Recently, Toshiba announced a new algorithm inspired by quantum computing. According to Toshiba, this new algorithm allows regular computers to achieve superior computational speeds compared to similar algorithms currently applied on supercomputers.
The new algorithm is named “Branching Simulation Algorithm,” created by researcher Goto Hayato at Toshiba. According to Mr. Hayato, during his research, he realized that the properties of some complex computing systems change after adjusting the input, leading to a branching phenomenon. This allowed him to create an optimized algorithm to filter out branches that can yield correct results, helping to minimize the resources needed by the computer.
This idea was conceived by Goto Hayato back in 2015, but it took him two years to develop an algorithm that could select optimal possibilities among countless potential scenarios. This optimal algorithm is inspired by how quantum computers operate but can run entirely on standard computers.
In addition, Mr. Hayato collaborated with another researcher, Tatsumura Kosuke, to apply this algorithm to computer clusters and FPGA integrated circuits. Specifically, when operating on an FPGA cluster, Toshiba’s new algorithm can solve a combinatorial optimization problem ten times faster than a laser quantum computer.
Currently, as quantum computers are still not powerful enough and cannot be widely applied, Toshiba plans to provide this new algorithm to financial companies and stock trading firms, as well as large-scale manufacturing companies. Toshiba believes that this algorithm will greatly assist in solving combinatorial optimization problems with much higher speed and significantly lower costs.
According to tomshardware