IBM will launch the world’s largest quantum computer

IBM is planning to build the largest quantum computer ever by connecting many smaller machines to create a product with a record number of quantum bits (qubits), according to New Scientist. In 2025, the company will set a new qubit record, and plans to triple the size of today’s largest quantum computer.

IBM introduced the first commercial quantum computer 6 years ago. That machine has 20 qubits, and is available for researchers to use over the Internet. Currently, the company’s largest quantum chip, called Condor, has 1,121 qubits, although IBM researcher Jay Gambetta said that typical users of quantum computing services only work with 100 qubits.

Currently, IBM does not hold the highest record for the number of qubits. That title belongs to startup Atom Computing, which announced a 1,180-qubit device in 2023. However, IBM is looking to break Atom Computing’s record.

“We knew we couldn’t make Condor 10 times bigger,” Gambetta shared. “The only way to achieve quantum advantage is to combine many different parts.” This is a technical problem because as the number of qubits increases, it becomes more difficult to fit all of them and the computer’s wiring onto one chip.

To overcome the problem, IBM will develop a modular design, connecting several smaller quantum processors to create a more powerful machine. They have prototyped a new chip called Flamingo and plan to connect three chips to create a 1,386-qubit system in 2025.

IBM also plans another chip called Kookaburra, which will launch in 2026 and be the building block of a 4,158-qubit quantum computer. That machine will include three Kookaburra chips, surpassing all other quantum computers both in the lab and commercially in terms of qubit count. But Gambetta said it could take several years for the machine to become fully functional. Combining chips of this type would require hundreds of components called “couplers”.

In November, IBM connected two 127-qubit chips to perform a calculation requiring 142 qubits. The company will scale up the task while ensuring the qubits don’t introduce more errors than when each chip operates separately.