Quantinuum claims quantum computing breakthrough. The CEO said commercial applications are in progress.

Quantinuum, JPMorgan Chase and other collaborators, including two federally supported research labs, said Wednesday that they have demonstrated the reality-realistic application of quantum computers.

In a paper published in Nature, researchers claimed they were the first to mathematically prove that they produced “true randomness.” They point out that the generation of random numbers can be used to encrypt and crack complex mathematical problems.

To achieve what is called “authentication randomness,” JPMorgan Chase’s cybersecurity experts wrote an algorithm for quantum machines to generate random numbers, which they then run on Quantinuum computers.

The researchers used 56 Qubit Quantinuum system model H2, which found one of the most powerful quantum processing units on the market in an earlier study.

The team also used classic supercomputers to test if the output was truly random, including a familiar output: Frontier of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, the same machine D-Wave used in his research earlier this month.

The researchers rely on a method called random circuit sampling to execute a certified random expansion protocol that is more random than input, something that classical computers cannot achieve.

The latest developments mean that Quantinuum can add its name to the list of companies that claim to exhibit quantum supremacy, which is achieved by achieving feats without traditional computers in real life.

Quantinuum CEO Rajeeb Hazra emphasized in an interview with Barron that the company’s approach is to be “very open” and “disclose everything so that we can do peer reviews.”

“There has been a lot of noise about quantum computing over the past six months,” Hazra said, including debates about a broad timetable for commercial-level quantum deployments. He continued: “But it’s a year to raise the facts or escape. As far as the things needed to succeed in this business are concerned, the relics and the things that don’t will be separated.”

D-Wave, after the next-generation Advantage2 computers earlier this month, completed a material simulation task in just 20 minutes, Shockwaves passed the industry earlier this month, which will bring HPE’s boundary to nearly a million years.

Some scientists have raised questions about D-Wave’s claims, and the resulting collapse reminds people that there is no research and no controversy. This includes Quantinuum’s latest achievements.

Computer scientist Scott Aaronson first proposed a certified randomness protocol in 2018, identifying several “warnings” in his blog post. Quantinuum’s achievement, “Although impressive from the perspective of demonstrating quantum supremacy with captured ions, it’s not good enough for high-stakes crypto applications,” Anderson wrote.

Aaronson is also a collaborator in this article, and he temporarily exists that “one has “actual security” or security against a series of simplified but realistic attackers.”

The study authors have anticipated limitations, noting in this article that the results “prove a step towards the practical applicability of today’s quantum computers” but are not commercially applicable yet.

These nuances often lose investors. NVIDIA GTC’s Quantum Day after Quantum Day, when details about the massive deployment schedule failed to be realized during the meeting.

Speaking to Barron on Thursday, Aaronson urged investors to remember that quantum computing is still under development and is rooted in the principles of scientific discovery.

This technology can increase the speed of classical computing when it comes to destroying certain types of encryption and modeling quantum physics and chemistry. These advancements may be where the advantages of the present end.

“For other areas such as optimization, machine learning and finance, despite efforts to put this in a difficult situation, the acceleration of quantum seems to be more moderate at the moment,” Aaronson said.

He stressed that the generation of certified random bits is a potential application, “not even anyone’s radar ten years ago.”

“It emphasizes that basic research on quantum algorithms and complexity continues, and that the biggest impact of quantum computers may be something we haven’t even talked about,” Aaronson said.

Write to Mackenzie Tatananni in mackenzie.tatananni@barrons.com