IBM creates largest ever superconducting quantum computer

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IBM claims it has produced a 127-qubit quantum computer. This is implicit treble the size of comparable machines made by Google and the University of Science and Technology of China

Technology 15 November 2021

By Matthew Sparkes

IBM has created the world’s largest superconducting quantum computer, surpassing the size of state-of-the-art machines from Google and from Chinese researchers. Previous devices person demonstrated up to 60 superconducting qubits, oregon quantum bits, moving unneurotic to lick problems, but IBM’s caller Eagle processor much than doubles that by stringing unneurotic 127.

Several approaches are being pursued by teams astir the satellite to make a applicable quantum computer, including superconductors and entangled photons, and it remains unclear which volition go the equivalent of the transistor which powered the classical computing revolution.

In 2019, Google announced that its Sycamore processor, which uses the aforesaid superconducting architecture that IBM is moving with, had achieved quantum supremacy – the sanction fixed to the constituent astatine which quantum computers tin lick a occupation that a classical machine would find impossible. That processor utilized 54 qubits, but has since been surpassed by a 56 and past 60-qubit demonstration with the Zuchongzhi superconducting processor from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) successful Hefei.

IBM’s 127-qubit Eagle processor present takes the apical spot arsenic the largest, and truthful theoretically astir powerful, superconducting quantum machine to beryllium demonstrated. Each further qubit represents a important measurement guardant successful ability: dissimilar classical computers, which emergence successful powerfulness successful a linear manner arsenic they grow, 1 further qubit efficaciously doubles a quantum processor’s imaginable power.

Canadian institution D-Wave Systems has sold machines for immoderate years that dwell of thousands of qubits, but they are wide considered to beryllium precise circumstantial machines tailored towards a definite algorithm called quantum annealing alternatively than afloat programmable quantum computers. In caller years, overmuch advancement successful quantum computing has focused connected superconducting qubits, which is 1 of the main technologies that Google, USTC and IBM are backing.

Bob Sutor astatine IBM says that breaking the 100-qubit obstruction is much intelligence than physical, but that it shows the exertion tin grow. “With Eagle, we’re demonstrating that we tin scale, that we tin commencement to make capable qubits to get connected a way to person capable computation capableness to bash the absorbing problems. It’s a stepping chromatic to bigger machines,” helium says.

However, it is hard to comparison the powerfulness of the IBM spot with erstwhile processors. Both Google and USTC utilized a communal trial to measure specified chips, which was to simulate a quantum circuit and illustration random numbers from its output. IBM claims to person created a much programmable and adaptable processor, but has yet to people an world insubstantial mounting retired its show oregon abilities.

Peter Leek astatine the University of Oxford says it is tempting to measure show wholly connected the qubit count, but that determination are different metrics that request to beryllium looked astatine – nary of which has yet been released for Eagle. “It’s decidedly positive, it’s bully that they’re making thing with much qubits, but yet it lone becomes utile erstwhile the processor performs truly well,” helium says.

Scott Aaronson astatine the University of Texas astatine Austin has akin reservations astir judging the value of the caller processor astatine this stage, saying that much item is needed. “I anticipation that accusation volition beryllium forthcoming,” helium says.

IBM has said that it hopes to show a 400-qubit processor adjacent twelvemonth and to interruption the 1000-qubit obstruction the pursuing twelvemonth with a spot called Condor. At that point, it is expected that a bounds connected enlargement volition beryllium reached that requires quantum computers to beryllium created from networks of these processors strung unneurotic by fibre-optic links.