IBM ‘optimistic’ about realising quantum computers
1 min read
Developments made by IBM researchers may accelerate the creation of practical full size quantum computers. Using a variety of techniques, its scientists have established a number of records for reducing errors in elementary computations and retaining the integrity of quantum mechanical properties in qubits.
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"The quantum computing work we are doing shows it is no longer just a brute force physics experiment. It's time to start creating systems based on this science that will take computing to a new frontier," said IBM scientist Matthias Steffen, manager of the IBM research team.
IBM has been experimenting with a 3d superconducting qubit and, among the results, the team has extended the time for which the qubits retain their quantum states to 100µs – more than doubling the previous best. The researchers say this value is beyond the minimum threshold needed to enable effective error correction schemes.
In separate experiments, the group also demonstrated a more traditional 2d qubit device and implemented a two qubit logic operation – a fundamental building block of a larger quantum computing system. The operation showed a 95% success rate, with a coherence time of nearly 10µs.
Based on this progress, IBM says optimism about superconducting qubits and the possibilities for a future quantum computer are growing. To achieve this, it is encouraging a focus on systems integration aspects, such as assessing the classical information processing demands for error correction, I/O issues, feasibility and costs with scaling.