drop. Intel is bringing out their 8th generation chips with more cores....

As someone once said, there are two types of computers: prototype and obsolete.

Motherboard support/BIOS seems to be the main criticism I've seen with the Ryzen chips so far. Well, that and trying to overclock at all without disabling cores first.

I've generally just used AMD Bulldozer chips (right now I've got two computers with FX-8350's, one with an FX-6120, and one with a FX-4100). While they run silly hot, they've treated me well. Intel chips though... they put some magic in those rascals. My work laptop as an early-gen i7, and can run laps around the FX-4100, despite the 4100 have more logical cores, and 1.2 ghz more speed.

Didn't know about Intel's next generation of chips. Gonna have some fun tech spelunking (and drooling) to do tonight now.