IBM introduced the Osprey quantum processor from 433 qubitsA big improvement over the 127 qubits of the Eagle 2021 chip and another step towards a quantum processor capable of running real-world computing applications.

Quantum computing is the next frontier and big companies are racing to position themselves in this technology. IBM is one of the leaders. It has one of the most advanced research centers on the planet (TJ Watson Research Center in New York), where it is preparing for the revolution that awaits us in the coming decades. The center has various records, such as the simulation of the largest molecule in quantum computing or the 53-qubit quantum computer for commercial use, which was the most advanced when it was announced.

“The new 433-qubit ‘Osprey’ processor brings us one step closer to the point where quantum computers will be used. solve previously unsolvable problems«explained Darío Gil, IBM’s senior vice president and director of research, when announcing the chip. “We are constantly expanding and improving our quantum technology in hardware, software and classical integration to meet the biggest challenges of our time”he emphasized.

Osprey and advances in quantum computing

The Osprey is progress, but only the beginning. IBM’s quantum plan includes two additional phases: 1,121-qubit Condor processors and 1,386-qubit Flamingo processors by 2023 and 2024, respectively, before IBM introduces the Kookaburra processor in 2025. 4000 qubits.

So far, the company has managed to follow the proposed engineering path, but it will become increasingly difficult, and the number of qubits in a quantum processor is clearly only one part of a hugely complex puzzle, and there are other sections that are equally or more important.

In case this all sounds Chinese to you, it should be clarified that compared to the architecture of traditional computers capable of taking the values ​​”1″ or “0”, information in quantum computing is stored in qubits (quantum bits) that can simultaneously take on both values ​​(superposition) and thus be able to perform any computational task exponentially faster than current systems.

There are still important fundamental issues to be addressed, such as the disruptive factors that affect the controllability and reliability of qubits, such as temperature, electromagnetism, and material defects.

Another of the big goals that need to be achieved is the so-called “quantum dominance”. A concept that defines when quantum computers are able to solve a computational task that cannot be done with current computers, or when the time was crazy to do it. Recently, there was a media battle between Google and IBM over this concept. Here too, like everything else in life, marketing counts.

We are still decades away from using these types of machines in the consumer desktop, and this new technology is sure to be the first to enter the supercomputing environment. In fact, IBM also detailed its Quantum System Two, essentially an IBM quantum mainframe computer that will be able to accommodate multiple quantum processors and integrate them into a single system with a high-speed communications link. The idea is to launch this system at the end of 2023.

An exciting technology with huge potential as it will change everything known in computing, with the ability to perform tasks “thousands” or “millions” faster than current computers.