Google has an existing partnership with NASA and the Universities Space Research Association. This consortium is behind the Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab, which studies and develops technologies that contribute to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning systems.
For NASA, the initiative contributes to generating better mission-control supports, according to Engadget.
On Monday, the consortium got a massive boost when when Canadian quantum computing company D-Wave announced in a press release a multi-year agreement to install D-Wave 2X hardware at NASA's Ames Research Centet in Moffett Field, Calif., as part of the consortium.
The new technology has more than 1,000 qubits (double the capability of its previous iteration), making it the most powerful computer of its kind, The Verge reported. What has been clear so far is that the immense computing power will help Google and NASA with their optimization problems.
"Through research at NASA Ames, we hope to demonstrate that quantum computing and quantum algorithms may someday dramatically improve our ability to solve difficult optimization problems for missions in aeronautics, Earth and space sciences, and space exploration," said Eugene Tu, center director at NASA's Ames Research Center, according to Popular Science.
Quantum computing receives a lot of attention these days due to its capability to provide exponential bursts of computing power. It also operates within a radically different setup. For instance, the processor must be embedded in a hardware system that is capable of running in extremely cold temperature. The ideal number is less than 15 millikelvin, which is equated to a temperature colder than outer space, according to The Verge.
Watch the current quantum computing technology in action below.
