IBM, a pioneer in quantum computing, has made a groundbreaking announcement at the annual IBM Quantum Summit in New York. The tech giant has introduced ‘IBM Quantum Heron,’ a cutting-edge quantum processor that signifies a significant leap in performance metrics and a reduction in error rates compared to any of IBM’s previous quantum processors.
This unveiling is a part of IBM’s extended roadmap, reaching until 2033, with a focus on enhancing the quality of gate operations to unlock the full potential of quantum computing.
The ‘IBM Quantum Heron’ processor boasts more than 1,000 qubits, showcasing a remarkable advancement in the field. Overcoming data errors, a persistent challenge in quantum computing, IBM claims to have developed a novel method to connect chips inside machines, setting the stage for even more powerful quantum machines in the coming decade.
Accompanying this quantum processor is the debut of ‘IBM Quantum System Two,’ a modular quantum computer that forms the cornerstone of IBM’s quantum-centric supercomputing architecture. Located in Yorktown Heights, New York, the system has commenced operations with three ‘Heron’ processors and supporting control electronics.
IBM is extending its development roadmap to 2033, aiming to advance gate operations’ quality, allowing for the execution of more extensive quantum circuits and harnessing the true potential of quantum computing at scale.
Dario Gil, IBM’s Senior Vice President and Director of Research, emphasized the transformative impact of quantum computers, stating, “We are firmly within the era in which quantum computers are being used as a tool to explore new frontiers of science.” He outlined the company’s commitment to advancing quantum systems’ scalability and value delivery through modular architectures, ultimately empowering users and partners to tackle complex problems.
Earlier this year, IBM showcased the utility of its quantum systems with a demonstration on a 127-qubit ‘IBM Quantum Eagle’ processor. These systems are now capable of serving as scientific tools to explore utility-scale problems in chemistry, physics, and materials. Researchers and scientists from prestigious organizations have collaborated with IBM to expand demonstrations of utility-scale quantum computing, highlighting its value in exploring uncharted computational territory.
IBM has made the new ‘IBM Quantum Heron’ 133-qubit processor available to users via the cloud, marking a significant step forward. This processor, part of IBM’s enhanced class of processors, exhibits substantially improved error rates, presenting a five-times improvement over previous records set by ‘IBM Eagle.’ Additional ‘Heron’ processors are expected to join IBM’s fleet of quantum systems over the next year.
The introduction of ‘IBM Quantum System Two’ lays the foundation for the next generation of quantum computing system architecture. Combining scalable cryogenic infrastructure, classical runtime servers, and modular qubit control electronics, this system represents IBM’s vision of quantum-centric supercomputing. The architecture integrates quantum communication and computation with classical computing resources, facilitated by a middleware layer to seamlessly integrate quantum and classical workflows.
As part of the ten-year IBM Quantum Development Roadmap, ‘IBM Quantum System Two’ is designed to accommodate future generations of quantum processors. These processors are projected to continually enhance the quality of operations they can execute, progressively expanding the complexity and size of workloads they can handle.
IBM’s commitment to democratizing quantum computing development is evident in its plans for a new generation of software stack. Qiskit 1.0, a stable and fast pivot point, will play a crucial role in this software evolution. The company is also introducing ‘Qiskit Patterns’ to simplify quantum code creation for developers.
This collection of tools allows quantum developers to map classical problems, optimize them to quantum circuits using Qiskit, execute those circuits with Qiskit Runtime, and postprocess the results. ‘Qiskit Patterns,’ in combination with ‘Quantum Serverless,’ enables users to build, deploy, and execute workflows integrating classical and quantum computation in diverse environments, including cloud and on-prem scenarios.
In a pioneering move, IBM is integrating generative AI for quantum code programming through watsonx, its enterprise AI platform. Generative AI available through watsonx will automate the development of quantum code for Qiskit, leveraging the finetuning of the IBM Granite model series.
Jay Gambetta, Vice President and IBM Fellow at IBM, highlighted the significance of generative AI and quantum computing, stating, “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.” This strategic step aims to broaden access to quantum computing, making it more accessible for scientific exploration.
With advanced hardware deployed across IBM’s global fleet of 100+ qubit systems and user-friendly software introduced in Qiskit, users and computational scientists can now obtain reliable results from quantum systems. These advancements empower users to map increasingly larger and more complex problems to quantum circuits, marking a significant milestone in the journey towards practical and commercially viable quantum computing solutions.
