On today's episode, IBM approaches quantum advantage and a liquid
sodium next generation reactor gets the go-ahead.
Today's episode is brought to you by engineering.com a globally trusted
source for engineering content. Check out this and many other exclusive videos for
the engineering professional found only on engineering.com TV today.
Moore’s Law famously predicted the dramatic increase in transistor density seen in modern
integrated circuits, but as gate dimensions drop into the single digit nanometre range,
physics suggest that there are limits to how dense those chips can be. Game changing
improvements in computer performance will require radically new technology,
and quantum hardware is the best candidate to achieve breakthrough performance improvement.
IBM has announced a breakthrough 127 quantum bit, or “qubit” processor called “Eagle”. According to
the company, the Eagle processor represents a tipping point in hardware development:
where quantum circuits cannot be reliably simulated on a classical computer.
What makes quantum computing different? Compared to current technology, which uses
very small networks of transistors as gates to process binary signals,
quantum computing harnesses the very non-Newtonian behaviour of matter at the subatomic level.
Compared to the switching behaviour of transistors, quantum computers can operate
at states other than the simple binary one and zero. One consequence of these expanded
states is that increasing the size of an array of qubits dramatically increases the computational
power of the system as a whole. The current performance goal is termed Quantum Advantage,
the point at which quantum machines outperform traditional equivalents.
While IBM has declared that Eagle is not yet the device to achieve quantum advantage,
expanded states create a big problem for conventional binary systems to test or simulate.
The number of classical bits necessary to represent the states possible on the Eagle
processor exceeds the total number of atoms in the bodies of all 7.5
billion people on Earth today. While quantum computers are still error-prone,
and require cryogenic temperatures to operate, the potential advantages in simulation
for industries like advanced materials and pharmaceuticals make quantum computing possibly
the most important area of technological development so far in the 21st century.
How will humans develop code for machines of this power? Will it require AI just to harness the
power of quantum computers? At this point, these are unknowns, but earlier generation chips running
on IBM’s Quantum System One have been deployed at research centers at universities in Germany,
South Korea and Japan as well as at the Cleveland Clinic for medical research.
The space is developing fast, and IBM’s next generation of quantum chips,
with 433 and 1121 cubits, will be installed in Quantum System Two, for deployment in 2023.
With complexity scaling exponentially in quantum devices, what these more powerful systems can do
is anyone’s guess, but fast simulation of complex and difficult processes like protein folding and
nuclear reactor behaviour could be the gateway to entirely new technologies in a decade or less.
If you like this show be sure to subscribe to our channel and click
on the notification bell for our next episode.
Advancements in carbon free energy generation are coming fast in the wake of the United Nations
climate change conference in Glasgow. While solar and battery storage get much of the attention,
nuclear, once dismissed as a viable future energy source, is rapidly regaining popularity
due to radical new technologies that may replace conventional reactor designs.
While multiple novel designs exist on paper,
very few make it to the hardware stage and fewer still become running demonstrators.
One radical design that appears to be overcoming those hurdles is TerraPower, who are teaming with
GE-Hitachi to build a demonstration reactor in Kemmerer Wyoming, the site of the state’s
Naughton Power Plant, where two remaining coal units are scheduled to retire in 2025.
Kemmerer, in Western Wyoming near the Utah border was chosen for access to infrastructure,
ready connection to the grid due to the pre-existing coal plant,
community support and successful licensing from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The core of the project, the Natrium reactor is rated at 345 Mwe and according to the
company is four times more fuel-efficient than conventional light water reactors.
Typical of new generation designs, requires it also less site infrastructure,
using 80% less nuclear grade concrete per Mwe.
The key elements of the design are liquid sodium fast reactor operating at atmospheric pressure,
coupled to large-scale thermal energy storage similar to systems used in renewable projects.
The fuel is High Assay Low Enriched Uranium in the system operates with 8%
higher thermal efficiency than conventional reactors, with a greatly simplified design.
The thermal storage system is key to system simplicity. The reactor operates continuously
at a high-capacity factor without throttling, diverting power not immediately needed by the
grid into heat storage, and releasing it for power generation at times of peak demand.
The combination can also be used for process heat for hydrogen, petrochemical or steel production as
well as space heating applications for buildings. The project will employ 2,000 in the construction
phase in approximately 254 reactor operations. Project completion is expected in seven years.
Well, that's it for today's episode of This Week in Engineering brought to you by engineering.com.
For our deeper engineering series visit engineering.com
for exclusive shows like Manufacturing the Future and Designing the Future
not found on our YouTube channel. The links are in the description below. Thanks for watching.