Leap (service of quantum computings)

2018: Start of service

In October, 2018 the Canadian company D-Wave Systems started the free cloud service providing access to quantum computings. The product under the name Leap is not the first in own way — earlier Internet access to the to expensive quantum computers was opened by IBM and Rigetti.  These companies develop more universal systems, but with the smaller number of qubits, than at D-Wave.

Everyone, having registered on the website Leap, gets access to capacities of the D-Wave 2000Q quantum computer which is physically located in the company headquarters in the suburb of Vancouver.

Though use of service is limited minute in a month, clients will be able to manage to solve for milliseconds some problems, such as factorization of large numbers, optimization of routes or calculation of molecular structures with which normal computers cope only for several days or weeks. Quantum computers code information in qubits, providing the mass and parallel calculation based on purely quantum effects.^[1]

The free cloud service for quantum computings of Leap from D-Wave company is started

D-Wave uses cloud infrastructure of Amazon for work of the website Leap and data transmission between users and the quantum computer.

D-Wave counted that each free minute of work with quantum computings will be enough to start from 400 to 4000 tasks every month. If desired developers can pay $2 thousand in an hour of access to the quantum computer of times a month. The cost of the computer is about $15 million.

Specialized tests of the calculator, according to in D-Wave company, showed his superiority over classical processors by 1000-10 000 times, over the 2500-core video card — by 100 times. 

It is interesting to note that the processor has the size no more nail — the most part of the three-meter calculator is occupied by the cooling system. Superconducting qubits — over 128 thousand  Josephson contacts are the cornerstone of the processor. For their reliable work and maintenance of a coherent status a system  is cooled  up to the temperature of 15 millikelvin — "more cold", than in an outer space. 

We want that hundreds of thousands or millions of developers got access to technology of quantum computings to understand them and to create applications — the director of the software and cloud services of D-Wave Murray Thom said.

In addition to access to computing powers D-Wave 2000Q, Leap service provides documentation, the training videos and materials and also an opportunity to communicate to community of developers of quantum technologies.

D-Wave also offers developers the open SDK tools under the name Ocean allowing to create applications and to solve different problems on the basis of quantum computings. For developers the special forum where they can exchange councils is created and share the written codes.

It is expected that each program developed using the open Ocean project and distributed for free will be provided to community. It is necessary to integrate developers and to allow them to create network of support among themselves — Tom noted.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) purchased the D-Wave 2000Q quantum computer for own researches earlier and also for sale of its computing opportunities to third-party clients. So, at the end of September, 2018 the car maker Ford signed about the NASA contract worth $100 thousand for use of resources of the quantum computer for researches of pilotless machines.^[2]

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