The Future of Quantum Computing

 In this post I will include content that comes from an external source, such as a news article or research article about quantum computing.

I came across this fascinating article by Michael Brooks on MIT Technology Review which sheds light on the future of quantum computing and talks abou how companies are diverting away from qubit records in favor of practical hardware and long-term goals.

What is the future of quantum computing?

In 2023, progress in quantum computing will be driven less by big hardware announcements and more by researchers pooling years of hard work, getting chips to communicate with each other, and abandoning the fight against noise to move toward an increasingly international nature of the sector. For years, the quantum computing news cycle has been dominated by headlines about record-breaking systems. Researchers at Google and IBM disagree about who accomplished what and whether it was worth it. However,it seems that the days of arguing over who has the bigger processor are over:companies are confused and preparing for life in the real world. Suddenly everyone acts like an adult.

To illustrate how researchers plan to escape the noise, IBM is expected to unveil a processor in 2023 that will counteract the trend toward using moreand more quantum bits, or "qubits." Qubits, the processing units of quantum computers, can be built using a variety of technologies, including superconducting circuits, trapped ions and photons, or quantum light particles.IBM has long been researching superconducting qubits and has made steadyprogress over the years in increasing the number of qubits that can be housed on a chip. For example, in 2021, IBM presented an example with a record 127 such devices. The 433-qubit Osprey processor launched in November, and the company plans to launch a 1,121-qubit processor called Condor in 2023.

But IBM is also expected to launch its Heron processor this year, which will only have 133 qubits. This may seem like a step backwards, but as the company emphasizes, Heron's qubits will be of the highest quality. Crucially, each chip can be directly connected to other Heron processors, heralding the transition from single quantum computing chips to “modular” quantum computers made up of multiple interconnected processors, which should help dramatically scale thequantum computers.Heron is a sign of big changes in quantum computing. Some experts predictthat, thanks to some recent advances, a strict roadmap and strong funding, quantum computers may be in general use sooner than predicted just a few years ago.“Overall, things are definitely progressing rapidly,” says Michele Mosca, deputy director of the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo.

While things get serious and international competition becomes fierce, quantum technology remains – for now – largely collaborative. “The good thing about this business is that the competition is fierce, but we all recognize that it is necessary,” says Monroe. “We don't have a zero-sum mentality: there are different technologies with different levels of maturity and now we're all playing together. At some point there will be some kind of consolidation, but not yet.

Reference:

Brooks, Michael (2023) 'What's next for quantum computing', MIT Technology Review 6 January. Available at: What's next for quantum computing | MIT Technology Review (Accessed 4 November 2023).