The 133-qubit Heron processor from IBM
IBM has unveiled its much-awaited 1,000+ qubit quantum processor Condor, alongside a utility-scale processor dubbed IBM Quantum Heron at its Quantum Summit in New York. The latter is the first in the series of utility-scale quantum processors that IBM took four years to build, the company said in a press release.
Quantum computers, considered the next frontier of computing, have locked companies big and small in a race to build the platform that everybody would want to use to solve complex problems in medicine, physics, mathematics, and many more.
Even the fastest supercomputers of today are years behind the potential of quantum computers, whose capabilities keep improving with the addition of quantum bits or qubits in the processor. So, a 1,000+ qubit processor is a big deal, and even though a startup may have beaten IBM to this milestone, the latter's announcement is still significant for what else IBM brings to the table.
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IBM Quantum System Two
On Monday, IBM also announced the launch of its Quantum System Two, a modular quantum computer. Located in New York, the system has already begun operations and works with three Heron processors to begin with.
The Heron only boasts 133-qubits which is a marginal improvement of its 127-qubit Eagle quantum processor unveiled earlier this year. However, IBM has confirmed that it will make the Heron processors available to users via the cloud right away.
More importantly, IBM has improved the error rates in the Heron by a factor of five when compared to the Eagle, making them better suited to utility applications. This is in line with IBM's approach to have error-corrected qubits by the end of the decade.
Moving closer to quantum reality
According to IBM, we are currently in Era 2 of quantum computing, where efforts are required to reduce and mitigate errors and develop proof-of-concept applications. The company plans to set up eight quantum computing centers where researchers will get access to System Two.
In Era 3, quantum computers will deliver error correction and will be able to scale up, and the company has shared its roadmap along with names and features of successive processors that will take us to this quantum reality.
IBM also intends to make the development of quantum computing accessible to a large number of users and is developing Qiskit, a software stack that will allow developers to create code for various applications. Qiskit Patterns will allow users to develop, deploy, and execute workflows in both classic and quantum computing environments, IBM's press release said.
For those worried about the risks arising from the use of easily available quantum computation, Ars Technica has some good news. The outlet spoke to Jay Gambetta, the lead scientist on IBM's quantum computer team, who confirmed that these mega strides in the field would still result in a scenario where we will be able to execute simpler algorithms on quantum systems.
