标题：量子计算机蕴藏的商机（3）

The business of quantum computers Uncertainty principals(不确定性原理)

来源：每日英语听力，经济学人-科技（The Economist-Science and technology)

Jeremy O'Brien, one of the firm's founders, says that, in partnership with Global Foundries, a big contract chipmaker, PsiQuantum is already producing wafers full of quantum - computing chips.该公司创始人之一杰里米·奥布莱恩表示，在大型合同芯片制造商GlobalFoundries的合作下，PsiQuantum已经开始生产纳入了大量量子计算芯片的晶片了。

in partnership with  和…合伙(或合作) 

contract    n.    1.合同；合约；契约an official written agreement

                        2.(informal)    contract (on sb)    （雇用杀人的）协议，合同an agreement to kill sb for money

                v.    1.[i][t]（使）收缩，缩小to become less or smaller; to make sth become less or smaller

                        2.[t]    contract sth    感染（疾病）；得（病）to get an illness

                        3.[t]    与…订立合同（或契约）

                        4.[i]    contract to do sth    订立…的合同（或契约）

                        5.[t]    contract a marriage/an alliance (with sb)（与…）订立（婚约）；（与…）缔结（同盟）

wafer    n.    1.威化饼，薄脆饼（常与冰淇淋同吃）    2.圣饼；圣体；面饼

                    3.wafer (of sth)    薄片 a very thin piece of sth

Other firms are concentrating on making quantum computers easier to work with. Q-CTRL is an Australian startup that has raised "tens of millions" from investors including Sequoia Capital and In-Q-Tel (which invests on behalf of America's intelligence agencies).其他公司则将重心放到了提高量子计算机的使用体验方面。澳大利亚初创公司Q-CTRL已经从红杉资本，ln-Q-tel(美国情报机构的投资代表）等投资方处筹集到“数千万”资金。

"We build 'quantum firmware," says Michael Biercuk, one of the company's founders. This is the lowest level of software, responsible for controlling a computer's hardware directly.“我们生产的是量子固件，“该公司创始人之一迈克尔·比尔库克说。也即直接控制计算机硬件的最低级别的软件。

One reason NISQS are so hard to work with is that the delicate quantum states they rely on break down in fractions of a second, so calculations must be completed in those slivers of time. NISQS之所以难用，原因之一就在于这种量子计算机依赖的量子态不稳定，瞬息之间就会发生变化，如此一来，计算工作就必须在这些时间碎片内完成。

firmware    n.    固件a type of computer software that is stored in such a way that it cannot be changed or lost

delicate    adj.

1.易损的；易碎的；脆弱的easily damaged or broken

2.虚弱的；纤弱的not strong and easily becoming ill/sick

3.纤细的；微小的；精美的；小巧玲珑的small and having a beautiful shape or appearance

4.精致的；精细的；精密的made or formed in a very careful and detailed way

5.熟练的；需要技巧的；需要小心处理的；微妙的showing or needing skilful, careful or sensitive treatment

6.柔和的；清淡可口的；清香的light and pleasant; not strong

break down    v.分解；抛锚；分析；划分

On top of this, imperfect manufacturing means that some parts of a quantum chip suffer noticeably more errors than others-a pattern which varies unpredictably between individual chips.此外，制造工序难免存在缺陷，这就意味着量子芯片的某些地方出现的差错相比之下可能会格外严重——不同芯片之间出错的模式也难以预测。

imperfect  adj.  有缺点的；有缺陷的；不完全的；不完美的containing faults or mistakes; not complete or perfect

manufacturing   n.   制造业the business or industry of producing goods in large quantities in factories, etc.

unpredictably    ad. 不可预见地

Careful control of a machine's hardware, says Dr Biercuk, can help minimise these difficulties. To this end Q-CTRL's engineers have used machine learning to improve hardware - control routines written initially by human beings.精心控制机器的硬件，比尔库克博士表示，将有助于最大程度地降低这些困难的难度。为此，Q-CTRL的工程师们已经开始借助机器学习来完善人类编写的初始硬件控制程序。

minimise    vt.  尽量减少；使最小化    =minimize（美).

to this end    un. 直到最后；为此目的

routine    n. [C][U]例行公事,惯例,惯常的程序 fixed and regular way of doing sth

                adj. [A]例行的,常规的 regular; according to rule

Dr Biercuk reckons this can cut error rates by 90% and reduce the variability across an individual chip by a similar amount.比尔库克博士估计，这一举措能将错误率降低90%，对单个芯片的不确定性的把控也能达到类似幅度。

After building a machine and tuning it to work as well as possible, the next step is to get it into the hands of potential customers.等到机器搭建成功并能尽可能顺利地运行之后，下一步工作便是将其交付到潜在客户手中。

reckon    v.    1.[t][i](informal)    ~ (that)…    想；认为to think sth or have an opinion about sth

                        2.[t]    被普遍认为是；被看作是to be generally considered to be sth

                        3.[t]    (informal)    ~ to do sth    料想；预计；指望to expect to do sth

                        4.[t]    估算；估计；计算to calculate an amount, a number, etc.

variability   n. 易变；变化性；变异性 the quality of being subject to variation or the quality of being uneven and lacking uniformity

The easiest way to do this is to connect interested parties to the internet and invite them to experiment.最简单的交付办法就是联络感兴趣的有关各方，邀请他们试用。

IBM's "QNetwork",established in 2017,is a cloud-computing service that lets clients use the firm's own quantum computers.IBM旗下，成立于2017年的“QNetwork”就是一款为客户提供该公司自己的量子计算机使用服务的云计算服务产品。

IBM now has partnerships with dozens of established firms, including Daimler, Samsung and Goldman Sachs, which are intended thus to explore the technology. 如今，IBM已经与戴姆勒、三星，高盛等数十家老牌公司建立了合作伙伴关系，他们都已产生探索该项技术的意愿。

Smaller hardware-makers, lacking IBM's reach, have joined up with other cloud- computing firms.规模较小，不具备IBM那样的影响力的其他硬件制造商也与其他云计算公司携手。

reach    n.    

    1.    the distance within which you can touch sth. or pick it up by stretching out your hand, arm, leg etc

    2.    the distance that you travel to get somewhere

    3.    the amount of authority or influence that sb. or sth. has

            v.

    1.    to arrive or come to a particular place or point

    2.    if sth. reaches sb., they receive it after it has been sent to them

    3.    to get to a particular point in time or a particular stage in a process

    4.    to stretch out physically or extend as far as a particular place or point

    5.    to achieve sth. after discussing it or thinking about it for a long time

    6.    if sth. such as a programme or message reaches people, they see it or hear it

    7.    to succeed in talking to someone by telephone or radio

    8.    to have an influence or impact on people or on a group

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