Monday, August 11, 2025
No menu items!
HomeTechnologyThe Download: A quantum radar, and chipmakers' deal with the US government

The Download: A quantum radar, and chipmakers’ deal with the US government

Physicists have created a new type of radar that could help improve underground imaging, using a cloud of atoms in a glass cell to detect reflected radio waves.

The radar is a type of quantum sensor, an emerging technology that uses the quantum-mechanical properties of objects as measurement devices. It’s still a prototype, but its intended use is to image buried objects in situations such as constructing underground utilities, drilling wells for natural gas, and excavating archaeological sites. Read the full story.

—Sophia Chen

If you’re interested in the potential of quantum, why not check out:

+ Why AI could eat quantum computing’s lunch. Rapid advances in applying artificial intelligence to simulations in physics and chemistry have some people questioning whether we will even need quantum computers at all. Read the full story.

+ This quantum computer built on server racks paves the way to bigger machines. Read the full story.

+ IBM aims to build the world’s first large-scale, error-corrected quantum computer by 2028. The company says it has cracked the code for error correction and is building a modular machine in New York state. Read the full story.

+ Amazon’s first quantum computing chip has made its debut. Read the full story.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 Nvidia and AMD will pay the US 15% of their China AI chip sales
The unconventional deal is the latest in a string of agreements brokered by the US President. (NYT $)
+ The deal could equate to billions of dollars for the US government. (WSJ $)
+ China says Nvidia’s H20 chips aren’t safe. (Reuters)

2 OpenAI is restoring GPT-4o to ChatGPT
Users were furious after GPT-5’s launch forced them to switch models. (Gizmodo)
+ They complained that the new model made basic errors.(Bloomberg $)
+ GPT-5 is here. Now what? (MIT Technology Review)

RELATED ARTICLES

Most Popular

Recent Comments