From Ars Technica · · 2m
IBM plans dual-chip quantum system by 2027
IBM is reshaping its quantum roadmap, ditching nine linked processors for two larger ones and targeting error-corrected systems before 2030.
In brief
IBM is reshaping its quantum roadmap, ditching nine linked processors for two larger ones and targeting error-corrected systems before 2030. IBM is revising its quantum roadmap to deliver a dual-processor system with over one thousand qubits by 2027, abandoning its plan to link nine chips together. Originally reported…
IBM reshapes quantum roadmap
IBM announced at its Quantum Developer's Conference this week that it is aiming to make error-corrected quantum computers before the decade is out.
Nighthawk gets bigger, fewer links
IBM is expanding its next-generation Nighthawk processors to include a version with over five hundred programmable qubits while reducing linked systems from nine to two.
Two parallel development tracks
IBM is pursuing two paths: one focused on technical development for error-corrected hardware, and another offering general-purpose Nighthawk processors for users testing algorithms today.
Nighthawk r2 brings hardware reset boost
The Nighthawk r2 released in September includes dedicated hardware for resetting qubits to ground state, delivering up to a nineteen-fold acceleration of some operations.
“That capability lets our users run circuits on this chip faster than was ever before possible.”
How the reset hardware works
IBM dedicates an extra physical qubit for each programmable qubit to quickly remove energy and return it to ground state. The r2 has four hundred fifty-eight physical qubits but only one hundred twenty are programmable.
Nighthawk r3 targets five hundred twenty qubits
The planned Nighthawk r3 for 2027 will retain the reset technology and add further improvements, targeting five hundred twenty programmable qubits and roughly two thousand individual qubit-like devices total.
Dual-chip system replaces nine-chip plan
IBM now plans to offer a one thousand forty-qubit machine by linking just two chips instead of nine. This keeps the company close to its original one thousand eighty-qubit target.
Chip-to-chip connections show promise
IBM demonstrated four L-couplers joining two Nighthawk R1 processors, reaching state transfer fidelities of up to ninety-nine point four percent, very close to the long-term target of ninety-nine point nine percent.
Path to one hundred logical qubits
IBM plans to use roughly three hundred hardware qubits to host a block of twelve logical error-corrected qubits.
The big picture
IBM is revising its quantum roadmap to deliver a dual-processor system with over one thousand qubits by 2027, abandoning its plan to link nine chips together.
