News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
There was a time, not so long ago, when computers were so large, they occupied entire rooms. Today, some processing units can come as small as a few specks of dust. Even next to a grain of rice, these stacks of micrometer-sized chips look infinitesimal. Shrinking computer batteries to fit that size, however, has proved … Read more
Both quantum computing and machine learning have been touted as the next big computer revolution for a fair while now. However, experts have pointed out that these techniques aren’t generalized tools – they will only be the great leap forward in computer power for very specialized algorithms, and even more rarely will they be able … Read more
Current quantum computers are highly prone to errors, making them unlikely to be of practical use, but an artificial intelligence that spots and fixes mistakes could help Technology 10 February 2022 By Matthew Sparkes Quantum computers are still error-prone Bartlomiej K. Wroblewski / Alamy Current quantum computers make too many errors to ever be truly … Read more
Bitcoin is theoretically vulnerable to being cracked by quantum computers, but calculations show they would need to be a million times larger than those that exist today Technology 25 January 2022 By Matthew Sparkes Bitcoin could one day be threatened by quantum computers – but not yet blackdovfx/Getty Images Quantum computers would need to become … Read more
It took just one virus to cripple the world’s economy and kill millions of people; yet virologists estimate that trillions of still-unknown viruses exist, many of which might be lethal or have the potential to spark the next pandemic. Now, they have a new—and very long—list of possible suspects to interrogate. By sifting through unprecedented … Read more
A major milestone has just been reached in quantum computing. Three separate teams around the world have passed the 99 percent accuracy threshold for silicon-based quantum computing, placing error-free quantum operations within tantalizing grasp. In Australia, a team led by physicist Andrea Morello of the University of New South Wales achieved 99.95 percent accuracy … Read more
Random numbers – a vital part of encryption – are hard for computers to generate, but a new trick turns memory chips into a source of random noise Technology 11 January 2022 By Matthew Sparkes A DRAM memory chip on a circuit board B Christopher / Alamy Computers struggle to create randomness, but a new … Read more
By Matthew Sparkes Google’s Sycamore quantum processor is one of the most advanced Peter Kneffel/dpa/Alamy A POWERFUL quantum computer could crack encryption and solve problems that classical machines find impossible. Although no one has yet succeeded in building such a device, recently we have seen a gathering pace of progress – so could 2022 be … Read more