For years, the quantum computing news cycle was dominated by headlines about record-breaking systems. Researchers at Google and IBM have debated who achieved what and whether it was worth the effort. But it seems the time has passed to argue about who has the biggest processor. Businesses are putting their heads down and preparing for life in the real world. Before I knew it, everyone had grown up.
As if to underscore how much researchers want to get out of the hype, IBM plans to unveil a processor in 2023 that bucks the trend of leveraging more quantum bits (“qubits”) than ever before. is. Qubits, the processing units of quantum computers, can be constructed from a variety of technologies, including superconducting circuits, trapped ions, and photons, which are quantum particles of light.
IBM has long pursued superconducting qubits. Over the years, the company has made steady progress in increasing the number it can put on its chips. For example, in 2021 IBM announced a record-breaking 127. The company announced his 433-qubit Osprey processor in November and aims to release his 1,121-qubit processor called Condor in 2023.
But this year, IBM will announce a Heron processor with just 133 qubits. It may seem like a step backwards, but as the company is keen to point out, Heron’s qubits will be of the highest quality. And, importantly, each chip will now be able to connect directly to other Heron processors, facilitating the transition from a single quantum computing chip to a “modular” quantum computer built by connecting multiple processors together. I warn you. The move is expected to help significantly scale up quantum computers. .
Heron is a signal of great change in the quantum computing industry. Thanks to some recent breakthroughs, an aggressive roadmap, and a hefty funding round, general-purpose quantum computers could come sooner than many expected just a few years ago. Some experts suggest. Michele Mosca, Deputy Director of the Quantum Computing Laboratory at the University of Waterloo, said:
Here are some areas where experts hope to see progress.
piecing together quantum computers
IBM’s Heron project is just the first step into the world of modular quantum computing. Since the chips will be connected to conventional electronics, the “quantumness” of information moving from processor to processor cannot be maintained. But such chips will eventually be connected together with quantum-friendly fiber optic or microwave connections, paving the way for distributed, large-scale quantum computers with as many as a million qubits connected. is expected. This may be the number needed to run a useful error-correcting quantum algorithm. Jerry Chow, Director of IBM Quantum Hardware System Development, said:
