Cisco exhibits quantum networking chip, opens new lab 

The chip makes use of among the similar know-how as present networking chips and would assist hyperlink collectively smaller quantum computer systems into bigger methods [File]
| Picture Credit score: REUTERS

Cisco Techniques on Tuesday confirmed a prototype chip for networking quantum computer systems collectively and stated it’s opening a brand new lab in Santa Monica, California, to additional pursue quantum computing.

The chip makes use of among the similar know-how as present networking chips and would assist hyperlink collectively smaller quantum computer systems into bigger methods. However Cisco additionally believes it would have sensible functions earlier than these computer systems turn into mainstream, comparable to serving to monetary corporations sync up the timing of trades or serving to scientists detect meteorites.

“There are a complete bunch of use circumstances,” Vijoy Pandey, senior vice chairman of Cisco’s Outshift innovation incubator, informed Reuters. “It’s worthwhile to synchronise clocks and the timestamps on all of those snapshots which might be happening from throughout the globe.”

Cisco is the newest mainstream tech agency to leap into quantum computing. Alphabet’s Google, Microsoft and Amazon have all introduced quantum computing chips in current months, and Nvidia plans to open its personal quantum computing lab. Startups comparable to PsiQuantum are additionally elevating a whole lot of thousands and thousands of {dollars} to construct methods.

Whereas these corporations all vie to create increasingly “qubits” – the basic unit of quantum computer systems – Cisco is working to hyperlink them up.

The corporate says its chip, which it developed with researchers from the College of California Santa Barbara, works by inflicting quantum entanglement in pairs of photons, after which sending one of many pair to 2 separate quantum computer systems.

For a short while, Cisco says, the quantum computer systems can use these entangled photons to speak instantaneously, regardless of how far aside they’re – a phenomenon of quantum physics that Albert Einstein known as “spooky motion at a distance.”

Pandey emphasised that Cisco doesn’t but have a timeline for when the chip will generate income and that the chip is simply a prototype.

“To construct out that quantum community, the primary constructing block that you just want is an entanglement chip,” Pandey stated. “This is the primary constructing block of that.”