IBM has revealed the Osprey quantum processor with 433 quantum bits (qubits), making it the one with the highest qubit count of all of its processors.
Based on a report by Engadget, that is significantly more than three times as many qubits as the Eagle chip, which the tech giant debuted in November of last year.
IBM claimed that it built on top of the design of the 127-cubit Eagle by retaining qubits on a single plane when using multi-level wiring.
The 400-qubit Quantum Processor
IBM's latest quantum processor, the Osprey, has over 400 qubits compared to its predecessor, the 2021-introduced IBM Eagle processor, which only had 127 qubits.
The company claimed through its press release published on Wednesday, Nov. 9, that this processor offers the possibility to do quantum tasks that are very difficult to solve, unlike any conventional computer.
According to Dr. Daro Gil, IBM's Senior Vice President and Director of Research, the new 433-qubit Osprey processor gets them a step closer to the point when quantum computers will be employed to solve initially unsolvable issues.
He added, "We are continuously scaling up and advancing our quantum technology across hardware, software and classical integration to meet the biggest challenges of our time, in conjunction with our partners and clients worldwide. This work will prove foundational for the coming era of quantum-centric supercomputing."
In addition to Osprey, IBM's quantum mainframe, known as Quantum System Two, was also revealed. It will be capable of housing many quantum processors and integrating them into a single system through high-speed communication lines. The goal is to get this system up and running by 2023.
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IBM Is on Track with its Roadmap
IBM's goal is to develop a quantum computing system with over 4000 qubits by 2025. Thus, they are ramping up their work in this area. And at this point, it is following its plan effectively.
The company aims to release its 1,121-qubit Condor processor in 2023, followed by its 1,386-qubit Flamingo processor in 2024, and finally, its 4,000-qubit Kookaburra processor in 2025.
However, although the company has had success so far, increasing the number of qubits in a quantum processor is just one piece of a very huge and intricate jigsaw. TechCrunch emphasized that other factors, such as longer coherence periods and reduced noise, are just as significant.
This Year's IBM Quantum Summit
The announcement of the Osprey quantum processor happened during the commencement of the IBM Quantum Summit 2022 on Wednesday.
The summit kicked off with the company's announcement of new ground-breaking developments in quantum hardware and software, as well as an outline of the company's pioneering vision for quantum-centric supercomputing.
Every year, IBM hosts a conference called the IBM Quantum Summit, where they present the latest developments in their efforts to bring practical quantum computing to the public by working with a wide variety of customers, partners, and developers.
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Written by Trisha Kae Andrada
