No, we don't have a perfect understanding of what's going on.
The qubit processor is like an intermediate step, instead of a traditional processor, the grunt of the work of special problems is handled by the qubit chip.
The data is put in and the results are as expected, but they are not as fast as modern computers, so now the challenge is figuring out if different types of calculations can increase that performance or what can be done to improve the chip or other methods.
The machine itself seems so simple though from a visible hardware perspective, most of the D-Wave Two is just to keep the main chip cool and shielded.
It's just experimenting right now. The internet was probably dismissed by many because of it's enormous expense to implement, but the value could be envisioned by many and it paid off.
There is potential for future versions of these quantum computers to be able to solve problems that massive amounts of supercomputers would have trouble solving, and the energy usage is enormously less (same for a small calculation as a huge calculation).
Encryption is one thing that could be hurt by this technology. Instead of millions of years to crack encryption it might be solvable instantly. That's all just what I remember reading about the subject, there's plenty of information out there that's probably more reliable that my babble.
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No, we don't have a perfect understanding of what's going on.
The qubit processor is like an intermediate step, instead of a traditional processor, the grunt of the work of special problems is handled by the qubit chip.
The data is put in and the results are as expected, but they are not as fast as modern computers, so now the challenge is figuring out if different types of calculations can increase that performance or what can be done to improve the chip or other methods.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKUZ6IuJyHw
The machine itself seems so simple though from a visible hardware perspective, most of the D-Wave Two is just to keep the main chip cool and shielded.
It's just experimenting right now. The internet was probably dismissed by many because of it's enormous expense to implement, but the value could be envisioned by many and it paid off.
There is potential for future versions of these quantum computers to be able to solve problems that massive amounts of supercomputers would have trouble solving, and the energy usage is enormously less (same for a small calculation as a huge calculation).
Encryption is one thing that could be hurt by this technology. Instead of millions of years to crack encryption it might be solvable instantly. That's all just what I remember reading about the subject, there's plenty of information out there that's probably more reliable that my babble.