ARMONK, N.Y., Nov. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE:
IBM) today announced its new 127-quantum bit (qubit) 'Eagle'
processor at the IBM Quantum Summit 2021, its annual event to
showcase milestones in quantum hardware, software, and the growth
of the quantum ecosystem. The 'Eagle' processor is a breakthrough
in tapping into the massive computing potential of devices based on
quantum physics. It heralds the point in hardware development where
quantum circuits cannot be reliably simulated exactly on a
classical computer. IBM also previewed plans for IBM Quantum System
Two, the next generation of quantum systems.
Quantum computing taps into the fundamental quantum nature of
matter at subatomic levels to offer the possibility of vastly
increased computing power. The fundamental computational unit of
quantum computing is the quantum circuit, an arrangement of qubits
into quantum gates and measurements. The more qubits a quantum
processor possesses, the more complex and valuable the quantum
circuits that it can run.
IBM recently debuted detailed roadmaps for quantum computing,
including a path for scaling quantum hardware to enable
complex quantum circuits to reach Quantum Advantage, the point at
which quantum systems can meaningfully outperform their classical
counterpoints. Eagle is the latest step along this scaling
path.
IBM measures progress in quantum computing hardware through
three performance attributes: Scale, Quality and Speed. Scale is
measured in the number of qubits on a quantum processor and
determines how large of a quantum circuit can be run. Quality is
measured by Quantum Volume and describes how accurately quantum
circuits run on a real quantum device. Speed is measured by
CLOPS (Circuit Layer Operations Per
Second), a metric IBM introduced in November 2021, and captures the feasibility of
running real calculations composed of a large number of quantum
circuits.
127-qubit Eagle processor
'Eagle' is IBM's first quantum processor developed and deployed
to contain more than 100 operational and connected qubits. It
follows IBM's 65-qubit 'Hummingbird' processor unveiled in 2020 and
the 27-qubit 'Falcon' processor unveiled in 2019. To achieve this
breakthrough, IBM researchers built on innovations pioneered within
its existing quantum processors, such as a qubit arrangement design
to reduce errors and an architecture to reduce the number of
necessary components. The new techniques leveraged within Eagle
place control wiring on multiple physical levels within the
processor while keeping the qubits on a single layer, which enables
a significant increase in qubits.
The increased qubit count will allow users to explore problems
at a new level of complexity when undertaking experiments and
running applications, such as optimizing machine learning or
modeling new molecules and materials for use in areas spanning from
the energy industry to the drug discovery process. 'Eagle' is the
first IBM quantum processor whose scale makes it impossible for a
classical computer to reliably simulate. In fact, the number of
classical bits necessary to represent a state on the 127-qubit
processor exceeds the total number of atoms in the more than 7.5
billion people alive today.
"The arrival of the 'Eagle' processor is a major step towards
the day when quantum computers can outperform classical computers
for useful applications," said Dr. Darío Gil, Senior Vice
President, IBM and Director of Research. "Quantum computing has the
power to transform nearly every sector and help us tackle the
biggest problems of our time. This is why IBM continues to rapidly
innovate quantum hardware and software design, building ways for
quantum and classical workloads to empower each other, and create a
global ecosystem that is imperative to the growth of a quantum
industry."
The first 'Eagle' processor is available as an exploratory
device on the IBM Cloud to select members of the IBM Quantum
Network.
For a more technical description of the 'Eagle' processor, read
this blog.
IBM Quantum System Two
In 2019, IBM unveiled IBM Quantum System One, the world's first
integrated quantum computing system. Since then, IBM has deployed
these systems as the foundation of its cloud-based IBM Quantum
services in the United States, as
well as in Germany for
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Germany's
leading scientific research institution, in Japan for the University
of Tokyo, and a forthcoming system in the U.S. at Cleveland
Clinic. In addition, we announced today a new partnership with
Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, to deploy the first IBM
quantum system in the country. For more details, click here.
As IBM continues scaling its processors, they are expected to
mature beyond the infrastructure of IBM Quantum System One.
Therefore, we're excited to unveil a concept for the future of
quantum computing systems: IBM Quantum System Two. IBM Quantum
System Two is designed to work with IBM's future 433-qubit and
1,121 qubit processors.
"IBM Quantum System Two offers a glimpse into the future quantum
computing datacenter, where modularity and flexibility of system
infrastructure will be key towards continued scaling," said Dr.
Jay Gambetta, IBM Fellow and VP of
Quantum Computing. "System Two draws on IBM's long heritage in both
quantum and classical computing, bringing in new innovations at
every level of the technology stack."
Central to IBM Quantum System Two is the concept of modularity.
As IBM progresses along its hardware roadmap and builds processors
with larger qubit counts, it is vital that the control hardware has
the flexibility and resources necessary to scale. These resources
include control electronics, which allow users to manipulate the
qubits, and cryogenic cooling, which keeps the qubits at a
temperature low enough for their quantum properties to
manifest.
IBM Quantum System Two's design will incorporate a new
generation of scalable qubit control electronics together with
higher-density cryogenic components and cabling. Furthermore, IBM
Quantum System Two introduces a new cryogenic platform, designed in
conjunction with Bluefors, featuring a novel, innovative structural
design to maximize space for the support hardware required by
larger processors while ensuring that engineers can easily access
and service the hardware.
In addition, the new design brings the possibility to provide a
larger shared cryogenic work-space – ultimately leading to the
potential linking of multiple quantum processors. The prototype IBM
Quantum System Two is expected to be up and running in 2023.
Statements regarding IBM's future direction and intent are
subject to change or withdrawal without notice and represent goals
and objectives only.
About IBM
For more information, visit:
https://research.ibm.com/quantum-computing.
Contact
Hugh Collins
IBM Research Communications
Hughdcollins@ibm.com
Kortney Easterly
IBM Research Communications
Kortney.Easterly@ibm.com
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ibm-unveils-breakthrough-127-qubit-quantum-processor-301424995.html
SOURCE IBM