IBM unveils a number of new quantum computing developments

Developed over four years, the IBM Quantum Heron marks a significant stride in IBM's quantum processor development.

IBM also revealed the IBM Quantum System Two, the company's first modular quantum computer and a key component of IBM’s quantum-centric supercomputing architecture. The first system, operational in Yorktown Heights, New York, is equipped with three IBM Heron processors and the necessary control electronics.

With these developments, IBM is extending its IBM Quantum Development Roadmap to 2033, setting new targets to improve the quality of gate operations. This enhancement is expected to enable larger quantum circuits and harness the capabilities of quantum computing at scale.

Dario Gil, IBM SVP and Director of Research, emphasised the significance of these advancements: “We are firmly within the era in which quantum computers are being used as a tool to explore new frontiers of science. 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 who will push the boundaries of more complex problems.”

IBM Quantum systems have already demonstrated their potential as scientific tools, as shown earlier this year on the 127-qubit 'IBM Quantum Eagle' processor. These systems can now address utility-scale problems in fields such as chemistry, physics, and materials science that are beyond the scope of classical quantum mechanics simulations.

Following this demonstration, researchers, and engineers from various organisations, including the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and universities such as Tokyo, Washington, Cologne, and Harvard, have expanded the application of utility-scale quantum computing.

Today, users can access the new IBM Quantum Heron 133-qubit processor via the Cloud. The IBM Heron represents a new class of processors with improved error rates, offering a five-times improvement over previous records set by the IBM Eagle. Additional IBM Heron processors will be added to IBM’s fleet over the next year.

The IBM Quantum System Two, foundational to IBM's next-generation quantum computing system architecture, combines scalable cryogenic infrastructure with modular qubit control electronics. This system is integral to IBM's vision of quantum-centric supercomputing, which synergises quantum and classical computing resources.

In the expanded ten-year IBM Quantum Development Roadmap, IBM envisions this system housing future generations of quantum processors. These processors are expected to gradually improve in operational quality, expanding the complexity and size of workloads they can handle.

IBM also announced plans for a new generation of its software stack, with Qiskit 1.0 marking a milestone in stability and speed. Qiskit Patterns aims to simplify quantum coding, enabling developers to easily create code by mapping classical problems to quantum circuits. Combined with Quantum Serverless, these tools will facilitate the integration of classical and quantum computation in various environments.

Furthermore, IBM is pioneering the use of generative AI for quantum code programming through watsonx, IBM’s enterprise AI platform. This integration aims to automate the development of quantum code for Qiskit using the IBM Granite model series.

Jay Gambetta, Vice President, and IBM Fellow at IBM, spoke about the convergence of these technologies: “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 is a significant step towards broadening how quantum computing can be accessed and put in the hands of users as an instrument for scientific exploration.”

With its advanced hardware and user-friendly software in Qiskit, IBM enables users and computational scientists to achieve increasingly reliable results from quantum systems, tackling larger and more complex problems with quantum circuits.