TECHNOLOGY

Quantum Computing System for Commercial Use

At the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), IBM Q System One unveiled the world's first quantum computing system designed for scientific and commercial use.
10 January, 2019
IBM's modular and compact quantum system is stable, reliable and suitable for commercial use outside research laboratories, according to the company's official press release.
IBM Q System One is an integrated system consisting of several components: quantum hardware designed to be stable and auto-calibrated to give repeatable and predictable high-quality qubits; cryogenic engineering that delivers a continuous cold and isolated quantum environment; high precision electronics in compact form factors to tightly control large numbers of qubits; quantum firmware to manage the system health and enable system upgrades without downtime for users; and classical computation to provide secure cloud access and hybrid execution of quantum algorithms.

All components are located in a nine-foot-tall, nine-foot-wide case of half-inch thick borosilicate glass forming a sealed, airtight enclosure that opens effortlessly using "roto-translation".

IBM has managed to overcome one of the main problems faced by the developers of quantum computers – maintaining the quality of qubits used to perform quantum computations, which usually very quickly lose their quantum properties due to vibration, temperature fluctuations and electromagnetic waves. A series of independent aluminum and steel frames unify, but also decouple the system's cryostat, control electronics, and exterior casing, helping to avoid potential vibration interference that leads to "phase jitter" and qubit decoherence.

The technical capabilities of the new product can impress experts, because, having a 20-qubit system, it produces qubits with 90-microsecond "coherence", which allows the computer to keep in mind about 500 billion different values at the same time.

As noted, the computer is designed for scientific and commercial use and "to solve in the future problems that are currently considered too complex", for example, to analyze financial information, identify risk factors for investors, optimize supply chains and much more.

Images: Engadget
At the moment, it is impossible to buy the new product, because the development and improvement of the computer is not finished, and the air temperature regulations makes the use of it problematic, but, as IBM noted, such systems could be rented and used via the Internet very soon.

This new system marks the next evolution of IBM Q, the industry's first effort to introduce the public to programmable universal quantum computing through the cloud-based IBM Q Experience, and the commercial IBM Q Network platform for business and science applications.
Banner image: IBM