Eagle, an extraordinarily remarkable new quantum processor from IBM, has shown. It has a whopping 127 functional qubits, finally breaking the 100-qubit barrier in quantum processor scaling to a practical level. Eagle is only a prototype, and it is not yet aiming to defeat conventional computers in algorithmic fights, but the study is a promising step forward in the quest for a practical quantum computer. According to Tom’s Hardware, “the introduction of the’Eagle’ processor is a big step towards the day when quantum computers may beat traditional computers at meaningful levels,” stated Dr. Daro Gil, Senior Vice President and Director of Research at IBM.
“Quantum computing has the potential to alter practically every industry and assist us in addressing the world’s most pressing issues.” The qubit, a fundamental unit of quantum information that may assume more states than a standard computer, is the foundation of a quantum processor. Imagine an 8-bit computer against an 8-qubit computer: with the traditional system, each bit maybe 0 or 1, 00000000-11111111 and any combination in between. You might possibly have 00000000-99999999 with an 8-qubit machine. As a result, every qubit added to a processor implies a significant increase in capacity and processing power.
Quantum computers, however, have a high mistake rate. As a result, quantum processors frequently have to devote a large number of functional qubits to error detection and resolution — and even then, the error rate remains an issue in the development of a realistic quantum computer.
Eagle improves on prior IBM quantum processor designs, nearly tripling the qubit count of Hummingbird, the previous edition. It makes use of IBM’s “heavy hexagonal” qubit configuration, which consists of operational qubits organized in a honeycomb-like lattice with an extra qubit on each edge.
All of IBM’s current processor designs, including the 1,000+-qubit Condor processor idea, are based on the heavy-hex architecture. According to IBM, the heavy-hex architecture minimizes the amount of mistakes caused by qubit interference.
The business is currently on track to meet its goals, with plans to treble the number of qubits in a single processor by next year, reaching the 433-qubit Osprey idea. If all goes according to plan, Condor will arrive in 2023, smashing the 1,000-qubit barrier.
Quantum computers have lately made huge strides, with Chinese scientists claiming to have developed a processor that is 60,000 times faster than traditional supercomputers at performing a certain task.
It is crucial to note that quantum computers’ present capacity to execute tasks is highly restricted, and they are still a long way from becoming practical, but the rising scale of each chip might lead to such a milestone within the decade.
