ScienceDaily: Computer Science News
ScienceDaily: Computer Science News
Recent articles in ScienceDaily
- Scientists just simulated the “impossible” — fault-tolerant quantum code cracked at last. A multinational team has cracked a long-standing barrier to reliable quantum computing by inventing an algorithm that lets ordinary computers faithfully mimic a fault-tolerant quantum circuit built on the notoriously tricky GKP bosonic code, promising a crucial test-bed for future quantum hardware.
- Quantum computers just beat classical ones — Exponentially and unconditionally. A research team has achieved the holy grail of quantum computing: an exponential speedup that’s unconditional. By using clever error correction and IBM’s powerful 127-qubit processors, they tackled a variation of Simon’s problem, showing quantum machines are now breaking free from classical limitations, for real.
- Quantum breakthrough: ‘Magic states’ now easier, faster, and way less noisy. Quantum computing just got a significant boost thanks to researchers at the University of Osaka, who developed a much more efficient way to create "magic states" a key component for fault-tolerant quantum computers. By pioneering a low-level, or "level-zero," distillation method, they dramatically reduced the number of qubits and computational resources needed, overcoming one of the biggest obstacles: quantum noise. This innovation could accelerate the arrival of powerful quantum machines capable of revolutionizing industries from finance to biotech.
- Quantum computers just got an upgrade – and it’s 10× more efficient. Chalmers engineers built a pulse-driven qubit amplifier that’s ten times more efficient, stays cool, and safeguards quantum states—key for bigger, better quantum machines.
- MIT's tiny 5G receiver could make smart devices last longer and work anywhere. MIT scientists have built a tiny, ultra-efficient 5G receiver that can thrive in noisy wireless environments ideal for smartwatches, wearables, and sensors that need to sip power and still stay reliably connected. The chip s unique design uses clever capacitor-switch networks and barely a milliwatt of power to block interference 30 times better than typical receivers. This tech could shrink and strengthen the next generation of smart devices.
- Scientists create ‘universal translator’ for quantum tech. Scientists at UBC have devised a chip-based device that acts as a "universal translator" for quantum computers, converting delicate microwave signals to optical ones and back with minimal loss and noise. This innovation preserves crucial quantum entanglement and works both ways, making it a potential backbone for a future quantum internet. By exploiting engineered flaws in silicon and using superconducting components, the device achieves near-perfect signal translation with extremely low power use and it all fits on a chip. If realized, this could transform secure communication, navigation, and even drug discovery.
- AI at light speed: How glass fibers could replace silicon brains. Imagine supercomputers that think with light instead of electricity. That s the breakthrough two European research teams have made, demonstrating how intense laser pulses through ultra-thin glass fibers can perform AI-like computations thousands of times faster than traditional electronics. Their system doesn t just break speed records it achieves near state-of-the-art results in tasks like image recognition, all in under a trillionth of a second.
- From shortage to supremacy: How Sandia and the CHIPS Act aim to reboot US chip power. Once a global leader in chipmaking, the U.S. now lags behind. Sandia National Laboratories is spearheading a strategic comeback by joining a powerful new coalition the National Semiconductor Technology Center. Through cutting-edge research, collaborative partnerships, and workforce development, Sandia is aiming to reclaim semiconductor dominance, safeguard national security, and revolutionize tech innovation for everything from self-driving cars to AI processors.
- AI Reveals Milky Way’s Black Hole Spins Near Top Speed. AI has helped astronomers crack open some of the universe s best-kept secrets by analyzing massive datasets about black holes. Using over 12 million simulations powered by high-throughput computing, scientists discovered that the Milky Way's central black hole is spinning at nearly maximum speed. Not only did this redefine theories about black hole behavior, but it also showed that the emission is driven by hot electrons in the disk, not jets, challenging long-standing models.
- Atom-thin tech replaces silicon in the world’s first 2D computer. In a bold challenge to silicon s long-held dominance in electronics, Penn State researchers have built the world s first working CMOS computer entirely from atom-thin 2D materials. Using molybdenum disulfide and tungsten diselenide, they fabricated over 2,000 transistors capable of executing logic operations on a computer free of traditional silicon. While still in early stages, this breakthrough hints at an exciting future of slimmer, faster, and dramatically more energy-efficient electronics powered by materials just one atom thick.
- Scientists just took a big step toward the quantum internet. A team of Danish and German scientists has launched a major project to create new technology that could form the foundation of the future quantum internet. They re using a rare element called erbium along with silicon chips like the ones in our phones to produce special particles of light for ultra-secure communication and powerful computing. With cutting-edge tools like lasers and nanotech, the researchers are working to make something that didn t seem possible just a few years ago: light that can both travel long distances and remember information.
- Sharper than lightning: Oxford’s one-in-6.7-million quantum breakthrough. Physicists at the University of Oxford have set a new global benchmark for the accuracy of controlling a single quantum bit, achieving the lowest-ever error rate for a quantum logic operation--just 0.000015%, or one error in 6.7 million operations. This record-breaking result represents nearly an order of magnitude improvement over the previous benchmark, set by the same research group a decade ago.
- Photonic quantum chips are making AI smarter and greener. A team of researchers has shown that even small-scale quantum computers can enhance machine learning performance, using a novel photonic quantum circuit. Their findings suggest that today s quantum technology isn t just experimental it can already outperform classical systems in specific tasks. Notably, this photonic approach could also drastically reduce energy consumption, offering a sustainable path forward as machine learning s power needs soar.
- New quantum visualization technique to identify materials for next generation quantum computing. Scientists have developed a powerful new tool for finding the next generation of materials needed for large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computing. The significant breakthrough means that, for the first time, researchers have found a way to determine once and for all whether a material can effectively be used in certain quantum computing microchips.
- Mid-air transformation helps flying, rolling robot to transition smoothly. Engineers have developed a real-life Transformer that has the 'brains' to morph in midair, allowing the drone-like robot to smoothly roll away and begin its ground operations without pause. The increased agility and robustness of such robots could be particularly useful for commercial delivery systems and robotic explorers.
- A chip with natural blood vessels. Miniature organs on a chip could allow us to do scientific studies with great precision, without having to resort to animal testing. The main problem, however, is that artificial tissue needs blood vessels, and they are very hard to create. Now, new technology has been developed to create reproducible blood vessels using high-precision laser pulses. Tissue has been created that acts like natural tissue.
- Quantum eyes on energy loss: Diamond quantum imaging for next-gen power electronics. Diamond quantum sensors can be used to analyze the magnetization response of soft magnetic materials used in power electronics; report scientists based on collaborative research. Using a novel imaging technique, they developed quantum protocols to simultaneously image both the amplitude and phase of AC stray fields over a wide frequency range up to 2.3 MHz. Their results demonstrate that quantum sensing is a powerful tool for developing advanced magnetic materials across diverse applications.
- Efficiency upgrade for OLED screens: A route to blue PHOLED longevity. Blue phosphorescent OLEDs can now last as long as the green phosphorescent OLEDs already in devices, researchers have demonstrated, paving the way for further improving the energy efficiency of OLED screens.
- A faster, more reliable method for simulating the plasmas used to make computer chips. Researchers developed a faster, more stable way to simulate the swirling electric fields inside industrial plasmas -- the kind used to make microchips and coat materials. The improved method could lead to better tools for chip manufacturing and fusion research.
- Breakthrough AI model could transform how we prepare for natural disasters. From deadly floods in Europe to intensifying tropical cyclones around the world, the climate crisis has made timely and precise forecasting more essential than ever. Yet traditional forecasting methods rely on highly complex numerical models developed over decades, requiring powerful supercomputers and large teams of experts. According to its developers, Aurora offers a powerful and efficient alternative using artificial intelligence.
- Scientists discover class of crystals with properties that may prove revolutionary. Researchers have discovered a new class of materials -- called intercrystals -- with unique electronic properties that could power future technologies. Intercrystals exhibit newly discovered forms of electronic properties that could pave the way for advancements in more efficient electronic components, quantum computing and environmentally friendly materials, the scientists said.
- Nano-engineered thermoelectrics enable scalable, compressor-free cooling. Researchers have unveiled a breakthrough in solid-state cooling technology, doubling the efficiency of today's commercial systems. Driven by the Lab's patented nano-engineered thin-film thermoelectric materials and devices, this innovation paves the way for compact, reliable and scalable cooling solutions that could potentially replace traditional compressors across a range of industries.
- World's first petahertz-speed phototransistor in ambient conditions. Researchers demonstrated a way to to manipulate electrons using pulses of light that last less than a trillionth of a second to record electrons bypassing a physical barrier almost instantaneously -- a feat that redefines the potential limits of computer processing power.
- AI chip developed for decentralized use without the cloud. A new AI chip works without the cloud server or internet connections needed by existing chips. The AI Pro, designed by Prof Hussam Amrouch, is modelled on the human brain. Its innovative neuromorphic architecture enables it to perform calculations on the spot, ensuring full cyber security. It is also up to ten times more energy efficient.
- Tiny microlaser sensors offer supercharged biosensing. Researchers have developed a 3D micro-printed sensor for highly sensitive on-chip biosensing, opening new opportunities for developing high-performance, cost-effective lab-on-a-chip devices for early disease diagnosis.
- Bismuth's mask uncovered: Implications for quantum computing and spintronics materials. Whether bismuth is part of a class of materials highly suitable for quantum computing and spintronics was a long-standing issue. Research has now revealed that the true nature of bismuth was masked by its surface, and in doing so uncovered a new phenomenon relevant to all such materials.
- AI overconfidence mirrors human brain condition. Agents, chatbots and other tools based on artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly used in everyday life by many. So-called large language model (LLM)-based agents, such as ChatGPT and Llama, have become impressively fluent in the responses they form, but quite often provide convincing yet incorrect information. Researchers draw parallels between this issue and a human language disorder known as aphasia, where sufferers may speak fluently but make meaningless or hard-to-understand statements. This similarity could point toward better forms of diagnosis for aphasia, and even provide insight to AI engineers seeking to improve LLM-based agents.
- Energy and memory: A new neural network paradigm. Listen to the first notes of an old, beloved song. Can you name that tune? If you can, congratulations -- it's a triumph of your associative memory, in which one piece of information (the first few notes) triggers the memory of the entire pattern (the song), without you actually having to hear the rest of the song again. We use this handy neural mechanism to learn, remember, solve problems and generally navigate our reality.
- New survey shows privacy and safety tops list of parental concerns about screen time. As kids spend more time on screens, a new national survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of The Kids Mental Health Foundation, founded by Nationwide Children's Hospital, identifies parents' greatest fears for their children around screen time.
- Computing: Shedding light on shadow branches. Researchers have developed a new technique called 'Skia' to help computer processors better predict future instructions and improve computing performance.
Recent articles in ScienceDaily
- New chip uses AI to shrink large language models' energy footprint by 50%. Researchers have developed a more efficient chip as an antidote to the vast amounts of electricity consumed by large-language-model artificial intelligence applications like Gemini and GPT-4.
- A new method for characterizing quantum gate errors. Researchers have developed a new protocol for characterizing quantum gate errors, paving the way toward more reliable quantum simulations and fault-tolerant quantum computing.
- Engineers advance toward a fault-tolerant quantum computer. Researchers demonstrated extremely strong nonlinear light-matter coupling in a quantum circuit. Stronger coupling enables faster quantum readout and operations, ultimately improving the accuracy of quantum operations.
- A virtual reality game integrating smell to fight cognitive decline. Aiming to address age-related cognitive decline, a growing global health challenge, a team of researchers has developed a VR-based smell-training system to help combat it. This innovative VR game activates memory pathways by incorporating olfactory stimulation in a virtual environment. This game-based method offers an engaging platform for maintaining cognitive function and reducing the risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia in older adults.
- Dual scalable annealing processors: Overcoming capacity and precision limits. Combinatorial optimization problems (COPs) arise in various fields such as shift scheduling, traffic routing, and drug development. However, they are challenging to solve using traditional computers in a practical timeframe. Alternatively, annealing processors (APs), which are specialized hardware for solving COPs, have gained significant attention. They are based on the Ising model, in which COP variables are presented as magnetic spins and constraints as interactions between spins. Solutions are obtained by finding the spin state that minimizes the energy of the system.
- Layered semiconductor shows potential for next-gen data storage. A squishy, layered material that dramatically transforms under pressure could someday help computers store more data with less energy. That's according to a new study that shows a hybrid zinc telluride-based material can undergo surprising structural changes when squeezed together like a molecular sandwich.
- Hidden mechanisms in next-generation AI memory device. As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to advance, researchers have identified a breakthrough that could make AI technologies faster and more efficient.
- Making AI-generated code more accurate in any language. Researchers developed a more efficient way to control the outputs of a large language model, guiding it to generate text that adheres to a certain structure, like a programming language, and remains error free.
- New electronic 'skin' could enable lightweight night-vision glasses. Engineers developed a technique to grow and peel ultrathin 'skins' of electronic material that could be used in applications such as night-vision eyewear and autonomous driving in foggy conditions.
- Study shows addressing working memory can help students with math difficulty improve word problem-solving skills. Working memory is like a mental chalkboard we use to store temporary information while executing other tasks. Scientists worked with more than 200 elementary students to test their working memory, assess its role in word-problem solving and if interventions could boost it and thereby improve their word problem solving skills. Results showed that improving working memory helped both students with and without math difficulties and can help educators more effectively by helping teach the science of math, study authors argue.
- Researchers demonstrate new class of quantum materials that are both metallic and one-dimensional. A study has found a rare form of one-dimensional quantum magnetism in a metallic compound, offering evidence into a phase space that has remained, until now, largely theoretical. The study comes at a time of growing global interest in quantum materials that redefine the boundaries between magnetism, conductivity, and quantum coherence.
- A cool fix for hot chips: Advanced thermal management technology for electronic devices. Researchers have demonstrated a significant performance increase in cooling technology for high-power electronic devices. They designed novel capillary geometries that push the boundaries of thermal transfer efficiency. This study could play a crucial role in the development of next-generation technology.
- Curved neutron beams could deliver benefits straight to industry. Scientists have created the first neutron 'Airy beam,' which has unusual capabilities that ordinary neutron beams do not. The achievement could enhance neutron-based techniques for investigating the properties of materials that are difficult to explore by other means. For example, the beams can probe characteristics of molecules such as chirality, which is important in biotechnology, chemical manufacturing, quantum computing and other fields.
- A compact, mid-infrared pulse generator. Physicists have created a compact laser that emits extremely bright, short pulses of light in a useful but difficult-to-achieve wavelength range, packing the performance of larger photonic devices onto a single chip.
- Photonic computing needs more nonlinearity: Acoustics can help. Neural networks are one typical structure on which artificial intelligence can be based. The term neural describes their learning ability, which to some extent mimics the functioning of neurons in our brains. To be able to work, several key ingredients are required: one of them is an activation function which introduces nonlinearity into the structure. A photonic activation function has important advantages for the implementation of optical neural networks based on light propagation. Researchers have now experimentally shown an all-optically controlled activation function based on traveling sound waves. It is suitable for a wide range of optical neural network approaches and allows operation in the so-called synthetic frequency dimension.
- Cooler faster better: Engineers uncover a new way to stop electronics from overheating. Engineers discovered a way to move heat ultrafast using crystal waves, offering a breakthrough in cooling advanced electronics.
- A new era in materials science: antiferromagnetic quasicrystals unveiled. Quasicrystals are intriguing materials with long-range atomic order that lack periodicity. It has been a longstanding question whether antiferromagnetism, while commonly found in regular crystals, is even possible in quasicrystals. In a new study, researchers have finally answered this question, providing the first definitive neutron diffraction evidence of antiferromagnetism in a real icosahedral quasicrystal. This discovery opens a new research area of quasiperiodic antiferromagnets, with potential applications in spintronics.
- Amplifier with tenfold bandwidth opens up for super lasers. The rapidly increasing data traffic is placing ever greater demands on the capacity of communication systems. A research team now introduces a new amplifier that enables the transmission of ten times more data per second than those of current fiber-optic systems. This amplifier, which fits on a small chip, holds significant potential for various critical laser systems, including those used in medical diagnostics and treatment.
- AI threats in software development revealed. Researchers completed one of the most comprehensive studies to date on the risks of using AI models to develop software. In a paper, they demonstrate how a specific type of error could pose a serious threat to programmers that use AI to help write code.
- Tiny, soft robot flexes its potential as a life saver. A tiny, soft, flexible robot that can crawl through earthquake rubble to find trapped victims or travel inside the human body to deliver medicine may seem like science fiction, but an international team is pioneering such adaptable robots by integrating flexible electronics with magnetically controlled motion.
- Chatbot opens computational chemistry to nonexperts. A web platform uses a chatbot to enable any chemist -- including undergraduate chemistry majors -- to configure and execute complex quantum mechanical simulations through chatting.
- How GPS helps older drivers stay on the roads. New research shows that Sat Nav systems are helping keep older drivers on the roads for longer. The study reveals that over 65s with a poorer sense of direction rely more on help from GPS navigation systems such as Sat Nav or smartphone maps. Those using GPS tended to drive more frequently -- suggesting that the technology helps older people maintain driving independence.
- Scientists merge two 'impossible' materials into new artificial structure. An international team has merged two lab-synthesized materials into a synthetic quantum structure once thought impossible to exist and produced an exotic structure expected to provide insights that could lead to new materials at the core of quantum computing.
- Transducer could enable superconducting quantum networks. Applied physicists have created a photon router that could plug into quantum networks to create robust optical interfaces for noise-sensitive microwave quantum computers.
- Chance discovery improves stability of bioelectronic material used in medical implants, computing and biosensors. Bioelectronic devices, neural interfaces, biosensors and AI hardware are now easier to make thanks to a streamlined method for fabricating a key material.
- Physics of irregular objects on inclined planes probed. How gravity causes a perfectly spherical ball to roll down an inclined plane is part of elementary school physics canon. But the world is messier than a textbook. Scientists have sought to quantitatively describe the much more complex rolling physics of real-world objects. They have now combined theory, simulations, and experiments to understand what happens when an imperfect, spherical object is placed on an inclined plane.
- Revolutionary brain-computer interface decoding system. Researchers have conducted groundbreaking research on memristor-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). This research presents an innovative approach for implementing energy-efficient adaptive neuromorphic decoders in BCIs that can effectively co-evolve with changing brain signals.
- Researchers find a way to shield quantum information from 'noise'. Researchers have discovered a way to protect quantum information from environmental disruptions, offering hope for more reliable future technologies.
- Hypersonic simulation in 3D exposes new disturbances. At hypersonic speeds, complexities occur when the gases interact with the surface of the vehicle such as boundary layers and shock waves. Researchers were able to observe new disturbances in simulations conducted for the first time in 3D.
- Mini rolling robot takes virtual biopsies. A tiny magnetic robot which can take 3D scans from deep within the body, that could revolutionize early cancer detection, has been developed by researchers. The team say this is the first time it has been possible to generate high-resolution three-dimensional ultrasound images taken from a probe deep inside the gastrointestinal tract, or gut.