The Quantum Pontiff

Dan Reed has a brief note up about a new group at Microsoft the extreme computing group (XCG) which includes among its subject areas quantum computing:

XCG was formed in June 2009 with the goal of developing radical new approaches to ultrascale and high-performance computing hardware and software. The group’s research activities include work in computer security, cryptography, operating system design, parallel programming models, cloud software, data center architectures, specialty hardware accelerators and quantum computing.

Also in the news here. Microsoft, of course, has long had a toe in quantum computing, with Microsoft station Q in Santa Barbara investigating topological quantum computing and related models. Hopefully this bodes well for continued Microsoft investing in that most extreme of computational models (okay computing with closed timelike curves is probably even more extreme!), quantum computing.

Comments

#1 David
June 15, 2009

Ohhh, the subtext… that you follow up the post about dark projects, black holes if you will, with a post referring to closed-timelike curves. You and your durnfangled subliminal mind control.
#2 Dave Bacon
June 15, 2009

If the gov is working on building a closed timelike computer, I want in
#3 Pieter Kok
June 15, 2009

I hope Microsoft is working on closed timelike curves. Then they can patch their software before it goes to market.

(He shoots, he scores…)
#4 mick
June 15, 2009

Is that like computing to do with skateboarding, snowboarding, and jumping out of aeroplanes or something?

Will their motto be: “If you want the ultimate, you’ve got to be willing to pay the ultimate price. It’s not tragic to die doing what you love.”?

(Eternal respect to those who know what movie that quote comes from within 30 seconds without googling it – and who have the guts to admit to that fact )
#5 Michael J. Biercuk
June 18, 2009

Just imagine how worthless a quantum computer made/supported by *Microsoft* would be. What’s the quantum replacement for the blue screen of death? or the constant updates? Someone more clever than I needs to come up with a good answer…Maybe something about a blue screen of Schrodinger’s cat?
#6 John Sidles
June 18, 2009

What’s the quantum replacement for the blue screen of death?

Easy — it’s any quantum computation that can be simulated with PSPACE/PTIME classical resources.
#7 Jonathan Vos Post
June 19, 2009

Global replace “Microsoft’s extreme computing group” with “Microsoft’s extreme computing quantum group” — and “Blue Screen of Death” with “Blue Screen of Hopf.”

http://sbseminar.wordpress.com/2007/10/07/group-hopf-algebra/