6 ms·

D-Wave does have a factoring algorithm. See the comments from D-Wave here: http://dwave.wordpress.com/2011/05/11/learning-to-program-the-d-wave-one/ http://dwa

D-Wave does have a factoring algorithm. See the comments from D-Wave here: http://dwave.wordpress.com/2011/05/11/learning-to-program-the-d-wave-one/ http://dwave.wordpress.com/2011/05/11/learning-to-program-th... "We do have a factoring algorithm that I’m going to do a series of blog posts on"

lucian1900 13y ago
If they actually do have a factoring algorithm, it's easy for them to prove: factor something we give them that is obviously unfeasible for classical computers and give us the result.
- Retric 13y ago
  Quantum computers can't solve arbitrarily large factirisation problems. The signal gets weaker the largers the numbers get to the point where factoring a 4096 bit number is not going to happen.
  - cantos 13y ago
    Real quantum computers don't exist. If one did exist it would need to factor numbers much larger than 4096 bits efficiently for it to be considered a real quantum computer.
    - Retric 13y ago
      And all true scotsman wear kilts. We consider 8bit computers real computers even though they can't run windows 8. The same can be said for quantum computers, a 64qubit quibit quantum CPU could be vary useful even if it can't factor 4096bit numbers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qubit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qubit PS: We have solid state 4bit quantum computers right now. They may not be useful for much, but that's in part because we have spent hundreds of billions of dollars perfecting classical computers.
    - sp332 13y ago
      Quantum computers do exist. But it's hard to build large ones. The largest one so far was able to factor 143=11x13. http://phys.org/news/2012-04-largest-factored-quantum-algorithm.html http://phys.org/news/2012-04-largest-factored-quantum-algori...
pfortuny 13y ago
There are the RSA challenges which are as public as you get them. Just factor a bunch of the numbers... That IS peer reviewing and no mistake. http://www.rsa.com/rsalabs/node.asp?id=2092 http://www.rsa.com/rsalabs/node.asp?id=2092
danbruc 13y ago
They are probably not able to factor interesting numbers - here is an estimation from Physics SE what their technology is probably capable of. http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/11063/can-quantum-annealing-be-used-for-factorization http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/11063/can-quantum...
greenmountin 13y ago
This is absurd. That's a comment on a blog post, proposing a bombastic title, "Better than Shor". I'm pretty sure if they could get anywhere near Shor using their architecture they'd get more than a sympathy Nature paper. The truth is, D-Wave has done nothing to foster the coherence of their "qubits", and so they have built a very expensive, superconducting, classical computer. There is no quantum trick, actually. You have a system of buckets and you adjust the pipes and pumps between them so that in steady-state the water levels solve some problem you program in (with the pumps). Then you start in a random configuration, turn on the earthquake machine for a bit of randomness, and end up in the "ground state" solution. The exponential speedup of quantum algorithms is sketchy enough: good luck performing an N-qubit logic gate, or in assuming that it's your favorite black-box that need only be executed a polynomial number of times (every quantum computing textbook uses their own set of universal gates). But these guys aren't even trying.
- sp332 13y ago
  There is an adiabatic factoring algorithm. http://phys.org/news/2012-04-largest-factored-quantum-algorithm.html http://phys.org/news/2012-04-largest-factored-quantum-algori...
  - mtrimpe 13y ago
    Indeed. It's still quadratic time but it's a significant step up.
- gaze 13y ago
  Quantum annealing is a real thing. Probably could make for some pretty fast optimization. What's the problem?
- pfedor 13y ago
  The truth is, D-Wave has done nothing to foster the coherence of their "qubits", and so they have built a very expensive, superconducting, classical computer. There is no quantum trick, actually. Scott Aaronson, the self-described "Chief D-Wave Skeptic", disagrees with you: Now, I’d say, D-Wave finally has cleared the evidence-for-entanglement bar—and, while they’re not the first to do so with superconducting qubits, they’re certainly the first to do so with so many superconducting qubits. So I congratulate D-Wave on this accomplishment. If this had been advertised from the start as a scientific research project—”of course we’re a long way from QC being practical— —but we’ve shown experimentally that can entangle 100 superconducting qubits with controllable couplings”—my reaction would’ve been, “cool!” -- http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=1400 http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=1400

lucian1900 13y ago

If they actually do have a factoring algorithm, it's easy for them to prove: factor something we give them that is obviously unfeasible for classical computers and give us the result.

Retric 13y ago
Quantum computers can't solve arbitrarily large factirisation problems. The signal gets weaker the largers the numbers get to the point where factoring a 4096 bit number is not going to happen.
- cantos 13y ago
  Real quantum computers don't exist. If one did exist it would need to factor numbers much larger than 4096 bits efficiently for it to be considered a real quantum computer.
  - Retric 13y ago
    And all true scotsman wear kilts. We consider 8bit computers real computers even though they can't run windows 8. The same can be said for quantum computers, a 64qubit quibit quantum CPU could be vary useful even if it can't factor 4096bit numbers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qubit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qubit PS: We have solid state 4bit quantum computers right now. They may not be useful for much, but that's in part because we have spent hundreds of billions of dollars perfecting classical computers.
  - sp332 13y ago
    Quantum computers do exist. But it's hard to build large ones. The largest one so far was able to factor 143=11x13. http://phys.org/news/2012-04-largest-factored-quantum-algorithm.html http://phys.org/news/2012-04-largest-factored-quantum-algori...

pfortuny 13y ago

There are the RSA challenges which are as public as you get them. Just factor a bunch of the numbers... That IS peer reviewing and no mistake. http://www.rsa.com/rsalabs/node.asp?id=2092 http://www.rsa.com/rsalabs/node.asp?id=2092

danbruc 13y ago

They are probably not able to factor interesting numbers - here is an estimation from Physics SE what their technology is probably capable of. http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/11063/can-quantum-annealing-be-used-for-factorization http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/11063/can-quantum...

greenmountin 13y ago

This is absurd. That's a comment on a blog post, proposing a bombastic title, "Better than Shor". I'm pretty sure if they could get anywhere near Shor using their architecture they'd get more than a sympathy Nature paper. The truth is, D-Wave has done nothing to foster the coherence of their "qubits", and so they have built a very expensive, superconducting, classical computer. There is no quantum trick, actually. You have a system of buckets and you adjust the pipes and pumps between them so that in steady-state the water levels solve some problem you program in (with the pumps). Then you start in a random configuration, turn on the earthquake machine for a bit of randomness, and end up in the "ground state" solution. The exponential speedup of quantum algorithms is sketchy enough: good luck performing an N-qubit logic gate, or in assuming that it's your favorite black-box that need only be executed a polynomial number of times (every quantum computing textbook uses their own set of universal gates). But these guys aren't even trying.

sp332 13y ago
There is an adiabatic factoring algorithm. http://phys.org/news/2012-04-largest-factored-quantum-algorithm.html http://phys.org/news/2012-04-largest-factored-quantum-algori...
- mtrimpe 13y ago
  Indeed. It's still quadratic time but it's a significant step up.
gaze 13y ago
Quantum annealing is a real thing. Probably could make for some pretty fast optimization. What's the problem?
pfedor 13y ago
The truth is, D-Wave has done nothing to foster the coherence of their "qubits", and so they have built a very expensive, superconducting, classical computer. There is no quantum trick, actually. Scott Aaronson, the self-described "Chief D-Wave Skeptic", disagrees with you: Now, I’d say, D-Wave finally has cleared the evidence-for-entanglement bar—and, while they’re not the first to do so with superconducting qubits, they’re certainly the first to do so with so many superconducting qubits. So I congratulate D-Wave on this accomplishment. If this had been advertised from the start as a scientific research project—”of course we’re a long way from QC being practical— —but we’ve shown experimentally that can entangle 100 superconducting qubits with controllable couplings”—my reaction would’ve been, “cool!” -- http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=1400 http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=1400