Quantum Computing Coming. What Can it do?

Good overview in the HBR.  Emerging investments.  Emphasizes combinatorics, as has been seen since the beginning.

Quantum Computing Is Coming. What Can It Do?   by Francesco Bova, Avi Goldfarb, and Roger Melko

Summary.   Digital computing has limitations in regards to an important category of calculation called combinatorics, in which the order of data is important to the optimal solution. These complex, iterative calculations can take even the fastest computers a long time to...more

Quantum technology is approaching the mainstream. Goldman Sachs recently announced that they could introduce quantum algorithms to price financial instruments in as soon as five years. Honeywell anticipates that quantum will form a $1 trillion industry in the decades ahead. But why are firms like Goldman taking this leap — especially with commercial quantum computers being possibly years away?

To understand what’s going on, it’s useful to take a step back and examine what exactly it is that computers do.  ... ' 

Honeywell Quantum Spinoff

More quantum spin offs and directions.   Here Honeywell is involved.

Honeywell to Spin Off Quantum Unit in Merger With Software Firm  By Thomas Black

June 8, 2021, 1:13 PM EDT

Honeywell to invest up to $300 million in new computer entity

Quantum computing spinoff is likely to sell shares to public

Honeywell International Inc. plans to spin off its quantum computing business and merge it with a software firm to form a new company that is likely to trade publicly.

Honeywell will own a 54% stake of the venture after combining the business with Cambridge Quantum Computing Ltd., a London-based specialized software firm that will own the remaining 46%. Honeywell has committed to investing up to $300 million in the company, which may seek to sell shares to the public, said Tony Uttley, who heads Honeywell’s quantum computing business and will be president of the new entity.

“We are setting up this company to accelerate. This is truly about hyper-scaling,” Uttley said in an interview Tuesday. “You put the capital in now and grow massively.”  .... ' 

Quantum Software, Hardware Seeding the Market

 Good review of what quantum players and users are looking for in the market.  Despite the early days.

Quantum Computing Hardware, Software Players Seeding the Market   By John P. Desmond, AI Trends Editor  

While quantum computing is seen by most as futuristic, not quite out of the research lab, German automaker BMW is putting quantum computing into practice, one of the first real world uses of the technology.  

BMW is using a Honeywell quantum computer to find more efficient ways to purchase the many components that go into its vehicles, according to a recent account in cnet. 

Honeywell recently made its quantum computers available as a service, through the use of Honeywell Quantum Credits, representing the size of a quantum computational job run on the system. The number of HQCs required to run a given computation is determined by a formula that considers the number of single- and two-qubit gates, measurement operations, and shots (circuit repetitions), according to Honeywell.  

BMW seeks to determine which components should be purchased from which supplier and at what time, to ensure the lowest cost while maintaining production schedules. One supplier might be faster and another might have a lower price for a given component, for example. The machine will optimize the choices from a range of options and sub-options.  

Julius Marcea, a BMW Group IT chief

“We are excited to investigate the transformative potential of quantum computing on the automotive industry and are committed to extending the limits of engineering performance,” said Julius Marcea, a BMW Group IT chief, in a statement. 

BMW started evaluating quantum computing in 2018, according to Marcea, and the company has many ideas for its application. It could improve battery chemistry in electric vehicles, and calculate the best places to install charging stations, and address a range of requirements in design and manufacturing, from cost and safety to aerodynamics and durability.   .... " 

IBM and Quantum Computing

 IBM seeing the future of quantum computing.

IBM unveils ambitious plan for quantum computing software  By Jeremy Kahn in Fortune

The company wants to make it easier for programmers to use the new technology without having to understand the physics behind it.

IBM has unveiled an ambitious plan to speed widespread adoption of quantum computing by introducing simpler programming tools within the next five years.

The new software development plan, announced Thursday, is a complement to a quantum computing hardware “road map” the company announced in September.

IBM is among a number of companies racing to develop quantum computers, machines that harness the bizarre properties of quantum physics to perform calculations. This enables them to, at least in theory, perform calculations that even today’s largest conventional supercomputers can’t solve in a reasonable time period, as well as to significantly lessen the amount of time it takes to perform other hard computing tasks.   .... " 

BMW Aims to Manufacture with Quantum

BMW looking at nimbler process control for manufacturing.  Embedded is a prediction for use within the next two years.

BMW Takes First Steps Into Quantum Computing Revolution

CNet, Stephen Shankland, January 27, 2021

BMW is using a Honeywell quantum computer to determine which vehicle components to purchase from which supplier at what time, in order to maintain its production schedules while holding down costs. The quantum computer optimizes the automaker’s choices from numerous options and suboptions. While this marks one of the first real-world uses of quantum computing, BMW's Julius Marcea noted, "Our experts anticipate that it will take some more years until real quantum computers can be used for commercial benefit." Honeywell's Tony Uttley said within the next two years, quantum computers will be able to solve optimization problems classical computers cannot handle. ....

Honeywell Provides Quantum as a Service

More available services for quantum available.

Honeywell Introduces Quantum Computing as a Service with Subscription Offering  By ZDNet

The tech world may have to make room for a new acronym, perhaps qubits-as-a-service, QaaS, or some such, as Honeywell has introduced what appears to be the first subscription-based plan for quantum computing usage.

With the introduction Thursday of the company's Model H1 quantum computer, with 10 qubits and a logical quantum volume of 128, the company detailed a plan to charge in a subscription fashion based on monthly access to the machines. 

Quantum computers offer great promise for cryptography and optimization problems. ZDNet explores what quantum computers will and won't be able to do, and the challenges we still face

The subscriber license gives a company access over the course of a month to blocks of "dedicated time," in two different flavors, standard and premium, with eight hours per month of dedicated time or sixteen hours, respectively.     ..."

Honeywell Talks Future of Quantum Computing

Honeywell gives a non technical (but necessarily incomplete) view of the state and future of quantum computing. And they are apparently bullish on its future.  Note mention of their work with Microsoft on the topic.

The Future of Quantum Computing
The three things you will want to know about the technology
It's time — quantum computing is going from something that's theoretical to practical. And it's on its way to having real impact. 

A new partnership between Microsoft’s Azure Quantum and Honeywell offers another way for organizations across the globe to be introduced to quantum computing.

“The era of quantum computing is just beginning, and we are looking forward to bringing that capability to a broader audience,” said Tony Uttley, president of Honeywell Quantum Solutions.

Here are three to know:  

1.     What’s a ‘qubit’ and how it works

Computers traditionally use bits to process information. But quantum computing depends on bits that have properties of quantum physics – called qubits.

Traditional computing bits are either “0” or “1,” but qubits can be in both states at the same time, a quantum property called superposition.

Another quantum property, called entanglement, allows for qubits to be quantum mechanically connected to other qubits in the system.

As a result, quantum computers leverage entanglement and superposition to solve previously impossible computational problems.  ...    (More at link) .... '

IBM Hits Quantum Volume of 64 in Deployed System

How useful is this for real problems in context?  Looking for some write up on that and will report here.  Statement of volume metric below is useful.   Note this is a 6 Cubit system.

IBM hits new quantum computing milestone
The company has achieved a Quantum Volume of 64 in one of its client-deployed systems, putting it on par with a Honeywell quantum computer.

By Stephanie Condon for Between the Lines  reported in ZDT

' .... IBM on Thursday announced it's reached a new quantum computing milestone, hitting its highest Quantum Volume to date. Using a 27-qubit client-deployed system, IBM achieved a Quantum Volume of 64. 

Quantum Volume is a metric that determines how powerful a quantum computer is. It measures the length and complexity of quantum circuits, the building blocks of quantum applications. Just two months ago, Honeywell similarly announced it had a quantum computer running client jobs with a Quantum Volume of 64. Honeywell reached the milestone with just a 6-qubit system. 

IBM's previous Quantum Volume milestone, announced in January, was 32. The company said it reached a Quantum Volume of 64 through a series of new software and hardware techniques applied to a system already deployed within the IBM Q Network, a network of developers and industry professionals designed to collectively advance quantum computing.  ... " 

Honeywell Introduces a Quantum Computer

Somewhat unexpected, but the announced major client makes it seem serious.  Trading strategies are a kind of process and decision making approach that will be good to follow to see ow Quantum will help.

Honeywell to Roll Out Quantum Computer
The Wall Street Journal
Sara Castellanos
March 3, 2020

Honeywell will introduce an early-stage quantum computer for commercial experiments within about three months, with JPMorgan Chase as the first public user. The new machine is expected to be the world's most powerful quantum computer, based on its expected quantum volume (a measure of the performance of a quantum system) of at least 64. Honeywell’s Tony Uttley anticipates the technology will be used by organizations interested in developing new materials or new trading strategies for financial services, or by those looking to speed up calculations. Marco Pistoia of JPMorgan Chase said he expects to use quantum computing to speed up computing-intensive calculations, including Monte Carlo simulations, which are commonly used to calculate the theoretical value of an option. Quantum computing could also be used in portfolio optimization.  ... "   .... '

Robots Unloading Trucks

Classic problem, closer to solution.   Its surprising that this problem of solving the problem of dealing with relative disorder.  Another step forward.

Robots Edge Closer to Unloading Trucks in Amazon-Era Milestone in SupplyChainBrain

As FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service Inc. beef up automation to keep pace with surging e-commerce and a potential threat from Amazon.com Inc., they’ve been stumped at a crucial stage: loading and unloading trucks.

Robot makers are getting close to solving part of that puzzle.

Siemens AG and Honeywell International Inc. have built machines that pull packages from the back of a tractor-trailer and place them on conveyor belts, whizzing the parcels off for sorting. Making robots that can load trucks is more complicated, although clearing that hurdle isn’t far off.

“The biggest challenge in our world is: Every single package is different in size, shape, weight, color, material,” said Ted Dengel, managing director of operations technology at FedEx’s ground-delivery unit. “It makes it a very tricky problem.”

The devices, unveiled at a recent automation conference in Chicago, hold out the promise of increasing productivity while reducing the need for one of the most grueling jobs in logistics. Couriers are relying on automation to grapple with the rise of online shopping, which is fueling record demand but pressuring profit margins. Amazon’s plan to handle more of its own shipping and offer more one-day deliveries is only upping the ante. .... " 

Honeywell Launches Alexa Thermostat

Some commercial applications of assistant capabilities are interesting to see.  Some interesting details here.

Honeywell Launches Amazon Alexa Voice-ready Thermostat for Hotels

ATLANTA – Honeywell (NYSE: HON), a global leader in connected buildings, announced the launch of its next generation thermostat for the hospitality industry. Honeywell's INNCOM e7 Thermostat (e7) is the first enterprise grade environmental control and energy management solution that incorporates Amazon Alexa voice control for an effortless guest experience that includes room temperature, lighting, drapery and amenities services. With its modern design with easy-to-use controls, the e7 is based on a patent-pending Smart Wall Plate design that provides hotel staff with an easy and reliable back-up of the device configuration. This makes routine maintenance or replacement of the e7 energy management system simple, even for other staff which helps reduce ownership costs.

The e7 automatically reduces energy costs and is compatible with most HVAC solutions and equipped for Honeywell's Connected Guest integration. Now available for installation, the e7 can maximize guest comfort, energy savings, and operational efficiency. Honeywell's INNCOM hospitality solutions are used in more than 1.5 million guestrooms around the world. .... "

IFTTT and Honeywell

Continue to be impressed about how companies are working with IFTTT data streams, most recently brought to my attention:  Honeywell.  Plus other methods using the IFTTT Open Platform.  I have several examples in operation.

From our partners: 
“IFTTT’s network of partners is so extensive that that one connection allows us to get a lot of connections to third-party devices… IFTTT gave us a way to get there very quickly and very inexpensively.”          Scott Harkins   VP, Honeywell Connected Home

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