On Tuesday at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2019) in Las Vegas, IBM unveiled its first ever standalone quantum computer designed for commercial use, beating competitors like Microsoft, Google and Intel to the race for a practical quantum computer.
The IBM Q System One as the quantum computer is called was described by the company as the “world’s first fully integrated universal quantum computing system designed for scientific and commercial use”. The device is a single, tightly integrated system enclosed in an airtight case nine feet (2.7 meters) tall. It is still at experimental level.
What is a quantum computer?
Quantum computers are products of a branch of science known as quantum mechanics. Quantum computing is a branch of science that focuses on developing computer technology based on the principles of quantum theory, which explains the nature and behaviour of energy and matter on the quantum (atomic and subatomic) level.
Conventional computers store information as bits – either 1 or 0 – but in a quantum computer it is stored as qubits or quantum bits which can represent both 1 and 0 thanks to superposition. This means they can store much more information. Apart from exponentially increasing the amount of information one can process, quantum computers are expected to be many times faster and perform more powerful tasks than any conventional computer.
The big deal about the IBM Q System is that it turns an experimental quantum machine into something with reliability (and looks) closer to that of a mainframe computer. Most researchers look forward to using quantum computers to model complicated chemical reactions, a task that conventional computers cannot handle efficiently. They also hope to use quantum simulations to design entirely new molecules for use in medicine.
Experts also believe that climate and weather predictions and solutions would emerge faster apart from the development of superconductors and super magnets. Heavy calculations on gravity, space travel would also become faster and easier.
IBM explains that designing the Q System required the engagement of a world-class team of industrial designers, architects, and manufacturers to work alongside IBM Research scientists and systems engineers, including UK industrial and interior design studios Map Project and Universal Design Studio, and Goppion, a Milan-based manufacturer of high-end museum display cases that protect some of the world’s most precious art including the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, and the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London.
“This is something IBM brings to the market that no one else really does. We know how to do integrated systems,” IBM’s VP of quantum research, Bob Sutor told the Verge. “The electronics for a quantum computer are not something you go buy off the shelf. You need a temperature controlled environment; you need to minimize the vibrations – anything that might disrupt the quantum calculations.”
IBM Q System is also coming at a time when technology experts are worried about a supposed slowdown in improvements to conventional computers. According to a report from Wired, chip experts like Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia believe that Moore’s Law the phenomenon that drove exponential gains in computing power for decades is dying.
“Moore’s Law used to grow at 10x every five years and 100x every 10 years,” Huang said on a panel at CES 2019. “Right now Moore’s Law is growing a few percent every year. Every 10 years maybe only 2s… so Moore’s Law is finished.”
Such sentiment is said to be behind the huge investments from organisations like JPMorgan and Microsoft in quantum computing. Currently there are 44 institutions, including Exxon Mobil, working to bring quantum computing to the world.
Although the IBM Q System is still a long way from a powerful quantum computer, but it is a glimpse of what the future looks like for the next generation of computers.
