computer science

QxBranch

QxBranch is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand QxBranch rather than just read about it. In short: QxBranch, Inc. (QxBranch) is a data analysis and quantum computing software company, based in Washington, D.C.

Key takeaways

QxBranch belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect QxBranch to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of QxBranch from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

QxBranch, Inc. (QxBranch) is a data analysis and quantum computing software company, based in Washington, D.C. The company provides data analytics services and research and development for quantum computing technology. On July 11, 2019, QxBranch announced that it had been acquired by Rigetti Computing, a developer of quantum integrated circuits used for quantum computers.

Services QxBranch provides predictive analytics services to firms in the banking and finance industries. The company also develops software products for quantum computing technologies, including developer tools and interfaces for quantum computers, as well as quantum computing simulators. Additionally, the company provides consulting and research and development for businesses that may be improved through quantum computing methods, including in the development of adiabatic quantum computing methods for machine learning applications.

History QxBranch was founded in 2014 as a joint spin-off of Shoal Group and The Tauri Group to commercialize quantum computing technology. Shoal Group (named Aerospace Concepts at the time) had a research agreement with Lockheed Martin to access a D-Wave Two quantum computer, and transitioned the access and associated technology to help found QxBranch. In August 2014, QxBranch was selected as one of eight participants for Accenture's FinTech Innovation Lab program in Hong Kong. In May 2015, Ray O. Johnson, former Chief Technology Officer of Lockheed Martin, joined QxBranch as executive director. In January 2016, Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Turnbull toured QxBranch's facilities in Washington, D.C. for a demonstration of quantum computing applications. In November 2016, QxBranch, in partnership with UBS, was announced as a winning bid under the Innovate UK's Quantum Technologies Innovation Fund under the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme. The partnership is working on developing quantum algorithms for foreign exchange market trading and arbitrage. In April 2017, QxBranch, in partnership with the Commonwealth Bank, released a quantum computing simulator aiming to enable software and algorithm development to assess the feasibility and performance of applications ahead of the development of silicon-based quantum computers. The simulator was modeled on the hardware being developed by the University of New South Wales and made accessible as part of the bank's internal cloud-based systems, allowing developers to design and evaluate software and algorithms concurrently with the hardware's on-going development. In February 2018, QxBranch demonstrated a quantum deep learning network that simulated the 2016 US Presidential Election, resulting in slightly improved forecasts of the election outcome over those of forecasting site FiveThirtyEight. In April 2018, IBM announced a collaboration with QxBranch and other companies for research access to its IBM Quantum Experience quantum computers.

Locations QxBranch is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and has an engineering team in Adelaide, Australia, as well as offices in London and Hong Kong.

See also List of Companies involved in Quantum Computing or Communication Timeline of quantum computing Adiabatic quantum computation

References

External links Official website Archived 2016-10-07 at the Wayback Machine "Decipher quantum computing". CNBC News "Quantum Computing: A Discussion with Michael Brett". Center for Strategic and International Studies "Hearing -- Disrupter Series: Quantum Computing" Archived 2018-05-14 at the Wayback Machine. United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with QxBranch

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what QxBranch claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to QxBranch before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about QxBranch ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of QxBranch

In research: QxBranch appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses QxBranch in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: QxBranch is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Defunct software companies of the United States, Quantum information science, Software companies based in Washington, D.C., so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for QxBranch outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study QxBranch in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what QxBranch means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain QxBranch out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is QxBranch in simple terms?

QxBranch, Inc. (QxBranch) is a data analysis and quantum computing software company, based in Washington, D.C.

Why does QxBranch matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study QxBranch?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on QxBranch.