Consumers today are inclining towards newer, more cutting-edge tech. From smartphones to computers, we have witnessed massive improvements over the past decade. Smartphones today are capable of doing so much more than they could in their initial stages. Similarly, computers have also come a long way. And now with the game-changing milestone that IBM has achieved, everything is going to change.
For decades, people have been excited to experience how quantum computers work. And finally, users will be able to do so. This means that fast machines paired with gig speeds as offered by Cox Gigablast and others will be a game-changing experience!
What Do Quantum Computers Have In-Store
Quantum computers can run algorithms and procedures, which were not possible to run on conventional computers. This will accelerate the solutions to various problems. Even since the launch of the Falcon processor (27 qubits) that IBM launched in 2019, the company’s roadmap has been concrete and ambitious. It launched Hummingbird in 2020 and it had 65 qubits.
With Eagle, IBM has roughly doubled the qubits from 67 to 127 qubits and that’s huge! Next in the queue is Osprey, scheduled to launch in 2022 with a whopping 433 qubits. And the company claims that all of these are only pit stops to their final goal of 1,000 qubit chips. Therefore, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that IBM is the undisputed champion in the race of quantum computing.
Let’s dig a little deeper into what this cutting-edge tech has to offer.
The Quantum Advantage
Conventional computers linearly rose in power as they grew. Unlike them, quantum processor doubles in potential with one additional qubit. IBM is actively working with a detailed roadmap on achieving the full quantum advantage by constantly scaling quantum hardware. This is how complex quantum circuits will be enabled to reach the Quantum Advantage!
The Eagle has finally landed! IBM unveiled its 127-qubit quantum computing chip, named Eagle in November. The company flaunted its newest asset in the race of building the most powerful quantum computer at the Quantum Summit. IBM declared that its systems will deliver the quantum advantage by the year 2023.
What Does This Fancy Chip Offer?
IBM’s representatives shared that Eagle will scale up their device packaging to bring signals to and from the superconducting qubits in a more effective way. Computer scientists have theorized what quantum computers can do in three broad categories.
Quantum computers are adept at various mathematical functions, which their traditional counterparts couldn’t perform. One instance is factoring integers. Furthermore, some cryptography systems, which encrypt data over the internet rely on the difficulty of factoring integers. Quantum computers are capable of breaking some of the encryption that is being used on traditional machines.
Moreover, quantum computers can exploit the laws of quantum physics for processing binary information. This includes the quantum-computing circuits such as the Hummingbird and the Eagle chip. They can do calculations, which can’t be done by classical supercomputers easily.
Another benefit is that while running applications and undertaking experiments, the increased qubit count will enable users to explore and sort problems at a brand new level of complexity. Some instances are optimized machine learning and modeling new materials/molecules to use in areas, which are spanning from energy. This means they can change the dynamics of chemistry problems. Furthermore, they will be able to finance industries in the process of drug discovery.
Last but not the least, compared to classical computers, quantum computers can conduct fast searches through unsorted databases. Thanks to its algorithm!
The Future Prospects
There is no shortage of big plans in quantum computing. IBM emphasizes the fact that by laying out a promising and clear vision and consistently meeting its milestones, it will be able to appeal to the wait-and-see community to buy its upgraded products.
As mentioned earlier, IBM plans to launch even bigger chips in the future. After Osprey at 400 qubits, they are aiming to successfully launch Condor at massive 1,000 qubits. That’s their ultimate goal. However, they might need something more than the current single-chandelier systems to keep the systems cool.
In the Quantum Summit, IBM’s presentation was too much to handle for some. There was a lot to absorb. There is no doubt that IBM has attempted to put its best foot forward. Amid so many other companies, which claim to work on the aspects of quantum computing, IBM has emerged as the one that is actually tackling them. That’s why this IBM report and progressive initiative have been applauded and appreciated throughout the quantum community.
