Quantego: A Family of Lego Models of IBM Quantum Computers
quantego.org65 points by rbanffy 7 days ago
65 points by rbanffy 7 days ago
Interestingly IBM have made LEGO sets of various mainframes. I believe that they have been giving them away as prizes and such, there is also a few other companies with LEGO sets listed on the page as well: https://domjant.hu/bricks/
Shame there's no lego model with the dangly bits showing.
I guess these are the kind of updates we are getting on Quantum Computing these days ^^'
These are all just models of the cryostats and classical computer interfaces used to cool and read out from the quantum computing devices. These are not the quantum computing devices themselves.
(Before anyone starts. Yes, the read out is essential, but room temperature devices are coming to the forefront now so no the cryostat is not a compulsory part of the QC setup.)
I saw a tour take place at my facility whereby a man pointed at an empty cryostat and said "Wow, a quantum computer". None of us had the heart to tell him otherwise.
As somebody involved in the design of quantum computers (specifically, the architecture of the circuitry on the microchip), you're technically correct. But you're also so wrong. The best lego model of a microchip is the piece #4211415.
The cryostat is the cool part (pun intended) that people want to build models of.
The cryostat is the most visually impressive part, to be fair.
That's the cool chandelier looking thing, for anyone reading. It's a multi-stage cooler and the actual computer mounts to the bottom. I think the reason it's upside-down is that the liquid phase of the refrigerant medium is the cold part, and gravity holds it where it needs to be. They could probably engineer one that works in any orientation but there's no reason to.
IBM’s Quantum System One was a marvel of design exploiting the cryostat in a mirrored container. An absolutely impressive piece of hardware.
Sounds like a bikeshedding project of some QC researcher.
Builder Andrew Eylar built the Red Room of the IBM building on king street in Lego, which I thought was cool:
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I would be curious to hear your reasoning behind such a strong view. If you have an email address, happy to hear them privately.
I work in the field to some extent, although more closely on photonic computing, and would agree there is a majority of snake oil in the field. Yet that's the case with any field above a certain size that has recently become the latest buzzword. Just look at AI.
There most certainly are people with valuable contributions in the field, that will eventually change how we are able to analyse the world around us. We are a long way from that but these steps are the start to the end goal in 10's of years from now.
Whether you are considered a "scammer", greatly depends on what side of it. I do feel there are people who are scammers in the field, as well as people who aren't smart enough to realise how unrealistic their plan is, who are then funded by people even less qualified to state how unrealistic the plan is. Basically, a Theranos situation again. Again, this also applies to so many other companies including AI.
just move into silicon photonics. tons of potential there.
the claims that there will be sudden jumps by orders of magnitude in computing power are damaging to the trust in cryptography and divert attention from the real work that moves the fields of semiconductors and cryptography forwards.
it is arrogant towards the people that create real value because it frames the real tech as obsolete.
i see everyone involved in this pseudoscientific scam industry as the enemy. The credibility of this field and everyone involved will only drop from here.
Well yes but quantum computing and silicon photonics are not entirely separate fields. Photonic computing can still enable introduction of algorithms that utilise quantum properties.
I would agree that some claims are lies or misguided, however yes with the right algorithmic processes, these devices can affect current security of cryptography one day. That doesn't mean their work was worthless but like everything, things progress. It's not obsolete, it's been built on.
The industry shouldn't be fabricating claims but the industry that is honest of which there are many, do not need to protect other industries. Fabrication happens in every industry.
Tech is only obsolete if you aren't inventive of how to repurpose it.
the whole "industry" is a fabrication.
you use pseudoscientific aesthetics to steal money from taxpayers and the stock market. Non of this will ever produce real economic value.
> That doesn't mean their work was worthless but like everything, things progress.
what an obscene claim. Some things are not progress they are just fraud. You are peddling modern day alchemy. That "one day" it would affect the price of gold never came.
Your stuff is ivory tower theoretical research. You shouldn't be allowed to stand here and make "predictions" that one day you will make gold from lead.
in the next few years people like you will not be allowed to make your fraudulent claims without pushback. Credibility for this "industry" is only going down as you are unable to deliver.
Quantum and Photonic computing functionally works. You can go to many labs and see it in action producing results. As I stated in my original post I think it's a decade plus to get to where it states but that doesn't mean everything is fraud. Because you can't recoqnise that it is functioning and showing progress that doesn't mean it isn't.
Your skepticism is valid to some extent with some implementations but your background knowledge doesn't support your theory and clearly hasn't seen the results first hand (which is understandable of course unless you work in research in that field).
I am very curious why your point of view is expressed in this manner. It feels as if you were in a field that is now recieving less funding due to QC and PC.
It feels as if you are collating all work with any mention of quantum as one which it isn't. Also it feels as if you are assuming quantum computing is exclusively focused on brute force algorithm cryptography cracking which again it isn't. Quantum computing is exclusively any form of computing that utilizes quantum theory to manipulate data. That's not automatically "better" just more effective for certain circumstances.
There are already real world examples of quantum computing methods utilising photons that can perform security jobs that classical computing simply couldn't do especially in relation to photon pairs.
Not snake oil, just engineering and physics.
no it doesnt. recent ibm "quantum computer was replaced with random number generator and ran faster. It is just random noise that gets "error corrected" by real normal computers.
"Not snake oil, just engineering and physics." take your scam somewhere else ai bot.
you are a scammer and you should be ashamed of yourself. Stop perpetuating your lies, your credibility will be gone soon. better to stay far away from this fraudulent field
Firstly I would say I agree with you that there most certainly are major companies that enhance their results. I would be curious to read the paper or proof of the IBM quantum computer issues.
However the readout is always done by a classical computer at the moment. We aren't at the stage where we have an integrated system that can use photonic chip say from start to finish. That's not a sign it's fraudulent, that's just the stage we are at.
Secondly, there are fraudulent claims in every area of research or enhanced claims, that doesn't mean none of the science is valid.
What's your background here?
"What's your background here?" you want to play status games to advance your fraudulent "industry"?
the audacity.
The stage we are at and that we will never leave is that quantum "computers" are just sources of very expensive random noise.
there is no credible path towards leaving this stage.
The only response to that is an appeal to "authority". It is becoming more and more apparent that only low quality "show man" type people are left in this clown "industry". Trumps endorsement with the white house push for "quantum" might be the last nail in the coffin.
There is no money coming into this field without practically useful results and there wont be any.
A few billion through penny stock scams a few billion through government grant graft. What a sad little show. Only stupid people and conman types will join this "field"