IonQ as of late laid out its five-year roadmap for trapped ion quantum computer systems. The corporate plans to deploy rack-mounted modular quantum computer systems sufficiently small to be networked in combination in a datacenter by way of 2023. And it expects to succeed in wide quantum benefit by way of 2025.
In October, IonQ introduced a brand new 32-qubit quantum pc to be had in non-public beta and promised two next-gen computer systems have been within the works. After we requested for a roadmap, the corporate promised to ship one “within the subsequent six weeks or so.” And right here we’re.
Quantum computing leverages qubits (not like bits that may most effective be in a state of zero or 1, qubits can be in a superposition of the 2) to accomplish computations that will be a lot more tough, or just now not possible, for a classical pc. The computational energy of a quantum pc may also be restricted by way of elements like qubit lifetime, coherence time, gate constancy, selection of qubits, and so forth. On account of some of these elements and as the business is nowhere as regards to a consensus on what the transistor for qubits must appear to be, it’s tough to match quantum computer systems the use of a unmarried metric. (It’s additionally tough to match classical computer systems the use of a unmarried metric, however quantum computing corporations are greedy to turn their tech is perfect.)
We talked to IonQ CEO Peter Chapman, who has up to now defined how quantum computing will alternate the way forward for AI, about how his corporate put in combination its roadmap. “Usually our plan over the following couple of years is doubling the selection of bodily qubits annually to 18 months all through the last decade,” Chapman stated. “On the other hand, bodily qubits in point of fact don’t inform the entire tale.”
Algorithmic Qubits
IonQ has a brand new metric, Algorithmic Qubits, that takes the log base 2 of IBM’s quantum quantity, which additionally doesn’t successfully measure quantum computer systems. As quantum computer systems support, quantum quantity briefly turns into unusable since the quantity grows so briefly. Since its 32-qubit quantum pc accomplished a quantum quantity of four million, IonQ has agreed.
So IonQ defines Algorithmic Qubits as “the most important selection of successfully highest qubits you’ll deploy for an ordinary quantum program.” The benchmark takes error correction under consideration, has a right away courting to qubit depend, and represents the selection of “helpful” encoded qubits in a selected quantum pc. Algorithmic Qubits is a proxy for the power to execute actual quantum algorithms for a given enter measurement.
IonQ has even offered an Algorithmic Qubit Calculator that will help you examine quantum computing programs. Unsurprisingly, IonQ’s quantum computer systems pop out on best the use of this metric.
“After all, each president in each corporate says theirs is the most productive,” Chapman stated. “You most likely take that down for each interview you do for any quantum corporate. Everybody says theirs is the most productive and everybody else is junk.”
IonQ is hoping Algorithmic Qubits replaces comparisons in response to the selection of bodily qubits. We’ll know quickly sufficient whether or not competition like IBM, Honeywell, Xanadu, and Psiquantum make a selection to play ball or now not.
5-year roadmap
Regardless, IonQ is laying out its roadmap the use of its new Algorithmic Qubits metric. The corporate will focal point on bettering the standard of its quantum good judgment gate operations to proceed to extend Algorithmic Qubits, or usable qubits. It’ll then paintings on imposing quantum error correction with low overhead and scaling the selection of bodily qubits to spice up its metric additional.
IonQ’s just lately launched 32-qubit device with 99.nine% constancy options 22 Algorithmic Qubits. The chart above presentations that its 2d next-gen quantum pc will function 29 Set of rules Qubits. “In 2023, we predict to have sufficient qubits so that you could get started early quantum benefit in development for system studying,” Chapman stated. “And we’ve observed on this remaining 12 months with the 32-qubit device, some early development that permits those noisy programs so that you could profit from system studying. So I feel that would be the lowest-hanging fruit that we will be able to see coming.”
Huge quantum benefit
IonQ tasks that its 3rd next-gen quantum pc coming in 2025 will function 64 Algorithmic Qubits by way of using 16:1 error-correction encoding. Within the 3 years that observe, the Algorithmic Qubits metric will take off additional and IonQ will depend on 32:1 error-correction encoding.
“The general public agree at about 72 qubits or so is where the place wide quantum benefit begins,” Chapman stated. “That’s the place quantum computer systems begin to tackle supercomputers. We’re more than likely having a look right into a more or less 2024-2025 time-frame for that. How we plan to get there’s by way of 2023 to have a rack-mounted quantum pc, perhaps 6U top operating at room temperature, and all sitting on a quantum community.”
IonQ is the use of the time period “wide quantum benefit” as a measure break away the quantum supremacy milestones accomplished remaining 12 months by way of Google and remaining week by way of Chinese language scientists. “The ones issues are nice science experiments, however they’re very educational milestones,” Chapman stated. “What we’re speaking about here’s a line of software developer sitting at some company and you make a decision as as to if or to not run it on a quantum pc, at the cloud, or on supercomputers. It’s now not an educational workout. It’s in point of fact at that time the place reasonable builders are announcing, ‘Oh, I feel this could be higher on a quantum pc.’”
