IBM Launches Next-Gen Quantum Processor & IBM Quantum System Two

During the annual IBM Quantum Summit in New York, IBM introduced 'The IBM Quantum Heron,' marking the first in a new series of utility-scale quantum processors. Engineered over the past four years, the architecture aims to achieve IBM's highest performance metrics and the lowest error rates among any IBM Quantum processor to date.

IBM introduced the IBM Quantum System Two, the company's inaugural modular quantum computer and the foundational element of IBM's quantum-centric supercomputing architecture. The initial IBM Quantum System Two, operational in Yorktown Heights, New York, is equipped with three IBM Heron processors and accompanying control electronics.

Having established this pivotal foundation and coupled with advancements in quantum hardware, theory, and software, the company is extending its IBM Quantum Development Roadmap to 2033. This extension includes new objectives aimed at significantly enhancing the quality of gate operations. Achieving this goal would expand the capacity of quantum circuits that can be executed, ultimately unlocking the full potential of quantum computing at scale.

“We are firmly within the era in which quantum computers are being used as a tool to explore new frontiers of science,” said Dario Gil, IBM SVP and Director of Research. “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.”

Illustrated by IBM earlier this year using a 127-qubit 'IBM Quantum Eagle' processor, IBM Quantum systems can now function as a scientific tool for investigating utility-scale problems in chemistry, physics, and materials. This extends beyond the capabilities of traditional brute-force classical simulations of quantum mechanics.

Following that demonstration, prominent researchers, scientists, and engineers from institutions such as the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory, the University of Tokyo, the University of Washington, the University of Cologne, Harvard University, and Qedma,

Algorithmic, UC Berkeley, Q-CTRL, Fundacion Ikerbasque, Donostia International Physics Center, the University of the Basque Country, and IBM have broadened their demonstrations of utility-scale quantum computing to validate its significance in delving into unexplored computational domains.

This encompasses ongoing experiments conducted on the recently introduced IBM Quantum Heron 133-qubit processor, which is now accessible to users through the cloud. The IBM Heron represents the inaugural member of IBM's new class of high-performance processors, boasting substantially enhanced error rates and demonstrating a five-fold improvement over the previous records set by the IBM Eagle. Further, IBM Heron processors are slated to join IBM's top-tier, utility-scale fleet of systems in the coming year.

IBM Quantum System Two and Extended IBM Quantum Development Roadmap

The IBM Quantum System Two serves as the cornerstone of IBM's forthcoming quantum computing system architecture. It integrates scalable cryogenic infrastructure and classical runtime servers alongside modular qubit control electronics. This system acts as a foundational element for IBM's vision of quantum-centric supercomputing, merging quantum communication and computation with support from classical computing resources. The architecture employs a middleware layer to effectively integrate quantum and classical workflows in the processor.

Within the newly expanded ten-year IBM Quantum Development Roadmap, IBM intends for this system to accommodate future generations of its quantum processors. As outlined in the roadmap, these upcoming processors are designed to incrementally enhance the quality of operations they can execute, thereby extending their capability to handle increasingly complex and larger workloads.

Qiskit and Generative AI to Increase Ease of Quantum Software Programming

IBM is outlining its strategies for a next-generation software stack, with Qiskit 1.0 positioned as a pivotal point characterized by stability and speed. In a bid to democratize quantum computing development, IBM is introducing Qiskit Patterns.

Qiskit Patterns is designed as a facilitative tool for quantum developers, enabling the streamlined creation of code. Grounded in a set of tools, it simplifies the process of mapping classical problems, optimizing them into quantum circuits using Qiskit, executing these circuits with Qiskit Runtime, and subsequently post-processing the results. When coupled with Quantum Serverless, Qiskit Patterns empowers users to construct, deploy, and execute workflows that seamlessly integrate classical and quantum computation across diverse environments, including cloud or on-premises scenarios. These tools offer essential building blocks, enhancing the ease with which users can develop and run quantum algorithms.

Furthermore, IBM is at the forefront of employing generative AI for quantum code programming with Watsonx, the company's enterprise AI platform. IBM aims to incorporate generative AI capabilities from Watsonx to automate the process of developing quantum code for Qiskit. This automation will be realized by fine-tuning the IBM Granite model series.

“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,” said Jay Gambetta, Vice President and IBM Fellow at IBM. “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.”

Leveraging advanced hardware in IBM's worldwide array of 100+ qubit systems, coupled with user-friendly software introduced in Qiskit, individuals and computational scientists can now achieve more reliable results from quantum systems. This holds as they tackle progressively larger and more intricate problems, successfully mapping them to quantum circuits.