IBM publishes a roadmap for quantum computing: a computer with more...

The field of quantum computing is currently based on relatively small devices, and computational capability that suffers from noise and interference. A 1,000-cubit-long system will be a significant milestone that can clearly demonstrate the advantages of quantum computing over classical computing and even the most powerful and efficient supercomputers in the world.

IBM has announced its roadmap in the field of quantum computing for the coming years and has announced its intention to build a large-scale quantum computing system. The company anticipates that such a system could address some of the greatest scientific challenges of our time – such as simulating atomic behavior to design and create innovative materials – and continue to strive to understand the universe beyond what can be achieved using classical computers.

The field of quantum computing is currently based on relatively small devices, and computational capability that suffers from noise and interference. IBM researchers have set themselves the goal of developing innovative quantum processors that can be expanded to more than 1,000 qubits by the end of 2023. Such a system would be a significant milestone that could clearly demonstrate the advantages of quantum computing over classical computing and even the most powerful and efficient supercomputers in the world. At the same time, IBM continues to make its systems accessible through the cloud so that every scientist in the world can program them and harness their unique benefits.

IBM has been researching the field of quantum superconductors since the mid-2000s and has succeeded in increasing the stability and error reduction of quantum processors and developing multi-qubit systems. The first quantum computer was made available to researchers and developers using IBM’s cloud as early as 2016.

The company currently operates dozens of stable quantum systems in IBM’s cloud for customers, researchers and interested parties. Even the general public can program and run applications on top of these systems using the cloud. Among other things, there are systems in the cloud that include the IBM Quantum Canary quantum processor with five qubits and IBM Quantum Falcon processors with 27 qubits. By the way – on such a system, with the help of unique hardware and software improvements, a few weeks ago IBM researchers managed to reach a quantum volume index of 64.

The next processors in line are the IBM Quantum Hummingbird with 65 qubit currently available for the company’s partners in IBM Q – a network of academic institutions, commercial companies and laboratories that conduct research using quantum computing.

The next quantum step

The biggest challenge facing researchers today is figuring out how to control systems with a large number of qubits for a sufficiently long time and with as few errors as possible. Next year IBM will introduce the IBM Quantum Eagle processor with 127 qubits and a number of upgrades that will mark the significant milestone of a stable system with more than 100 qubits.

The design principles set for the smaller processors will allow the company to release a system called IBM Quantum Osprey with 433 qubits in 2022. Such a system will also be based on improvements in the cooling infrastructure needed to support it and ensure that increasing the amount of processors does not sacrifice system performance.

In 2023, IBM will introduce for the first time the IBM Quantum Condor processor with 1,121 qubits based on the lessons learned from all the devices that preceded it and the constant attempt to continue reducing errors and maintaining the stability of quantum circuits for longer periods of time.

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