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Amazon (AMZN) has entered the quantum computing hardware arena, introducing its first quantum computing chip, dubbed Ocelot. The announcement came approximately a week after rival Microsoft (MSFT) revealed its initial chip dedicated to this burgeoning technology sector.
The Ocelot chip is designed to significantly reduce the expenses associated with quantum error correction. According to Amazon Web Services (AWS), its cloud computing platform, the chip can potentially decrease these costs by up to 90% when compared to existing solutions.
Quantum chips are crucial components, enabling quantum computers to perform operations at speeds that significantly surpass conventional computers, while also consuming considerably less energy. However, despite recent advancements, practical, broadly useful quantum computers are still several years away.
In early January, Nvidia (NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang suggested that the world may need to wait more than 15 years before seeing truly practical quantum computers. Google’s parent company, Alphabet (GOOGL), introduced its quantum computing chip, Willow, in December. Alphabet noted that the Willow chip marked just the second of six key steps in its quantum computing roadmap.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has expressed confidence that its Majorana 1 chip could accelerate the development of quantum computers capable of addressing “meaningful, industrial-scale problems.” Microsoft anticipates these solutions could arrive within years, rather than decades.
Even with Amazon’s announcement, the Ocelot chip is still in the prototype phase. Oskar Painter, AWS’s director of Quantum Hardware, stated, “We’re just getting started and we believe we have several more stages of scaling to go through.” He added, “It’s a very tough problem to tackle.”
Amazon’s shares saw little movement on Thursday morning, though the stock has shown approximately a 23% increase over the preceding year.
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