At its first IBM Quantum Developer Conference, IBM announced quantum hardware and software advancements to execute complex algorithms on IBM quantum computers with record scale, speed, and accuracy.
IBM Quantum Heron leverages Qiskit to accurately run certain classes of quantum circuits with up to 5,000 two-qubit gate operations, expanding explorations in how quantum computers tackle scientific problems across materials, chemistry, life sciences, and high-energy physics.
For example, IBM Heron and Qiskit improvements execute specific mirrored kicked Ising quantum circuits of up to 5,000 gates, nearly 2x the number of gates accurately run in IBM’s 2023 demonstration of quantum utility. The 2023 utility experiment, published in Nature, demonstrated the speed results in terms of time to process per data point, which totaled 112 hours. The same experiment was run on the latest IBM Heron processor and can be completed in 2.2 hours, which is 50x faster.
IBM’s Qiskit is now the world’s most performant quantum software. Results were gathered and published on arXiv.org using Benchpress, an open-source benchmarking tool that IBM used to measure Qiskit across 1,000 tests. It was found to be the highest-performing, most reliable quantum software development kit against other selected platforms.
The IBM Quantum Platform is adding options with new Qiskit services, such as generative AI-based capabilities and software from IBM partners.
This includes such tools as:
- The Qiskit Transpiler Service to power the efficient optimization of quantum circuits for quantum hardware with AI
- Qiskit Code Assistant to help developers generate quantum code with IBM Granite-based generative AI models
- Qiskit Serverless to run initial quantum-centric supercomputing approaches across quantum and classical systems
- IBM Qiskit Functions Catalog to make services available from IBM, Algorithmiq, Qedma, QunaSys, Q-CTRL, and Multiverse Computing for capabilities such as reducing the performance management of quantum noise and abstracting away complexities of quantum circuits to simplify the development of quantum algorithms
IBM’s vision of quantum-centric supercomputing aims to integrate advanced quantum and classical computers for parallelized workloads that easily break apart complex problems with performant software. Each architecture solves parts of an algorithm for which it is best suited.
RIKEN, a national scientific research institute in Japan, and Cleveland Clinic, a leading academic medical center and biomedical research institution with an on-site and utility-scale IBM Quantum System One, are exploring algorithms for electronic structure problems fundamental to chemistry.
The initiatives are the first steps towards quantum-centric supercomputing approaches to model complex chemical and biological systems, historically believed to require fault-tolerant quantum computers. IBM and RIKEN researchers have performed sample-based quantum diagonalizations in quantum-centric supercomputing environments, using quantum hardware to model the electronic structure of iron sulfides accurately. The Cleveland Clinic also uses the technique to explore implementing quantum-centric simulations of noncovalent interactions: bonds between molecules essential to many chemical, biological, and pharmaceutical science processes. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is using Qiskit tools to take initial steps to build IBM’s first realization of quantum-centric supercomputing on a university campus.
These efforts further advance the era of quantum utility as IBM and its partners move towards quantum advantage and IBM’s advanced, error-corrected system planned for 2029.
Why It Matters
IBM’s advancements in quantum computing enable faster, more accurate solutions to complex problems in chemistry, biology, and materials science. By integrating quantum and classical systems, IBM is paving the way for drug discovery, climate modeling, and more breakthroughs. These innovations bring us closer to practical quantum applications with the potential to transform industries and scientific research.
Original Story: IBM Quantum delivers on 2022 100×100 performance challenge | IBM Quantum Computing Blog
