By the end of 2023, IBM plans to have the three fundamental pillars of its quantum-centric supercomputer ready. The first of these is the Heron quantum processor, a 133-qubit chip that, on paper, will agglutinate higher-quality quantum bits than those found in first-generation quantum processors. According to IBM, its performance will be higher than that of the chips that have preceded it and it can be more easily connected to other comparable quantum processors to work in parallel.
In addition, the IBM Quantum System Two architecture will solve the scaling, control electronics, and high-density cryogenic cabling infrastructure. The third component will be the middleware , which is the set of software tools that will be responsible for managing the workload in order to distribute it optimally between the classical and quantum supercomputers that will be part of the quantum-centric supercomputer.
IBM will make $100 million available to research centers that will help it develop the necessary innovations. If all goes according to plan, this ambitious quantum computer could prove very valuable in some scientific areas that have enormous potential, such as the design of new materials, the understanding of some chemical reactions and the detailed knowledge of certain molecular processes. In practice, it could be used, among other purposes, to develop new drugs.
In addition, it is possible that this quantum machine has the ability to correct its own errors, a milestone that, if it finally arrives, will mark a very profound turning point in the field of quantum computing. We can be sure of one thing: over the next decade we are going to witness the greatest advances in the history of computing.
