For decades, physicists have used particle accelerators, mathematical models and increasingly powerful supercomputers to investigate what happens when matter is subjected to extreme energies. Now, quantum computing is beginning to offer another experimental route into some of the most difficult problems in fundamental physics. Researchers led by the Duke Quantum Center have used a 13-ion trapped-ion quantum simulator to observe dynamics associated with string breaking, a process connected to...

Bain Capital Ventures (BCV) has raised $1.6 billion for its latest venture fund, marking a significant new commitment to artificial intelligence and the infrastructure required to support increasingly capable AI systems. The fund, its 11th, reflects a broader shift taking place across venture capital: investors are moving beyond applications built around existing AI models and increasingly looking toward the computing infrastructure, autonomous agents, physical systems, healthcare...

The artificial intelligence infrastructure market is entering a new phase in which the battle is no longer defined solely by access to the fastest general-purpose AI accelerators. Cloud providers increasingly want silicon designed around specific workloads, power constraints, networking requirements, and economic models. Qualcomm’s new long-term agreement with Amazon reflects this shift, bringing the chipmaker deeper into hyperscale data centers while giving Amazon another avenue for...