Mediaboss Marketing

After reaching impressive milestones in 2023, technology giant IBM (NASDAQ: IBM)has announced its quantum computing roadmap with plans to increase the capabilities of its systems tenfold.

In ablog post, IBM says it will adopt a 10-year plan, underscored by rapid quantum innovation, to realize its mission for practical use cases for the emerging technology. With a target for 2033, the road map unveils multiple generations of processors, with each offering building on the technical achievements of others.

The roadmap comes on the heels of the launch of the IBM Condor, a 1,121 qubit quantum processor, leveraging IBMs proprietary cross-resonance gate technology. IBM Condors release has been described as an innovation milestone as it marks the first time IBM has broken the 1000-qubit barrier.

IBM says it will proceed with the mainstream rollout of Heron, its highest performing quantum processor that will be the foundation of the hardware roadmap over the decade.

The roadmap lists several processors to be rolled out in the coming years, targeting 2029 as an inflection point in its quantum computing ambitions. IBM predicts a watershed moment in 2029 via its Starling process, which can execute 100 million gates, a huge gap from Herons 5,000 gates.

By the end of the 10-year roadmap, IBM says it will be able to execute 1 billion gates, a nine-order-of-magnitude increase since rolling out its first device back in 2016.

Then, in 2029, we hit an inflection point: executing 100 million gates over 200 qubits with our Starling processor employing error correction based on the novel Gross code, read the blog post. This is followed by Blue Jay, a system capable of executing 1 billion gates across 2,000 qubits by 2033.

Rather than focusing all its efforts on innovation, IBM says it will update its offering for utility, providing users with a Qiskit Runtime service to power experiments. The company confirmed a similar upgrade for its IBM Quantum Safe and an integration with watsonx for generative AI to push the frontiers for adoption.

Entering the era of utility opens up new opportunities for enterprises to engage with quantum computing and explore workforce integration, said IBM. We are expanding our enterprise offerings to continue to advance industry use cases for utility-scale quantum computing.

A worrying trend for the US and China

Despite taking the lead in quantum computing and otheremerging technologies, pundits have pointed to a growing innovation trend outside the U.S. and China in other emerging jurisdictions. In late November, IBMinstalledthe first utility-scale quantum system outside North America at the University of Tokyo, Japan.

China faces a dilemma after Alibabashut down its quantum computing unit to focus on AI, putting a dent in its plans to become an industry leader.

Experts say the chip embargo placed on China by the U.S. contributes to the shuttering of Alibabas (NASDAQ: BABA) quantum research arm, with the company pledging to donate its lab equipment to Zhejiang University.

Watch: Konstantinos Sgantzos talks AI and BSV blockchain with CoinGeek

New to blockchain? Check out CoinGeeks Blockchain for Beginners section, the ultimate resource guide to learn more about blockchain technology.

See the original post:
IBM quantum roadmap targets inflection point by 2029 - CoinGeek

IBM announced the unveiling of its 1,121-qubit Condor quantum computing processor on Dec. 4. This is the companys largest by qubit count and, arguably, the worlds most advanced gate-based, superconducting quantum system.

Alongside the new chip, IBM delivered an updated roadmap and a trove of information on the companys planned endeavors in the quantum computing space.

The 1,121-qubit processor represents the apex of IBMs previous roadmap. Its preceded by 2022s 433-qubit Osprey processor and by 2021s 127-qubit Eagle processor.

In quantum computing terms, qubit count isnt necessarily a measure of power or capability so much as it is potential. While more qubits should theoretically lead to more capable systems eventually, the industrys current focus is on error correction and fault tolerance.

Currently, IBM considers its experiments with 100-qubit systems to be the status quo, with much of the current work focused on increasing the number of quantum gates processors can function with.

For the first time, writes IBM fellow and vice president of quantum computing Jay Gambetta in a recent blog post, we have hardware and software capable of executing quantum circuits with no known a priori answer at a scale of 100 qubits and 3,000 gates.

Gates, like qubits, are a potential measure of the usefulness of a quantum system. The more gates a processor can implement, the more complex functions can be performed by the system. According to IBM, at the 3,000 gates scale, its 100-qubit quantum systems are now computational tools.

The next major inflection point, per the blog post, will occur in 2029 when IBM will execute 100 million gates over 200 qubits with a processor its calling Starling.

This is followed, writes Gambetta, by Blue Jay, a system capable of executing 1 billion gates across 2,000 qubits by 2033.

Related: IBM brings utility-scale quantum computing to Japan as China and Europe struggle to compete

See the original post:
IBM says it will have hit a quantum computing 'inflection point' by 2029 - Cointelegraph

How do you see AI and new technologies accelerating sustainability? and how it can accelerate sustainability as well.

We have very tangible examples of when we talk about sustainability. At least speaking for myself, we struggle in terms of understanding what sustainability is and how we can make it actionable. How can we track if some promises are kept? Can we measure what the Kenyan government is doing in terms of reforestation over time, for example?

The geospatial foundation model we have created [at IBM] is helping us quantify climate mitigating actions like reforestation, but also helping us understand how particular measures like putting up a fence can help. Its very encouraging because, not only can you see masses of trees growing, you can also quantify how many gigatons of carbon you can capture over the years.

So you make it tangible. That's probably one of my favourite aspects of what technology can do for sustainability.

As a computer scientist, there are very rare moments where you see history happening. In quantum this year, we have managed to achieve one which we call quantum utility. We have entered the quantum utility era.

Quantum utility is when you take a problem, and this case it was a small magnetisation problem, and we tasked one of our partners, the University of Berkeley to do their best classically, and we have taken the same problem. We map it to a quantum computer with our hardware today and we apply some error mitigation routines that we have created on top of our stack. These error mitigation routines are now available to everyone.

We were then in a position of showing better performance than the classic. So for the first time, we see for real, quantum utility beating classic in this particular experiment.

When we talk about quantum, we always talk about fault tolerance - having the perfect system with no computing errors. What we are doing now is trying to find, with our partners, more and more examples of this quantum utility - much broader and bigger examples of showing that the current quantum hardware is improving. Our operation routines can get us there.

First of all, how can we change our approach to build the hardware? Because we saw it classically, right? We started with bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger machines until we discovered that we needed to go modular.

What we are doing now is working on modularity for quantum processing - but modularity means that you need to establish the connectivity between the units. So we first started looking at classical links, but in the future we will also see quantum communications happening between the units, which is quite challenging. There's a bit of research behind it, from the hardware perspective, that's probably one of my personal highlights.

Another highlight probably is that I hope that we announce that we keep firmly implementing every milestone that we set ourselves in our roadmap.

You will see many companies working with [IBM] and many partners presenting quantum utility experiments already. That's going to be very refreshing - it's going to create a lot of momentum when more and more people see that. In this particular case, quantum: it's classic. So that's going to create a good vibe in the quantum community.

There is so much happening at the same time and at such speed.

******

For more insights into the world of Technology - check out the latest edition of Technology Magazine and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn & Twitter.

Other magazines that may be of interest - AI Magazine | Cyber Magazine | Data Centre Magazine

Please also check out our upcoming event - Sustainability LIVE Net Zero on 6 and 7 March 2024.

******

BizClik is a global provider of B2B digital media platforms that covers executive communities for CEOs, CFOs, CMOs, sustainability leaders, procurement & supply chain leaders, technology & AI leaders, fintech leaders as well as covering industries such as manufacturing, mining, energy, EV, construction, healthcare and food.

Based in London, Dubai, and New York, Bizclik offers services such as content creation, advertising & sponsorship solutions, webinars & events.

Read more:
5 minutes with: Dr. Juan Bernabe Moreno, IBM - Technology Magazine

Lately I am reading about everything Quantum. I am using Obsidian.md to keep track of all knowledge gathered even from books. I havent set a time goal, am just reading and learning at my pace. So the following article is some preliminary thoughts on the matter of Quantum Computing.

Quantum computing is a revolutionary technology that has the potential to change the way we live and work. In this article, we will explore how quantum computing could impact various aspects of our everyday lives and the challenges it presents.

Quantum computing could lead to smarter phones, computers, and other devices that are significantly faster and more efficient than current models. This technology could enable better performance and data processing, improving our overall user experience.

Quantum computing could revolutionize healthcare by enabling faster drug discovery, disease diagnosis, and personalized treatment plans. It could also help in understanding complex biological systems and developing new therapies for various diseases.

Quantum computing could help in predicting weather patterns and climate changes, enabling us to reduce the risk of natural disasters and plan for sustainable development.

This technology could lead to more accurate and reliable weather forecasts, ultimately improving our ability to prepare for and adapt to climate change.

As classical encryption schemes could be broken by quantum computers, the development of quantum-safe cryptographic methods is essential for maintaining the security of our digital communications. This technology could help protect sensitive data and ensure the privacy of our digital transactions.

Quantum computing could enable the discovery of new materials with unique properties, leading to advancements in various industries, such as aerospace, electronics, and healthcare. This technology could help scientists simulate and analyze the behavior of complex molecules and materials at the quantum level, ultimately enabling the discovery of new materials with novel properties.

While quantum computing holds great promise, it also presents challenges and potential risks. As the technology continues to evolve, it is essential to stay informed about its progress and implications for our lives and society.In conclusion, quantum computing is a promising technology with the potential to change various aspects of our everyday lives. As research and development continue, we can expect to see more exciting advancements and applications in the near future.

By staying informed and engaged with the latest quantum computing developments, we can better understand and harness the power of this revolutionary technology.

References:

Read the original here:
Quantum Computing in Everyday Life: The Future is Here - Medium

The Commonwealth is planning to build a quantum computer. Image: Shutterstock

EXCLUSIVE: The Commonwealth government is looking to buy a quantum computing system through a secret procurement process that is rumoured to favour a US-based company, leaving Australias quantum sector annoyed by the apparent snub.

Sources told Information Age the government has been looking to buy its first quantum computer from PsiQuantum, a California-based firm with a stated mission to build and deploy the worlds first useful quantum computer.

The Department of Industry and Science did not respond to Information Ages request for comment.

Australia has a wealth of local expertise in quantum technologies and has, for decades, been a world leader in the nascent fields research and development.

When Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic took office last year, he showed a public desire to take advantage of local talents, knowledge, and manufacturing capabilities to make Australia the quantum capital of the globe.

Indeed, Husics department led the development of Australias first quantum strategy.

But the governments apparent move to go overseas for what one insider described as Australias biggest ever investment in quantum, has been seen by many in the industry as a slap in the face.

Husics office did not respond to Information Ages request for comment.

One industry source, who wished to remain anonymous, questioned why there wasnt an open tender process and said they would have liked the opportunity to form a consortium of Australian companies to apply.

While they didnt disagree in principle with the idea of the Commonwealth buying a quantum computer, the quantum expert said a government decision to buy technology from a US-based company could negatively impact how the local industry is perceived by international investors and buyers.

The government has not previously stated an intention to buy a quantum computer. In this year's budget the Department of Industry and Science added around $20 million for a quantum commercialistation centre and $40 million for the Critical Technologies Challenges Program.

Internationally, government-funded quantum computing projects have proved expensive. The Finnish government last month committed $116 million (EU70 million) to scale up its 20 qubit system while Germany announced in May that it will pour around $5 billion (EU3 billion) to build a 100 qubit system by 2026.

Simon Devitt, a senior lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney and member of the governments National Quantum Advisory Committee, was willing to publicly state that he thinks the government buying as-yet-unproven technology is a ludicrous waste of money that would be better spent on funding to shore up local academic research.

These systems are often extremely expensive and their value is questionable at the very least, he told Information Age.

They do not provide any kind of commercial utility for HPC [high-performance computing], and the utility for developing quantum algorithms or in education is essentially non-existent.

Devitt could not speak to anything discussed in the National Quantum Advisory Committee.

Why quantum?

Quantum computers are probabilistic and can theoretically solve problems that would take a classical computer thousands of years to compute.

They have potential applications in areas like cryptography, finance, and pharmaceutical development, although quantum advantage the ability for one of these systems to outperform classical supercomputers has yet to be proven outside niche experimental settings.

Companies around the world are exploring different ways to create and maintain systems of sufficiently large, error-corrected quantum bits (qubits).

PsiQuantum is pursuing photonic quantum computing technology which involves storing and processing information using individual quanta of light.

The company claims its chips can be rigorously tested using industrial-scale facilities at room temperature which gives them an edge over technologies that must remain cryogenically cooled for longer parts of the testing phase.

Photonic quantum computing is not room temperature since photon detectors still need to be cooled to near absolute zero.

Individual quantum photonic chips may have fewer qubits than competing technologies, but using light as a foundation may allow a cluster of connected chips to pass quantum information between one another via fibre optic cables and scale-up systems with existing technology.

PsiQuantum has an Australian link through its CEO and co-founder Professor Jeremy OBrien who studied in Queensland and Western Australia and completed his PhD with the University of New South Wales.

The company is partnered with US semiconductor firm GlobalFoundries that produces PsiQuantums photonic chip wafers at an industrial scale.

PsiQuantum did not respond to Information Ages request for comment.

Read the rest here:
Australia to buy quantum computer from US | Information Age | ACS - ACS