
Google's Quantum Computer Proven To Be Real Thing (Almost) - Libertatea
http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2013/06/d-wave-quantum-computer-usc/
======
imperialdrive
"They must have switched this thing on today - all my Google searches now
return pictures of cats that are both dead and alive."

\--best comment for days in that linked article, lol

------
dvdkhlng
The title is very misleading IMO. There have been quite a lot of questions
around D-Wave's quantum computing claims. The linked story is about a paper
that shows that the D-Wave machine indeed shows signs of quantum entanglement.

The question whether D-Wave's quantum computer can achieve non-linear speed-up
WRT classical computers is still not answered (but a lack of quantum
entanglement would have ruled out such a speed-up).

The lack of scientific characterization of what the D-Wave machine actually
does is quite odd, given that they have been selling these machines as
"quantum computers" for quite some time.

As other commenters have pointed out, Scott Aaronson's blog is a very good
resource for scientific discussion of D-Wave's claims:
[http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=1400](http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=1400)

------
rheide
Very misleading title. The story is entirely about the D-Wave (supposed)
quantum computer, which Google has now bought. It's D-Wave's quantum computer,
Google really had nothing to do with it except that it bought one.

~~~
flyinRyan
So it's like nearly everything Google is famous for then?

~~~
QuantumGuy
It's Dwaves creation but Google bought it. Last time I checked the search
engine was created in house.

~~~
flyinRyan
Yea, the search engine is about the only thing. Which is why I said " _nearly_
everything" and not "everything".

------
lucasp0927
Here is a paper that disproves the USC paper mentioned in the story.
[http://arxiv.org/abs/1305.4904](http://arxiv.org/abs/1305.4904)

------
laumars
I appreciate the physics are rather complex, but I'm really struggling to
understand why the D-Wave machine isn't regarded as a quantum computer by
many. Doesn't D-Waves machine use qubits?

Also, why hasn't D-Wave come forward and explained their process to put those
critics to rest? Is it just a matter of trade secrets (ie they want to retain
their monopoly)? If that's the case, I thought that was one of the few
credible reasons for patents.

I really get the feeling that I'm too stupid to grasp all this properly :(

~~~
mef
A good summary by leading D-Wave skeptic Scott Aaronson
[http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=1400](http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=1400)

~~~
asafira
Scott actually had some good thoughts about D_Wave at some point. A year or so
ago, D-Wave actually gave him a personal tour of the place, and convinced him
that they were legitimately doing good research (He wrote about this in his
blog:
[http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=954](http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=954)
). But things change over time, and with a lot of the largely unwarranted hype
recently, he's opinion of them has changed

