Quantum supremacy on the horizon: IBM’s groundbreaking experiments point to an impending paradigm shift
You ever see a picture of a website from the mid-90s and just think about the graphics and really big wesites (i.e. Netscape, Geocities, and AOL) and compare them to what we have now? A decade from now we’ll be thinking the same thing about current tech, like our personal computer for instance. Recent experiments by IBM Computers suggest the coming of quantum computing supremacy is near. Despite widespread skepticism, quantum computers will likely outperform their classical counterparts over the next two years.
In an interview with Nature News, Sabrina Maniscalco, CEO of the Helsinki-based quantum computing Algorithmig, said, “These machines are coming.” Her words signal the beginning of a new age that could profoundly change the world.
The research results, published in Nature, highlight the abilities of IBM’s Eagle quantum computer. Eagle has accomplished a feat beyond the capacity of classical computers by recreating the magnetic characteristics of a genuine material at an unprecedented speed. Researchers used a complex error-mitigating procedure to overcome the inherent noise that has plagued quantum computers.
Instead of the binary “bits” used in classical computers, which can only represent the values 0 and 1, quantum bits, or “qubits” are used in quantum computers due to their remarkable potential. Qubits can coexist in many values simultaneously, a phenomenon known as “superposition of states.” Quantum phenomena like superposition and entanglement raise the possibility of qubits to a new level. Entanglement connects the states of far-off particles, making it possible for instantaneous changes in one to affect the other. Superposition permits particles to exist in several states at once. This opens up new possibilities for computation by making it possible for qubits to conduct calculations exponentially faster and in parallel.
However, the instability of qubit states has long been a major weakness of quantum computers. These states are so fragile that even the slightest interference from the outside world might damage the information they contain. The legendary noise sensitivity of quantum computers has long been seen as an insurmountable obstacle.
Superconducting circuits were used to construct the astonishing 127-qubit Eagle supercomputer, which was recently unveiled in a proof-of-principle experiment that set out to compute the full magnetic state of a two-dimensional solid. The noise generated by each qubit was measured in great detail by the research team. It was shown that the noise produced by each qubit may be accurately predicted based on parameters such as flaws in the superconducting material. With this fresh information, the team was able to replicate noise-free results, effectively overcoming the constraints posed by environmental disturbances.
While there have been claims of quantum supremacy in the past, the practical importance of such breakthroughs has been discussed, even after the release of Google’s Sycamore quantum computer in 2019. Sycamore’s solution was for a theoretical problem — generating and verifying random numbers. On the other hand, the recent IBM demonstration attempts to solve a real-world physical problem, albeit in a reduced version. This major development provides cause for confidence because it paves the way for further progress in developing sophisticated algorithms and other systems.
Google’s physicist John Martinis discusses the significance of IBM’s experiment in light of the company’s 2019 achievement. He is optimistic that these findings lay the groundwork for expanding quantum computing to other systems and more complex algorithms. This new technique might have far-reaching consequences, impacting fields as diverse as drug development, optimization, cryptography, climate modeling, and more.
