IBM Debuts Utility-Scale Quantum Processor, First Modular Quantum Computer

IBM Corp. has launched Quantum Heron, the first in a series of next-generation, utility-scale quantum processors, with an architecture aimed at delivering high performance metrics and low error rates.   

IBM has also introduced Quantum System Two, the company's first modular quantum computer and foundation of its quantum-centric supercomputing architecture. The first Quantum System Two, located in New York, has begun operations with three IBM Heron processors and supporting control electronics, the company said.

The company has extended its IBM Quantum Development Roadmap to 2033, with new targets to advance the quality of gate operations. According to IBM, doing so would increase the size of quantum circuits able to be run and help to realise the potential of quantum computing at scale.   

“We are firmly within the era in which quantum computers are being used as a tool to explore new frontiers of science,” said Dario Gil, IBM senior vice president and director of research. “As we continue to advance how quantum systems can scale and deliver value through modular architectures, we will further increase the quality of a utility-scale quantum technology stack—and put it into the hands of our users and partners,” Gil said.

IBM had earlier demonstrated on a 127-qubit Quantum Eagle processor that IBM Quantum systems can serve as a scientific tool to explore utility-scale problems in chemistry, physics and materials.

Since then, leading global researchers, scientists and engineers from organisations, as well as IBM, have expanded demonstrations of utility-scale quantum computing, to confirm its value in exploring computational territory. 

This includes experiments running on the Quantum Heron 133-qubit processor, which IBM is making available for users via the cloud. IBM said that the new class of performant processor offers a five time improvement over the performance by the IBM Eagle.

Quantum System Two And Quantum Development Roadmap  

IBM Quantum System Two combines scalable cryogenic infrastructure and classical runtime servers with modular qubit control electronics. The architecture combines quantum communication and computation, assisted by classical computing resources, and leverages a middleware layer to integrate quantum and classical workflows, IBM said.  

As part of its Quantum Development Roadmap, the company plans for this system to also house its future generations of quantum processors, which are intended to improve the quality of operations to expand the complexity and size of workloads.

Qiskit And Generative AI To Increase Ease Of Quantum Software Programming 

IBM also detailed plans for a new generation of software stack, pivoted by Qiskit 1.0, its open-source toolkit for quantum computing. IBM also announced Qiskit Patterns for quantum developers to more easily create code. It is based on a collection of tools to easily map classical problems, optimise them to quantum circuits, execute those circuits and post-process the results. With Qiskit Patterns, users will be able to build, deploy and execute workflows integrating classical and quantum computation in different environments, such as cloud or on-premises scenarios, IBM said. 

The company will also integrate generative artificial intelligence available through watsonx, its enterprise AI platform, to help automate the development of quantum code for Qiskit.

“Generative AI and quantum computing are both reaching an inflection point, presenting us with the opportunity to use the trusted foundation model framework of watsonx to simplify how quantum algorithms can be built for utility-scale exploration,” said Jay Gambetta, vice president, quantum, and IBM Fellow.