AWS Launches Ocelot Chip
AWS has launched Ocelot, its first quantum computing chip, positioning itself among industry leaders. Developed with Caltech, Ocelot promises to reduce error correction costs by up to 90%.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has launched Ocelot, its first quantum computing chip. This news places AWS among the major competitors in the cloud sector, such as Microsoft and Google, which have recently unveiled their own quantum chips, respectively Majorana and Willow. AWS has been investing in quantum computing since 2019 when it launched Braket, a quantum computing-as-a-service in partnership with industry players like QuEra and Rigetti.
Quantum computing is based on principles from quantum mechanics, using 'quantum bits' (qubits) to perform complex calculations faster than traditional computers. Potential applications of quantum computing include drug discovery, cryptography, security, and artificial intelligence. One of the main challenges for the advancement of quantum computing is building chips that can operate with reduced errors, a central issue for the future of quantum computing.
Ocelot was developed in partnership with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and integrates two stacked silicon microchips. According to AWS, the chip's design could reduce error-correction costs by up to 90%. Oskar Painter, AWS's director of quantum hardware, stated that with recent advancements in quantum research, it is no longer a question of 'if', but 'when' practical, fault-tolerant quantum computers will be available for real-world applications.
