Quantum Currents: Week of July 16th, 2023

Every Friday, I'll be putting together a post that sums up the most important and interesting news from the week, new things to learn, and resources that could help you get started on your own quantum journey! It's a great way to stay in the loop and catch up on all the exciting stuff happening in the industry. Consider it your go-to source for all things quantum!

That being said, let's dive into what's been happening in the fascinating world of quantum from July 10th to July 16th, 2023:

1. IBM's Quantum Computing Breakthrough: Unlocking a New Era of Possibilities

IBM has made a groundbreaking discovery in the quantum computing field, as highlighted in an article published in the scientific journal Nature. The research demonstrates that quantum computers, using over 100 qubits, can produce accurate results surpassing classical approaches. This achievement is a significant step toward simulating components of materials that have previously been difficult to model efficiently. By mitigating errors and utilizing advanced techniques, IBM's quantum computer outperformed advanced classical simulations. This breakthrough signifies a new era of utility for quantum computing, where it can be used as a scientific tool to tackle previously unsolvable problems. In light of this achievement, IBM has committed to developing utility-scale processors with a minimum of 127 qubits for its IBM Quantum systems, enabling the exploration of a new class of computational problems. Various sectors, including healthcare, high-energy physics, materials, and optimization, are collaborating with IBM to unlock the potential value of quantum computing.

Read and learn more about it on the original article here.

2. Get Ready Quantum Exploreres! IBM launches their Quantum Explorer Program

IBM announces the Quantum Explorers program, a self-paced, game-based educational program focused on quantum computing and its applications. The program aims to provide participants with a solid understanding of quantum computing and proficiency in using Qiskit. It is free to join and includes study materials, seminars, gamified achievements, community events, and career advice. The theme of the program is space exploration, where participants take on the role of a starship captain and progress in quantum computing knowledge. It's suitable for audiences aged 14 and above, including high school students, undergraduates, industry professionals, and enthusiasts.

The program lasts for around 7 months and requires a registered Discord account for participation. Learn more about it and register on the Quantum Explorers Page.

Some older news.....

Charting Quantum Horizons: IBM's Quest for a 100,000-Qubit Supercomputer

IBM Quantum announces their vision to scale quantum processors and achieve a significant milestone of developing a 100,000-qubit system by 2033. They are collaborating with the University of Tokyo and the University of Chicago to conduct research and overcome various challenges in order to build a system capable of solving the world's most complex problems. Here's a general gist of the article.

It highlights the reasons behind the target of 100,000 qubits and mentions the challenges related to factors such as footprint, cost, chip yield, energy, and supply chain. To address these challenges, collaboration and fundamental research across physics, engineering, and computer science are essential.

IBM Quantum identifies four key areas that require further advancement: quantum communication, middleware for quantum, quantum algorithms and error correction, and components with the necessary supply chain. The University of Tokyo will lead efforts in quantum algorithms and supply chain development, while the University of Chicago will focus on quantum communication and middleware advancements.

The collaboration between IBM Quantum and these universities aims to advance each of the four areas and make progress towards building the 100,000-qubit system. The University of Tokyo and the University of Chicago have demonstrated leadership in quantum research and development in their respective areas.

Although building a 100,000-qubit system is a challenging task, they are committed to following their development roadmap and enabling the quantum industry to pursue performance improvements. The goal is to bring about useful quantum computing by treating quantum as part of a broader high-performance computing paradigm, with classical and quantum working together.

Here's the full article.

Wrap up

I know you're probably thinking: "Wow, this post is all about IBM Quantum. What a suck-up." While I genuinely admire the work IBM Quantum does as a leading force in Quantum Technology Development, the reason for mentioning their name multiple times is simply because of their significant contributions to the field, always pushing boundaries and making waves. Their recent news is truly groundbreaking and has the potential to drive future research and developments in an extraordinary way.

But don't worry, it's not just gonna be all about them. There's gonna be tons of mind-blowing news coming our way as we dive deeper into this Quantum journey. And you can bet I'll be right here to share all the mind-boggling updates with you.

Until next week, stay tuned. Qid Quantum out.