Thinking On Paper Technology Podcast

The Five 'Must Haves' To Make Your Own Quantum Computer


Listen Later

What if someone handed you the recipe for a quantum computer? In this episode, that’s exactly what happens.


Coleman Collins of IonQ breaks down DiVincenzo’s criteria, (a checklist proposed by physicist David DiVincenzo) the five capabilities any physical system needs before it can call itself a quantum computer. 


There are five criteria.


  1. A well-defined qubit
  2. Ability to initialize qubits. You must be able to reliably set every qubit to a known starting state.
  3. Long coherence times. The qubits must remain stable long enough to run operations without losing their quantum state.
  4. Ability to measure qubits. You need to read the state of each qubit at the end of the computation (ideally individually).
  5. A universal gate set built from entanglement and single-qubit control.

Mix them all together in a serving bowl and these let you perform any quantum computation you wish.


You now know the foundation behind every major quantum architecture, from superconducting circuits to trapped ions.


Cheers, 


Mark and Jeremy.


Keep Thinking On Paper.




Other ways to connect with us:

  • ⁠Listen to every podcast⁠

  • Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠

  • Follow us on ⁠X⁠

  • Follow Mark on ⁠LinkedIn⁠

  • Follow Jeremy on ⁠LinkedIn⁠

  • Read our ⁠Substack⁠

Email: [email protected]

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Thinking On Paper Technology PodcastBy The Human Story of Technology, Mark Fielding and Jeremy Gilbertson