In a significant development in the race to perfect quantum computing, Microsoft and Quantinuum have claimed a breakthrough in making quantum computers more reliable, a key step towards commercial viability.
Improved Error Correction Yields Reliable Qubits
The fundamental unit of quantum computers, known as a “qubit,” is notoriously finicky, producing data errors if the quantum computer is even slightly disturbed. To address this issue, quantum researchers often build more physical qubits than needed and use error-correction techniques to yield a smaller number of reliable and useful qubits. Microsoft and Quantinuum have achieved a breakthrough in this field.
Groundbreaking Results and Improved Ratio
Microsoft applied an error-correction algorithm to Quantinuum’s physical qubits, resulting in approximately four reliable qubits from 30 physical ones. Jason Zander, Microsoft’s executive vice president for strategic missions and technologies, claimed that this ratio of reliable qubits from a quantum chip is the best ever shown, with over 14,000 individual experiments conducted without a single error – up to 800 times better than anything on record.
Accelerating Progress Towards Commercial Quantum Computing
Quantum researchers often cite a figure of about 100 reliable qubits as the number needed to surpass a conventional supercomputer’s capabilities. While neither Microsoft nor Quantinuum provided a specific timeline for reaching this milestone, Ilyas Khan, Quantinuum’s chief product officer, stated that the current breakthrough could potentially lop off at least two years, if not more, from the projected timeline.
Commercialization and Cloud Access
Microsoft plans to release this technology to its cloud computing customers in the coming months, further advancing the commercialization of quantum computing.
