The IBM Quantum computer is running the largest quantum computing program ever launched

Recently, IBM has already grabbed the headlines by unveiling its latest model of a quantum computer, Capable of using 433 qubits. However, the company made several discoveries during the IBM Quantum Summit. It claims to have launched a 127-kilobit circuit that has proven capable of running a large computer program.

Why would you be so surprised that an IBM machine could execute a program? After all, you might think that this is a very logical use of a computer. However, in the field of quantum computing, there are still many boundaries that are difficult to cross.

Running a program is one of them. In other words, more and more research groups are able to create a quantum computer, but it is more difficult to apply it to concrete use. One of the main obstacles to its implementation is the complexity of debugging calculations. In fact, the primary purpose of a quantum computer is to perform computations based on the principles of quantum physics. In short, quantum physics, a very complex field, is the science concerned with the behavior of matter and light at the atomic level. By studying the way matter behaves at this level, some physical principles have been revealed, completely different from what we knew.

Among them is “quantum superposition,” which is the key to powering quantum computers. Concretely, quantum superposition can be summed up as the fact that something can be “in two states at the same time,” as unexpected as it may sound. In the case of a classical computer, the basic unit of information is the “bit”. This can be either in state ‘0’ or in state ‘1’. In a quantum computer, things work a little differently. However, there is a kind of equivalent called a “qubit”. Thanks to the famous superposition law, qubits can somehow be 0 and 1, and can even be in states between the two, such as 01, 10, 11… This allows them to deploy massive computing power.

Acceptance of errors in order to correct them better

However, this ability is also a weakness with regard to miscalculations that are common in quantum computing. ” Quantum computers are inherently more sensitive to perturbations ‘, confirming it statement from the University of Innsbruck, discussing the error correction solution. These famous errors can make it very difficult to run the program efficiently.

The IBM researchers were able to use a method that allowed them to correct it later. The quantum circuit they used consisted of 127 qubits, which performed more than 1,700 individual operations. The operations they implemented in the computer were aimed at calculating what happens to a series of electron-like particles when they are suddenly forced to interact with each other. The choice of this problem to solve was not small. In fact, conventional computers are able to partially solve these questions, but they can only make rough estimates.

Ironically, the method they used to remove errors was… repeating them. They made sure to repeat and amplify errors they couldn’t actually correct to understand how they might affect the outcome. By doing so, they were able to mathematically reverse the errors to get a correct result.

source : ibm