Sophia Chen
@sophurky.bsky.social
science journalist and lapsed physicist. words at MIT Tech Review, Nature, Wired
sophurky.com
Signal: @sophurky.70
sophurky.com
Signal: @sophurky.70
Pinned
Sophia Chen
@sophurky.bsky.social
· Mar 5
How much energy will AI really consume? The good, the bad and the unknown
Researchers want firms to be more transparent about the electricity demands of artificial intelligence.
www.nature.com
Generative AI has a reputation for being an energy hog.
For my latest feature in Nature, I dig into the actual numbers.
(1/n)
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
For my latest feature in Nature, I dig into the actual numbers.
(1/n)
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Quantinuum's new trapped-ion quantum computer, Helios, has performed some intriguing simulations of high-temperature superconductors. But it's still much too small to perform the industry’s dream algorithms.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/11/05/1...
www.technologyreview.com/2025/11/05/1...
A new ion-based quantum computer makes error correction simpler
Quantinuum has unveiled a third-generation quantum computer that could be easier to scale up than rival approaches.
www.technologyreview.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:22 AM
Quantinuum's new trapped-ion quantum computer, Helios, has performed some intriguing simulations of high-temperature superconductors. But it's still much too small to perform the industry’s dream algorithms.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/11/05/1...
www.technologyreview.com/2025/11/05/1...
(1/2) Today's Chemistry Nobel went to metal-organic frameworks. These are a class of customizable molecules that I think of as cages, where you can trap chemicals of your choice and then efficiently perform controlled chemistry reactions within them.
October 8, 2025 at 1:28 PM
(1/2) Today's Chemistry Nobel went to metal-organic frameworks. These are a class of customizable molecules that I think of as cages, where you can trap chemicals of your choice and then efficiently perform controlled chemistry reactions within them.
(1/n) Today's physics Nobel Prize went to John Clarke, Michel Devoret, and John Martinis for their work on quantum tunneling in superconducting circuits. This research laid the groundwork for the quantum computers in development today.
October 7, 2025 at 2:28 PM
(1/n) Today's physics Nobel Prize went to John Clarke, Michel Devoret, and John Martinis for their work on quantum tunneling in superconducting circuits. This research laid the groundwork for the quantum computers in development today.
In my latest for Gizmodo, I write about two cases of generative AI being used in legal settings. They're foils to each other: one that I believe presents a way to use the software responsibly, and one that doesn't.
I leave it as an exercise to the reader to decide which is which.
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I leave it as an exercise to the reader to decide which is which.
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September 5, 2025 at 8:51 PM
In my latest for Gizmodo, I write about two cases of generative AI being used in legal settings. They're foils to each other: one that I believe presents a way to use the software responsibly, and one that doesn't.
I leave it as an exercise to the reader to decide which is which.
(1/n)
I leave it as an exercise to the reader to decide which is which.
(1/n)
Not a lot of people get to invent a programming language. I got to talk to somebody who did. Check out my latest profile in APS News.
www.aps.org/apsnews/2025...
www.aps.org/apsnews/2025...
Quantum careers: The coder who used 90 programming languages — then invented one for quantum computers
As a kid in Ukraine, Mariia Mykhailova wrote code on paper. Now she writes books on quantum computing.
www.aps.org
August 20, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Not a lot of people get to invent a programming language. I got to talk to somebody who did. Check out my latest profile in APS News.
www.aps.org/apsnews/2025...
www.aps.org/apsnews/2025...
Quantum computing gets all the attention -- but have you heard about their cousin, quantum radar? I write about a new type of quantum radar that uses Rydberg atoms, used as qubits in computers, not for encoding info but for imaging objects underground.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/08/11/1...
www.technologyreview.com/2025/08/11/1...
This quantum radar could image buried objects
Physicists are exploring a quantum-mechanical approach to making smaller radio wave detectors.
www.technologyreview.com
August 11, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Quantum computing gets all the attention -- but have you heard about their cousin, quantum radar? I write about a new type of quantum radar that uses Rydberg atoms, used as qubits in computers, not for encoding info but for imaging objects underground.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/08/11/1...
www.technologyreview.com/2025/08/11/1...
Meet Sergio Cantu, a physicist at QuEra who just built a quantum computer in Japan and who also teaches baller science workshops to students in Mexico. My story for APS News.
www.aps.org/apsnews/2025...
www.aps.org/apsnews/2025...
Quantum careers | Building tomorrow’s quantum computers, teaching tomorrow’s scientists
Sergio Cantu’s dual mission spans multiple continents.
www.aps.org
June 24, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Meet Sergio Cantu, a physicist at QuEra who just built a quantum computer in Japan and who also teaches baller science workshops to students in Mexico. My story for APS News.
www.aps.org/apsnews/2025...
www.aps.org/apsnews/2025...
IBM says it's got all the ingredients and plans to make an error-corrected, large-scale quantum computer by 2028. "Large scale" = 200 logical qubits, 100 million operations, which is likely still 10x fewer operations than needed to be useful.
My story:
www.technologyreview.com/2025/06/10/1...
My story:
www.technologyreview.com/2025/06/10/1...
IBM aims to build the world’s first large-scale, error-corrected quantum computer by 2028
The company says it has cracked the code for error correction and is building a modular machine in New York state.
www.technologyreview.com
June 10, 2025 at 1:44 PM
IBM says it's got all the ingredients and plans to make an error-corrected, large-scale quantum computer by 2028. "Large scale" = 200 logical qubits, 100 million operations, which is likely still 10x fewer operations than needed to be useful.
My story:
www.technologyreview.com/2025/06/10/1...
My story:
www.technologyreview.com/2025/06/10/1...
This article basically a laundry list of how NOT to use AI. And that's how DOGE used it, to automate the cancelling of contracts at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
So DOGE used crappy AI to “munch” VA contracts.
We got the code.
Killed contracts included:
-support for nurses
-a gene sequencing to improve cancer treatment
-blood analysis
Story by @bxroberts.org @vernalcoleman.bsky.social and me.
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
We got the code.
Killed contracts included:
-support for nurses
-a gene sequencing to improve cancer treatment
-blood analysis
Story by @bxroberts.org @vernalcoleman.bsky.social and me.
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
DOGE Developed Error-Prone AI Tool to “Munch” Veterans Affairs Contracts
We obtained records showing how a Department of Government Efficiency staffer with no medical experience used artificial intelligence to identify which VA contracts to kill. “AI is absolutely the wron...
www.propublica.org
June 6, 2025 at 4:39 PM
This article basically a laundry list of how NOT to use AI. And that's how DOGE used it, to automate the cancelling of contracts at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Reposted by Sophia Chen
Great reporting and some striking visualizations of the cuts to NSF coming from a variety of directions: terminated grants, frozen new grants, and budget cuts.
The reductions in funding touch virtually every area of science and seem certain to harm American competitiveness.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Trump Has Cut Science Funding to Its Lowest Level in Decades
The lag in funding extends far beyond D.E.I. initiatives, affecting almost every area of science: chemistry, computing, engineering, materials and more.
www.nytimes.com
May 22, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Great reporting and some striking visualizations of the cuts to NSF coming from a variety of directions: terminated grants, frozen new grants, and budget cuts.
In spacetime news, the European Space Agency launched the most accurate clock to fly in space last month. It won't lose or gain a second in 300 million years.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/22/1...
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www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/22/1...
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A new atomic clock in space could help us measure elevations on Earth
The European Space Agency’s ACES mission could ultimately pave the way for a global network of atomic clocks that make these measurements far more accurate.
www.technologyreview.com
May 22, 2025 at 12:23 PM
In spacetime news, the European Space Agency launched the most accurate clock to fly in space last month. It won't lose or gain a second in 300 million years.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/22/1...
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www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/22/1...
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Nothing gold can stay
The dream of alchemists has been realised - physicists have turned lead into gold
https://go.nature.com/3F4fpwN
https://go.nature.com/3F4fpwN
Physicists turn lead into gold — for a fraction of a second
Colliding beams of lead create fast-moving, short-lived gold ions. Understanding the process could help to refine particle accelerator experiments.
go.nature.com
May 9, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Nothing gold can stay
This piece points out so much of gadgetry and medicine today (Internet, MRIs, Google search) exists because of years of U.S. government investment.
Scientists are worried today, but everyone will feel these cuts in the future, when we wonder why people stopped innovating.
Scientists are worried today, but everyone will feel these cuts in the future, when we wonder why people stopped innovating.
Under this administration, it's difficult to know what will happen tomorrow. But these cuts to science will have long-term effects, so we tried to take a step back and consider the impacts in 5, 10 years. Reported with @heidiledford.bsky.social & Jeff Tollefson:
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Will US science survive Trump 2.0?
President Donald Trump and his administration have gutted science agencies, terminated research programmes and cancelled billions of dollars in grants to universities. What are the long-term impacts f...
www.nature.com
April 29, 2025 at 2:29 PM
This piece points out so much of gadgetry and medicine today (Internet, MRIs, Google search) exists because of years of U.S. government investment.
Scientists are worried today, but everyone will feel these cuts in the future, when we wonder why people stopped innovating.
Scientists are worried today, but everyone will feel these cuts in the future, when we wonder why people stopped innovating.
In 2030, AI will consume the same amount of energy as Japan does annually, a new projection from the IEA finds. In reality, it's likely that utilities can't build power plants fast enough to meet that demand.
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www.nature.com/articles/d41...
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www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Data centres will use twice as much energy by 2030 — driven by AI
Data centres accounted for roughly 1.5% of global electricity consumption in 2024.
www.nature.com
April 10, 2025 at 3:04 PM
In 2030, AI will consume the same amount of energy as Japan does annually, a new projection from the IEA finds. In reality, it's likely that utilities can't build power plants fast enough to meet that demand.
(1/n)
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
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www.nature.com/articles/d41...
"For now, many data centers in China sit in limbo—built for a future that has yet to arrive."
Fascinating reporting by @caiwei.bsky.social on the overhype arc of generative AI in China.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/03/26/1...
Fascinating reporting by @caiwei.bsky.social on the overhype arc of generative AI in China.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/03/26/1...
China built hundreds of AI data centers to catch the AI boom. Now many stand unused.
The country poured billions into AI infrastructure, but the data center gold rush is unraveling as speculative investments collide with weak demand and DeepSeek shifts AI trends.
www.technologyreview.com
March 31, 2025 at 1:18 PM
"For now, many data centers in China sit in limbo—built for a future that has yet to arrive."
Fascinating reporting by @caiwei.bsky.social on the overhype arc of generative AI in China.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/03/26/1...
Fascinating reporting by @caiwei.bsky.social on the overhype arc of generative AI in China.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/03/26/1...
"Supporting students of color does not require the illegal use of race. Saying 'Black Lives Matter' requires only the willingness to acknowledge Black people’s humanity."
-@tiffjhuang.bsky.social on OSU flipflopping on systemic racism in less than five years
www.dispatch.com/story/opinio...
-@tiffjhuang.bsky.social on OSU flipflopping on systemic racism in less than five years
www.dispatch.com/story/opinio...
Ohio State cutting DEI programs shows a breathtaking fear of the truth | Opinion
Pretending racism does not exist will not stop Donald Trump's attack on higher education.
www.dispatch.com
March 26, 2025 at 2:03 PM
"Supporting students of color does not require the illegal use of race. Saying 'Black Lives Matter' requires only the willingness to acknowledge Black people’s humanity."
-@tiffjhuang.bsky.social on OSU flipflopping on systemic racism in less than five years
www.dispatch.com/story/opinio...
-@tiffjhuang.bsky.social on OSU flipflopping on systemic racism in less than five years
www.dispatch.com/story/opinio...
Lots of quantum computing news this week/year. A little error correction here, cat qubit there -- and a whole lot of wtf is Microsoft claiming now. If you're wondering what it all means, here I try to sum up the state of things.
www.theverge.com/tech/633248/...
www.theverge.com/tech/633248/...
Drama over quantum computing’s future heats up
Physicists continue to argue over Microsoft’s qubit claims. The entire field hangs in a delicate balance.
www.theverge.com
March 21, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Lots of quantum computing news this week/year. A little error correction here, cat qubit there -- and a whole lot of wtf is Microsoft claiming now. If you're wondering what it all means, here I try to sum up the state of things.
www.theverge.com/tech/633248/...
www.theverge.com/tech/633248/...
Reposted by Sophia Chen
A Chinese team has created a fridge-sized, 23kg satellite that can perform quantum key distribution in space & used it to transmit a secure image 13,000km. A quantum secure network that spans the globe is not far away ⚛️🧪 My @nature.com story here: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Mini-satellite paves the way for quantum messaging anywhere on Earth
A Chinese team has transmitted quantum-encrypted images a record 12,900 kilometres.
www.nature.com
March 21, 2025 at 11:12 AM
A Chinese team has created a fridge-sized, 23kg satellite that can perform quantum key distribution in space & used it to transmit a secure image 13,000km. A quantum secure network that spans the globe is not far away ⚛️🧪 My @nature.com story here: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Sophia Chen
Interesting tale here on D-Wave claiming last year that their quantum computers could do things that no classical computer could do. This week that paper passed peer-review. Success, right? No. Two teams of classical computer scientists say they've caught up.
www.newscientist.com/article/2471...
www.newscientist.com/article/2471...
Doubts cast over D-Wave's claim of quantum computer supremacy
D-Wave's claim that its quantum computers can solve problems that would take hundreds of years on classical machines have been undermined by two separate research groups showing that even an ordinary ...
www.newscientist.com
March 12, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Interesting tale here on D-Wave claiming last year that their quantum computers could do things that no classical computer could do. This week that paper passed peer-review. Success, right? No. Two teams of classical computer scientists say they've caught up.
www.newscientist.com/article/2471...
www.newscientist.com/article/2471...
Reposted by Sophia Chen
Quantum computing technology based on elusive quasiparticles called Majorana zero modes has long generated both dreams and controversies. A few weeks ago, a tech giant tried to swing the conversation in favor of dreams coming true - but experts remain unconvinced www.newscientist.com/article/2471...
Microsoft under fire for claiming it has a new quantum computer
Researchers have criticised Microsoft's new Majorana 1 quantum computer, saying it has made claims about the way it works that aren't fully backed up by scientific evidence
www.newscientist.com
March 10, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Quantum computing technology based on elusive quasiparticles called Majorana zero modes has long generated both dreams and controversies. A few weeks ago, a tech giant tried to swing the conversation in favor of dreams coming true - but experts remain unconvinced www.newscientist.com/article/2471...
Reposted by Sophia Chen
Microsoft's extraordinary claim last month—to have created a bonafide topological qubit—was met with caution by many experts. Now, a physicist is raising specific and substantive concerns about a key test that underlies Microsoft's approach. My reporting: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Microsoft quantum computing 'breakthrough' faces fresh challenge
Analysis pokes holes in protocol that underpins Microsoft’s claim to have created the first topological qubits.
www.nature.com
March 7, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Microsoft's extraordinary claim last month—to have created a bonafide topological qubit—was met with caution by many experts. Now, a physicist is raising specific and substantive concerns about a key test that underlies Microsoft's approach. My reporting: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Generative AI has a reputation for being an energy hog.
For my latest feature in Nature, I dig into the actual numbers.
(1/n)
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
For my latest feature in Nature, I dig into the actual numbers.
(1/n)
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
How much energy will AI really consume? The good, the bad and the unknown
Researchers want firms to be more transparent about the electricity demands of artificial intelligence.
www.nature.com
March 5, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Generative AI has a reputation for being an energy hog.
For my latest feature in Nature, I dig into the actual numbers.
(1/n)
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
For my latest feature in Nature, I dig into the actual numbers.
(1/n)
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Today, Amazon announced its quantum computer, Ocelot.
QCs are still too small to be useful, but Amazon showed they can do error correction with only 9 qubits -- ~10 times less than Google. They argue they have a path to scale up their machines.
(1/n)
www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/27/1...
QCs are still too small to be useful, but Amazon showed they can do error correction with only 9 qubits -- ~10 times less than Google. They argue they have a path to scale up their machines.
(1/n)
www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/27/1...
Amazon’s first quantum computing chip makes its debut
Dubbed Ocelot, it’s designed to correct errors with less hardware overhead.
www.technologyreview.com
February 27, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Today, Amazon announced its quantum computer, Ocelot.
QCs are still too small to be useful, but Amazon showed they can do error correction with only 9 qubits -- ~10 times less than Google. They argue they have a path to scale up their machines.
(1/n)
www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/27/1...
QCs are still too small to be useful, but Amazon showed they can do error correction with only 9 qubits -- ~10 times less than Google. They argue they have a path to scale up their machines.
(1/n)
www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/27/1...
Canadian startup Xanadu showed off its new quantum computer, Aurora, in a paper in Nature last week.
My story:
www.technologyreview.com/2025/01/30/1...
My story:
www.technologyreview.com/2025/01/30/1...
This quantum computer built on server racks paves the way to bigger machines
A Canadian startup called Xanadu has built a photon-based quantum computer it says should easily scale up.
www.technologyreview.com
January 30, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Canadian startup Xanadu showed off its new quantum computer, Aurora, in a paper in Nature last week.
My story:
www.technologyreview.com/2025/01/30/1...
My story:
www.technologyreview.com/2025/01/30/1...
This year, @catherineespaillat.bsky.social was part of the team who discovered the youngest planet to date -- a 3 million year old 430 light years away. I got to profile her for the Heising-Simons Foundation: 1400degrees.org/insight/cath...
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Catherine Espaillat Looks For Baby Planets - 1400 Degrees
Catherine Espaillat’s research centers on an existential question. “How do planets form, in our solar system and beyond?” the Boston University astronomer asks. She looks to answer this question by ...
1400degrees.org
December 18, 2024 at 10:59 PM
This year, @catherineespaillat.bsky.social was part of the team who discovered the youngest planet to date -- a 3 million year old 430 light years away. I got to profile her for the Heising-Simons Foundation: 1400degrees.org/insight/cath...
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