IBM says it will build a practical quantum supercomputer by 2029

IBM has announced its ambitious plans to launch an error-free quantum supercomputer named Starling by 2029. This quantum machine is expected to revolutionize the field of quantum computing and offer unprecedented capabilities to researchers in academia and industry.

According to IBM’s Jay Gambetta, the development of Starling represents a significant milestone in quantum computing engineering. The supercomputer will be housed in a data center in New York and is poised to benefit industries such as chemical manufacturing and materials science by enabling advanced simulations at the quantum level.

While IBM has already introduced several quantum computers, the journey towards creating a fault-tolerant quantum device poses unique challenges. The key to overcoming these challenges lies in building quantum computers that can correct errors autonomously and scale up in size and power.

Starling will utilize superconducting qubits as its building blocks and implement innovative hardware connections to enhance the interaction between qubits within and across chips. This approach will enable Starling to perform 100 million quantum operations using tens of thousands of qubits grouped into logical qubits for error resilience.

IBM’s adoption of a new software recipe called LDPC code for creating logical qubits sets Starling apart from existing quantum computers. This approach offers a more efficient error correction process and requires fewer physical qubits, ultimately leading to the development of a more capable quantum supercomputer.

Experts in the field, such as Stephen Bartlett from the University of Sydney and Matthew Otten from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, acknowledge the significance of IBM’s roadmap for quantum computing. They emphasize the potential impact of Starling in solving complex problems in industries like pharmaceuticals through advanced simulations.

IBM faces competition from other players in the quantum computing industry, with companies like Quantinuum and PsiQuantum also racing to achieve breakthroughs in fault-tolerant quantum computing. The competition is seen as a driving force for innovation and advancement in the field.