Intel debuts 49-qubit quantum chip as it wrestles with Meltdown, Spectre fallout.
Intel’s keynote at CES on Monday night contrasted the company’s slickly produced showcase of new initiatives—culminating in the introduction of a 49-qubit chip for quantum computing—with the hard realities brought on by the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities.
Though Meltdown and Spectre are industry-wide problems affecting chip companies like ARM and Intel, plus operating-system vendors, browser makers, and cloud-computing companies, Intel has been the face of the issue. Chief executive Brian Krzanich reiterated that, to his knowledge, the company had not seen any data loss as a consequence of the vulnerabilities.
Krzanich assured the audience that Intel was committed to addressing the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities. “Security is job #1 for Intel and our industry,” he said.
It does appear Intel is taking it seriously. The Oregonian reported that Intel has formed a new group, called Intel Product Assurance and Security, designed to lock down the company’s processors. The group will be led by Leslie Culbertson, a former director of its finance organization. It will also include Steve Smith, an Intel vice president and general manager of its engineering group. It was Smith who explained the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities to investors last week. Coincidentally, Smith was also the Pentium manager who explained Intel’s FDIV bug to reporters 24 years ago.
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