Scientists Design First Blueprints for an Ultra-Powerful Quantum Computer to Solve Currently Unsolvable Problems

Physicists take the first step to an ultra-powerful quantum computer with the first blueprint done by using existing technology.

According to a report from Nature, a quantum computer could "solve unsolvable problems" including factoring very large numbers as well as computing certain calculations much faster. However, it's also an enormous challenge to create with costs reaching at least $126 million and a creation that's expected to be around as large as a football field.

This new actual industrial blueprint was the product of a group of international researchers from the University of Sussex in the U.K., Google in the U.S., Aarhus University in Denmark, RIKEN in Japan and Siegen University in Germany, a report from Phys Org revealed.

The key to the design is a new invention that allows quantum bits to be transmitted between individual quantum computing modules to create a fully modular, large-scale machine that can achieve very large computational processing powers. This invention has connections allowing ions to transfer from one module to another, creating connections speeds 100,000 times faster. Previous models used fiber optics connections.

"For many years, people said that it was completely impossible to construct an actual quantum computer," lead researcher and head of the Ion Quantum Technology in the University of Sussex, Winfried Hensinger, said. "With our work we have not only shown that it can be done but now we are delivering a nuts and bolts construction plan to build an actual large-scale machine."

Lead author Bjoern Lekitsch of the University of Sussex added, "It was most important to us to highlight the substantial technical challenges as well as to provide practical engineering solutions."

For the team, the next step is constructing a prototype of their design. They shared the details of their findings in the journal Science Advances.