IBM has announced a new breakthrough for the company, demonstrating that quantum computers can produce accurate results at a scale of 100+ qubits reaching beyond leading classical approaches.
In their experiment, the IBM team demonstrated that it is possible for a quantum computer to outperform leading classical simulations by learning and mitigating errors in the system. The team used the IBM Quantum ‘Eagle’ processor composed of 127 superconducting qubits on a chip to generate large, entangled states that simulate the dynamics of spins in a model of material and accurately predict properties such as it magnetization.
A team of scientists at UC Berkeley verified the accuracy of this modeling by simultaneously performing these simulations on advanced classical computers. As the scale of the model increased, the quantum computer continued to turn out accurate results with the help of advanced error mitigation techniques, while the classical computing methods eventually faltered and did not match the IBM Quantum System.
In addition, IBM has also announced that its IBM Quantum systems running both on cloud and on-site at partner locations will be powered by a minimum of 127 qubits, which is to be completed over the course of the next year.
Jay Gambetta, IBM fellow and vice president, IBM Quantum, said: “As we progress our mission to bring useful quantum computing to the world, we have solid evidence of the cornerstones needed to explore an entirely new class of computational problems.
“By equipping our IBM Quantum systems with processors capable of utility scale, we are inviting our clients, partners and collaborators to bring their hardest problems to explore the limits of today’s quantum systems and to begin extracting real value.”
Dario Gil, senior vice president and director of IBM Research, said: “This is the first time we have seen quantum computers accurately model a physical system in nature beyond leading classical approaches.
“To us, this milestone is a significant step in proving that today’s quantum computers are capable, scientific tools that can be used to model problems that are extremely difficult – and perhaps impossible – for classical systems, signaling that we are now entering a new era of utility for quantum computing.”
