News Iran's 'Quantum' Computer is Apparently Powered by an Arm Development Board

[Admin]

Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced Iran had deployed quantum computers to aid in its military operations. But the "Quantum Processing Unit" displayed to grand fanfarre was just an ARM-based, Amazon-available development board.

Iran's 'Quantum' Computer is Apparently Powered by an Arm Development Board : Read more

 

[bit_user]

We don't know that they don't have a real quantum computer. All we know is their PR prop was a dud.

Obviously, quantum computers are very large and sensitive pieces of equipment. It's also sensitive technology and maybe you don't want real photos that show your adversaries key details of what you're doing.

So, if we take their word for it, then what I think happened is that some general asked the research team for something to show in front of the cameras. Someone had that development board lying around for some reason, and they just handed it to him. It doesn't mean a thing about what capabilities they might or might not have, with regard to QC.

 

[RichardtST]

Unlikely it was PR. More likely they actually believed it was real.
Never assume that leadership has any brainpower.
Usually they do not. To you and I this spoof is obvious, but 99.99% of the population
has never seen the inside of a computer much less a nice little dev board.
Of course, if word gets back around that this isn't real quantum device,
then the engineers might be in a spot of trouble...

 

[helper800]

We don't know that they don't have a real quantum computer. All we know is their PR prop was a dud.

Obviously, quantum computers are very large and sensitive pieces of equipment. It's also sensitive technology and maybe you don't want real photos that show your adversaries key details of what you're doing.

So, if we take their word for it, then what I think happened is that some general asked the research team for something to show in front of the cameras. Someone had that development board lying around for some reason, and they just handed it to him. It doesn't mean a thing about what capabilities they might or might not have, with regard to QC.

On the other hand, all we can trust is what we can see, and since they showed a run of the mill ARM board and called it 'quantum computing' it seems extremely unlikely that they have anything other than that.

 

[ezst036]

On the other hand, all we can trust is what we can see

Half the time you cannot even trust that.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Basically they're trying to blow smoke up everybodys arse.

 

[bit_user]

On the other hand, all we can trust is what we can see, and since they showed a run of the mill ARM board and called it 'quantum computing' it seems extremely unlikely that they have anything other than that.

Let's imagine they do have a functional quantum computer. Would you expect them to show a picture of it? Even when doing so would betray more information about it than they would probably want?

I just think it's more dangerous to underestimate your adversary than to overestimate them. If it were my job to worry about Iran (and thank goodness it's not), I'd treat this whole incident largely as noise.

 

[dimar]

What's the equivalent of Crysis in Iran?

 

[bit_user]

nice propaganda piece, tomshardware. i don't care about military hardware that is used to harm people.

A quantum computer is just a quantum computer. Tom's has covered the quantum computing "race" for the past decade. If Iran is now a player, whether motivated by military or other applications, that's newsworthy. Since this PR debacle happened in the course of making such an announcement, I suppose it also qualifies.

What's the equivalent of Crysis in Iran?

Crysis, I'd guess. I think the kids there follow a lot of media, games, etc. from abroad (much of it even from the West).

 

[TerryLaze]

Let's imagine they do have a functional quantum computer. Would you expect them to show a picture of it? Even when doing so would betray more information about it than they would probably want?

I just think it's more dangerous to underestimate your adversary than to overestimate them. If it were my job to worry about Iran (and thank goodness it's not), I'd treat this whole incident largely as noise.

There are many detailed pics of actually working quantum computers free on google so what would be the issue?!

Yes I would expect them to show a picture, even if it's just of an blow up mock up like russia used to do with tanks to show strength.

And yes sure, that dev board has an FPGA on it so it could be a control board (or part of one) for the quantum computer.

 

[bit_user]

There are many detailed pics of actually working quantum computers free on google so what would be the issue?!

There are different approaches and levels of sophistication. I'm just suggesting that they mightn't want to show an actual picture their QC (if they even have one), because it might reveal too much about such details - particularly if they don't actually have it working yet.

Yes I would expect them to show a picture, even if it's just of an blow up mock up like russia used to do with tanks to show strength.

Those were meant to be seen from high-altitude surveillance planes or satellites, from which they were thought not to be obvious fakes.

And yes sure, that dev board has an FPGA on it so it could be a control board (or part of one) for the quantum computer.

Yes, it did occur to me that they might use such a board at some stage of QC control. I didn't really want to get onto that particular tangent, because the fact remains it's decidedly not a QC, nor serves as any kind of proof of one.

 

[TerryLaze]

There are different approaches and levels of sophistication. I'm just suggesting that they mightn't want to show an actual picture their QC (if they even have one), because it might reveal too much about such details - particularly if they don't actually have it working yet.


Those were meant to be seen from high-altitude surveillance planes or satellites, from which they were thought not to be obvious fakes.

Yeah, they could just show the (or a) casing we have seen on actual QC, on the far side of a room. It could still be a mock up or a real one and still not show any detail at all other than the rough shape that it might have.

 

[GenericUser]

This is coming from the country who posted screenshots from the game Kerbal Space Program as a demonstration of their supposed space program, along with pictures of a childs astronaut costume from Amazon as pictures of their space suits, so I'm going to be a little skeptical of any claims of quantum computing from them.