{"id":5773,"date":"2019-03-23T10:12:12","date_gmt":"2019-03-23T03:12:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.adeptasiaconsulting.com\/?p=5773"},"modified":"2019-02-28T08:35:09","modified_gmt":"2019-02-28T01:35:09","slug":"ibm-unveils-its-first-commercial-quantum-computer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.adeptasiaconsulting.com\/ibm-unveils-its-first-commercial-quantum-computer\/","title":{"rendered":"IBM unveils its first commercial quantum computer"},"content":{"rendered":"
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At CES, IBM <\/a> today announced<\/a> its first commercial quantum computer for use outside of the lab. The 20-qubit system combines into a single package the quantum and classical computing parts it takes to use a machine like this for research and business applications. That package, the IBM Q system<\/a>, is still huge, of course, but it includes everything a company would need to get started with its quantum computing experiments, including all the machinery necessary to cool the quantum computing hardware.<\/p>\n

While IBM describes it as the first fully integrated universal quantum computing system designed for scientific and commercial use, it\u2019s worth stressing that a 20-qubit machine is nowhere near powerful enough for most of the commercial applications that people envision for a quantum computer with more qubits \u2014 and qubits that are useful for more than 100 microseconds. It\u2019s no surprise then, that IBM stresses that this is a first attempt and that the systems are \u201cdesigned to one day tackle problems that are currently seen as too complex and exponential in nature for classical systems to handle.\u201d Right now, we\u2019re not quite there yet, but the company also notes that these systems are upgradable (and easy to maintain).<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe IBM Q System One is a major step forward in the commercialization of quantum computing,\u201d said Arvind Krishna, senior vice president of Hybrid Cloud and director of IBM Research. \u201cThis new system is critical in expanding quantum computing beyond the walls of the research lab as we work to develop practical quantum applications for business and science.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than anything, though, IBM seems to be proud of the design of the Q systems. In a move that harkens back to Cray\u2019s supercomputers with its expensive couches, IBM worked with design studios Map Project Office<\/a> and Universal Design Studio<\/a>, as well Goppion, the company that has built, among other things, the display cases that house the U.K.\u2019s crown jewels and the Mona Lisa. IBM clearly thinks of the Q system as a piece of art and, indeed, the final result is quite stunning. It\u2019s a nine-foot-tall and nine-foot-wide airtight box, with the quantum computing chandelier hanging in the middle, with all of the parts neatly hidden away.<\/p>\n