Quantum Computers

Quantum computers (QCs) have been used by the Sceen even before they made contact with the Zambarau. They were developed over many years in response for their desperate need for more computing power.

Before QCs the Sceen used high density integrated circuits that used fibre-optics (rather than electricity) in processing to increase processing speed; however, these circuits had reached the limits of their processing power, shrinking further made the fibre-obtics so small and close together that quantum effects that take place only at minute scales started to cause errors in processing, making the computer systems useless.The Sceen had already had this problem earlier in their history, when electrical circuitry had reached the limit of its processing power. The solution then had been to develop a completely new computing system (hence the production of fibre-optic circuitry).

The solution had eventually been quantum computing. QCs use quantum effects to compute data. For example, QCs use 'qubits' instead of conventional 'bits,' qubits are in a quantum entangled state between '0' and '1,' so 'x' number of qubits can be expressed as 2^x conventional bits, representing massive computing potential! However, there was a problem, quantum entanglement is extremely tricky to perform; it takes place at an atomic or subatomic scale and if any of the atoms that are entangled is interacted with (even by photons) the entanglement is broken. This meant that the Sceen could initially only entangle 4 molecules (they used caffeine for its stability and useful quantum properties) at a time, a measly processing power of 2^4 = 16 bits at a time.

A solution was eventually found that at first was thought near-impossible and not worth further study. When a group of atoms is supercooled to a few millionths of a degree kelvin they turn into a 'Bose-Einstein condensate,' which means the group of atoms behaved like one super-atom. This meant that quantum effects could be produced on a macro-scale, making them much more stable and controllable!

Current Concord QCs operate at about 30 qubits (2^30 = about 1 billion bits) but more advanced models are starting to reach a massive 40 qubits (2^40 = about 1.1 trillion bits). They are made up of a piece of artificial sapphire with 30 (or 40, depending on the number of qubits) aluminium strips measuring just a third of a millimetre across embedded in it positioned just a few nanometres apart. This part (which actually performs the computing) is tiny compared with the staged cooling system it is encased in, which provides the immesurably low temperatures required for the QC to run. Standard QCs are used in conjuction with a Sceen petaflop fibre-optic processing block, providing a total processing power of 1.07 yottaflops. The advanced models run at nearly 1.1 xonaflops.

Many modern QCs operate using complex 'Simulated Intelligence' or 'Intuitive Computational' alogrithms, which have evolved and developed over time. A computer using SI alogrithms would be considered artificially intelligent but the Sceen almost stubbornly insist that they are 'simulated' intelligence as they simply use mathematical processes that, despite being exceedingly complex, are inherently 100% predictable and therefore not true intelligence. IC alogrithms are slightly different, using the laws of probability to predict the likelihood of an event. Although not recognisable as artificially intelligent like SI computers are, IC systems make very reliable computers when it comes to running a solar system's economy, testing out scientific theories or even predicting criminal activity.