一种可以弥合经典计算和量子计算之间鸿沟的新芯片

一种可以弥合经典计算和量子计算之间鸿沟的新芯片

Quantum computers exist today, although they're limited, cut-down versions of what we hope fully blown quantum computers are going to be able to do in the future.

量子计算机今天已经存在，尽管它们是有限的，我们希望完全成熟的量子计算机在未来能够做的事情的精简版本。

But now, researchers have developed hardware for a 'probabilistic computer' – a device that might be able to bridge the gap between genuine quantum computers and the standard PCs and Macs we have today.

但现在，研究人员已经为“概率计算机”开发了硬件，这种设备可能能够弥合真正的量子计算机与我们现在拥有的标准PC和Mac之间的差距。

The special trick that a probabilistic computer can do is to solve quantum problems without actually going quantum, as it were. It does this using a p-bit, which the team behind this research describes as a "poor man's qubit".

概率计算机的特别之处在于，它可以解决量子问题，而不需要真正的量子。它使用p位来实现这一点，这项研究背后的团队将其描述为“穷人的量子位”。

Whereas classical computing bits can store either a 1 or a 0, qubits can be both at the same time, thanks to the laws of quantum computing – and that means a big leap in processing power. A p-bit, meanwhile, can only be a 1 or a 0, but they can switch between those two states very, very quickly.

虽然经典的计算位可以存储1或0，但由于量子计算定律，量子位可以同时存储1或0，这意味着处理能力的巨大飞跃。与此同时，p位只能是1或0，但它们可以在这两种状态之间快速切换。

By carefully controlling these fluctuations, scientists can tackle calculations of a kind that are generally considered to be quantum computing problems, but without an actual quantum computer.

通过小心地控制这些波动，科学家可以解决通常被认为是量子计算问题的计算，但没有实际的量子计算机。

As an added bonus, p-bits work at room temperature, whereas qubits need super-cold conditions to operate properly, so they're easier to adapt into existing computers.

额外的好处是，p位在室温下工作，而量子位需要超冷的条件才能正常工作，所以它们更容易适应现有的计算机。

"There is a useful subset of problems solvable with qubits that can also be solved with p-bits," says electrical and computer engineer Supriyo Datta,from Purdue University in Indiana. "You might say that a p-bit is a 'poor man's qubit'."

印第安纳州普渡大学的电气和计算机工程师Supriyo Datta说:“量子位可以解决的问题中有一个有用的子集也可以用p位来解决。”“你可能会说p位是‘穷人的量子位’。”

This probabilistic computer and its p-bits represents some sort of middle ground between the two. The researchers suggest that fully realised p-bit machines would handle integer factorisation and similar problems using less space and energy than today's computers.

这个概率计算机和它的p位代表了两者之间的某种中间地带。研究人员认为，与今天的计算机相比，完全实现的p位计算机可以处理整数因子分解和类似的问题，占用的空间和能量更少。

This machine is going to have to be scaled up and refined further to be of practical use, but the researchers think those advancements might not be too far off. These devices can then take over from classical computers for certain problems, until the quantum computing revolution finally arrives.

这台机器还需要进一步扩大和改进，才能真正投入使用，但研究人员认为，这些进步可能不会太遥远。这些设备可以取代传统计算机处理某些问题，直到量子计算革命最终到来。

Scientists are making progress, but there's still some way to go before qubits are stable and practical enough to actually run the sums we need them to run and to scale up properly. Making qubits and connecting them together remains a tough challenge.

科学家们正在取得进展，但要使量子位元足够稳定和实用，以实际运行我们所需要的和，并适当地扩大，还有很长的路要走。制造量子位元并将它们连接起来仍然是一个艰巨的挑战。

The research has been published in Nature.

这项研究已发表在《自然》杂志上。