Intel's 1st Step Towards A Quantum Computer We Can Buy Is A Chip That Looks Like A CD Cover

Quantum computers are the key to unlock the mysteries of the universe with its blazing-fast computing power. However, it is as complicated as it is fast.

In case you remember Google¡¯s quantum computer -- it was full of wires everywhere and looked very alien. However, popular CPU maker Intel has created a chip that is supposed to simplify that.

The chip is called Horse-Ridge that has taken the cables and wires and fused it into a small chip that is no bigger than a CD cover. Even though quantum computing is far from being commercially available like regular computers that we purchase today, this marks the first step in that direction for quantum computers.

Due to the blazing fast processing power of quantum computers, they are known to generate a ton of heat. This is why quantum computers are placed in a refrigerated room in temperatures below zero -- a temperature where normal computers would fail to function entirely.

The name ¡®Horse Ridge¡¯ isn¡¯t randomly picked by Intel. The chip is named after Horse Ridge -- a place in Oregon, USA, which is one of the coldest areas in the country.

Jim Clarke, Director of Quantum Hardware at Intel said in a statement, ¡°While there has been a lot of emphasis on the qubits themselves, the ability to control many qubits at the same time had been a challenge for the industry. With Horse Ridge, Intel has developed a scalable control system that will allow us to significantly speed up testing and realise the potential of quantum computing.¡±

Recently, Google researchers state that they have achieved 'quantum supremacy' with its Sycamore quantum computer that had broken through huge milestones of computing. As per statements made by researchers, Sycamore is capable of conducting a task in 200 seconds which would take 10,000 years on a traditional system.