The famous Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab is getting some powerful new hardware. A joint project between Google, NASA, and the Universities Space Research Association, the Quantum AI Lab today announced a multiyear agreement to install a D-Wave 2X, a state-of-the-art quantum processor released earlier this year. With over 1,000 qubits, the machine is the most powerful computer of its kind, and will be put to work tackling difficult optimization problems for both Google and NASA.
The fragility of the qubits also means the computer’s processor can only operate at extremely cold temperatures. The 2X’s standard operating temperature is less than 15 millikelvin, a temperature far colder than outer space.
Read more at The Verge