Quantum Computing Startup Announces New Quantum Computing Platform

Rigetti, a quantum computing startup, today at the TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2018 event announced the launch of its new hybrid quantum computing platform.

While Rigetti already offered API access to its quantum computing platform, this new service, dubbed Quantum Cloud Services (QCS), offers a combination of a cloud-based classical computer, its Forest development platform and access to Rigetti’s quantum backends. Thanks to this, developers will be able to write and test their algorithms significantly faster than with the company’s previous approach.

Despite the standard computing jargon, quantum computing is a computing platform that operates in a radically different way to classical computing. A quantum computer is a device that performs quantum computing. Such a computer is different from binary digital electronic computers based on transistors. Whereas common digital computing requires that the data be encoded into binary digits (bits), each of which is always in one of two definite states (0 or 1), quantum computation uses quantum bits or qubits, which can be in superpositions of states.

Quantum computing holds the potential to bypass the limitations of classical computing, and highly surpass its current capabilities.Large-scale quantum computers would theoretically be able to solve certain problems much more quickly than any classical computers that use even the best currently known algorithms, like integer factorization using Shor’s algorithm, which might prove to have many applications in cryptography.

Since chemistry and nanotechnology rely on understanding quantum systems, and such systems are impossible to simulate in an efficient manner classically, many believe quantum simulation will possibly be one of the most important applications of quantum computing.Quantum simulation could also be used to simulate the behavior of atoms and particles at unusual conditions such as the reactions inside a particle collider.

Due to the potential that quantum computing holds, tech behemoths such as google, IBM, as well as many startups such as Rigetti, have invested heavily in the development of quantum computing technology with the hope of the possibility of leveraging on its applications and superiority to classical computing systems. Limits to the use of quantum computing include the current requirement for quantum computing to occur close to absolute zero and at very physically stable conditions. Nevertheless, if quantum computing technology were to be perfected, it could revolutionize many fields of technology, potentially providing benefit to society at large.

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