Realizing large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computing

Today, IBM operates the world’s only fleet of utility-scale quantum computers — devices capable of performing calculations so complex that classical supercomputers can only approximate their solutions. However, quantum computers are inherently sensitive to noise and other sources of error, which limit the size and complexity of the problems they can currently solve. To realize their full potential, we need large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers that can detect and correct errors in real time. The challenge is that no one has developed a concrete plan for achieving this in the near future…until now.

IBM has unveiled an updated roadmap to realizing a fault-tolerant quantum computer in 2029. When it’s complete, that system will have the ability to run 100 million logical operations on 200 logical qubits—a feat that no quantum computer on earth can achieve today. In this video, we take you inside the historic IBM data center in Poughkeepsie, New York where it’s being built, and explain exactly what it will take to achieve large-scale, fault tolerant quantum computing. Take a look.