IBM publishes a roadmap for quantum computing: a computer with more than a thousand qubits by 2023

The field of quantum computing is currently based on relatively small devices, and a computational capacity that suffers from noise disruptions and disturbances. A system with a thousand qubits will be a significant milestone that will be able to clearly demonstrate the advantages of quantum computing over classical computing and even the most powerful and efficient supercomputers in the world

IBM announced its quantum computing roadmap for the coming years and stated its intention to build a large-scale quantum computing system. The company anticipates that such a system will be able to deal with some of the greatest scientific challenges of our time - such as simulating the behavior of atoms for the purpose of planning and creating innovative materials - and continue the quest to understand the universe beyond what can be achieved with classical computers.

The field of quantum computing is currently based on relatively small devices, and a computational capacity that suffers from noise disruptions and disturbances. IBM researchers set a goal to develop innovative quantum processors scalable 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 any scientist in the world can program them and harness their unique advantages.

IBM has been researching the field of quantum superconductors since the mid-2016s and has succeeded in increasing the stability and reducing the errors of the quantum processors and developing multi-qubit systems. The first quantum computer was made available to the public of researchers and developers through IBM's cloud already in XNUMX.

Today, the company 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 these systems using the cloud. Among other things, systems that include the IBM Quantum Canary quantum processor with five qubits and IBM Quantum Falcon processors with 27 qubits operate in the cloud. 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.

Next in line are the 65-qubit IBM Quantum Hummingbird processors that are currently available to IBM Q partner company customers - a network of academic institutions, commercial companies and laboratories conducting research using quantum computing.

The next quantum step

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

The design principles established for the smaller processors will allow the company to release a system called the IBM Quantum Osprey with 433 qubits in 2022. Such a system will also rely on improvements in the cooling infrastructure needed to support it and ensure that increasing the number 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 that will be 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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