World's First Commercial Quantum Computer Demonstrated by D-Wave Systems, Inc.

    New System Aims at Breakthroughs in Medicine, Business Applications and
Expanded Use of Digital Computers

    Venture-Funded Canadian Company Shows New Product Applied to
Pattern-Matching Database Search

    VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA & MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF., February 13 /CNW/ -
The world's first commercially viable quantum computer was unveiled and
demonstrated today in Silicon Valley by D-Wave Systems, Inc., a privately-held
Canadian firm headquartered near Vancouver.

    Quantum computing offers the potential to create value in areas where
problems or requirements exceed the capability of digital computing, the
company said. But D-Wave explains that its new device is intended as a
complement to conventional computers, to augment existing machines and their
market, not as a replacement for them.

    Company officials formally announced the technology at the Computer
History Museum, in the heart of Silicon Valley, in a demonstration intended to
show how the machine can run commercial applications and is better suited to
the types of problems that have stymied conventional (digital) computers.

    "D-Wave's breakthrough in quantum technology represents a substantial
step forward in solving commercial and scientific problems which, until now,
were considered intractable. Digital technology stands to reap the benefits of
enhanced performance and broader application," said Herb Martin, chief
executive officer.

    Quantum-computer technology can solve what is known as "NP-complete"
problems. These are the problems where the sheer volume of complex data and
variables prevent digital computers from achieving results in a reasonable
amount of time. Such problems are associated with life sciences, biometrics,
logistics, parametric database search and quantitative finance, among many
other commercial and scientific areas.

    "Quantum technology delivers precise answers to problems that can only be
answered today in general terms. This creates a new and much broader dimension
of computer applications," Martin said.

    "Digital computing delivers value in a wide range of applications to
business, government and scientific users. In many cases the applications are
computationally simple and in others accuracy is forfeited for getting
adequate solutions in a reasonable amount of time. Both of these cases will
maintain the status quo and continue their use of classical digital systems,"
he said.

    "It's rational to assume that quantum computers will always contain a
digital computing element thereby increasing the amortization of investments
already made while expediting the availability of the power of quantum
acceleration," he said.

    The idea of a computational device based on quantum mechanics was first
explored in the 1970s and early 1980s by physicists and computer scientists
such as Charles Bennett of IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Paul
Benioff of Argonne National Laboratory, David Deutsch of the University of
Oxford, and Richard Feynman of the California Institute of Technology. But to
make the technology commercially applicable required the full-scale, full-time
business effort of an interdisciplinary team such as that organized by D-Wave
Systems.

    D-Wave overcame this challenge in part by using the processes and
infrastructure associated with the semiconductor industry. This and components
such as a new type of analog processor, one that uses quantum mechanics rather
than the conventional physics associated with digital processing, to drive the
computation.

    D-Wave's approach allows the building of "scalable" processor
architectures using available processes and technologies. In addition, its
processors are computationally equivalent to more standard devices. Any
application developed for one type of quantum computer can be recast as an
application for the other.

    D-Wave intends to deliver products to end users via a channel-marketing
and partnerships with major-brand corporations with existing customer
relationships and vertical-industry expertise, according to Martin.

    He added that D-Wave is pursuing a partnership strategy as well to
develop and deliver the software applications necessary to attract customers
faced with solving the kinds of NP-complete problems for which quantum
computing is ideally suited.

    D-Wave Systems is a privately held company focused on building
commercially viable quantum computer systems designed to solve complex
problems that lie beyond the capabilities of conventional computing
technology. For more information, please visit www.dwavesys.com.

For further information: D-Wave Systems, Inc. Neil Martin, 604-630-1428
ext. 701 (Media/analysts) Director, Sales and Business Development
415-335-1405 (cell) nmartin@dwavesys.com