Cisco unveils universal switch for the quantum networking era – SiliconANGLE

Networking technology giant Cisco Systems Inc. today introduced a new networking switch for quantum systems that routes quantum information between computers while preserving quantum state. 

The Cisco Universal Quantum Switch, a working prototype, is the company’s latest proof of concept aimed at pushing quantum systems closer to real-world practical use. 

Researchers and enterprises already use quantum computers as complementary co-processors to solve specific, mathematically complex problems that are effectively out of reach for classical supercomputers. This is either because they cannot solve them at all or because doing so would take too long to be useful.  

Enterprises are most interested in optimization, molecular simulation for materials science and drug discovery, and quantum-safe cryptography, while researchers are focused more on physics, simulation and new quantum algorithms. 

One of the biggest problems facing quantum computing is scale. To reach powerful…