"The new spin qubit chip runs at the extremely low temperatures required for quantum computing: roughly 460 degrees below zero Fahrenheit – 250 times colder than space." Maybe Intel was showcasing the first commercial product at 5Ghz with that chiller unit last week! (Sarcasm)

-267.778 C or 5.37222 Kelvin, for those who want to know

460 degrees below zero Fahrenheit

lol even to Americans, that number doesn't really mean much. Also, where are they getting "250x colder than space"? The temperature of space is 2.7K or -270.45C. As Picolete pointed out, the temperature Intel's chip needs to operate at is 5.37K or -267.78C. I don't think any of these temperatures are exponential.

schmidtbag:

Also, where are they getting "250x colder than space"? The temperature of space is 2.7K or -270.45C.

Good point. The statement "250 times colder than space" seems like a really bad choice of words. "Space" doesn't have a temperature, so that's that. "Cosmic background temperature" is -455F so that's not it. "Interstellar gas clouds" are "thousands to millions of degrees Fahrenheit" so maybe that's what they meant. I'd say the marketing guys are laying it on a little thick...

WareTernal:

Good point. The statement "250 times colder than space" seems like a really bad choice of words. "Space" doesn't have a temperature, so that's that. "Cosmic background temperature" is -455F so that's not it. "Interstellar gas clouds" are "thousands to millions of degrees Fahrenheit" so maybe that's what they meant. I'd say the marketing guys are laying it on a little thick...

Space contains particles, which have kinetic energy and therefore a temperature. The average temperature of space is 2.7 K.

schmidtbag:

Also, where are they getting "250x colder than space"?

Stop trying to make sense out of PR statements 😛 When was the last time a PR statement wasn't either random BS or random platitudes? Edit: I see what they mean. That chip is near absolute zero. That is indeed actually 250x colder than the 2.7K temperature of space. 2.7K / 250 = 0.0108K. Which is -459.65F. So it's actually correct, not BS.

NaturalViolence:

Space contains particles, which have kinetic energy and therefore a temperature. The average temperature of space is 2.7 K.

I do understand what you are saying, and I said that myself - "Cosmic background temperature" is -455F". This is indeed what they are referring to, and I admit you are correct regarding what Intel meant. 🙂 I guess I'm arguing about symantecs. Technically, I am "particles in space", and I have a temperature just a slight bit higher then 2.7K. You're talking about the temperature of cosmic background radiation - not "space". I still think they could have worded it more clearly and still had a sensational sounding press release, but I admit my own ignorance of the Kelvin scale is what caused my confusion.

RealNC:

That is indeed actually 250x colder than the 2.7K temperature of space. 2.7K / 250 = 0.0108K. Which is -459.65F. So it's actually correct, not BS.

Thanks for this! Now it does make some sense to me. Now how long until they use this for a GPU?