On Wednesday, Microsoft and Quantinuum announced a significant milestone in advancing quantum computing towards commercial viability by enhancing its reliability. This development marks the latest progress in the competitive landscape of quantum computing, where tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and IBM, along with other entities, are striving to harness the potential of quantum mechanics to achieve computing speeds far surpassing those of conventional silicon-based computers. The envisioned quantum machines hold the promise of facilitating scientific computations that would otherwise require millions of years using classical computers.
At the heart of quantum computing lies the “qubit,” the fundamental unit. Despite its speed, qubits are highly sensitive to disturbances, often leading to data errors. To address this challenge, quantum researchers typically employ error-correction techniques by oversupplying physical qubits and refining them into a smaller set of reliable ones.
In this collaborative effort, Microsoft applied its proprietary error-correction algorithm to the physical qubits of Quantinuum, resulting in approximately four reliable qubits from 30 physical ones. Jason Zander, Microsoft’s Executive Vice President for Strategic Missions and Technologies, highlighted this achievement as the most favorable ratio of reliable qubits derived from a quantum chip to date. Zander emphasized the exceptional performance, with over 14,000 individual experiments conducted without any errors – a marked improvement, up to 800 times better than existing records.
Microsoft intends to introduce this technology to its cloud computing clientele in the upcoming months. While the quest for achieving a sufficient number of reliable qubits to outperform classical supercomputers typically targets around 100 qubits, neither Microsoft nor Quantinuum disclosed a specific timeline for reaching this milestone using the new technique. However, Ilyas Khan, the Chief Product Officer of Quantinuum, expressed optimism, suggesting that the implementation of the innovative approach could potentially accelerate progress by at least two years or more towards achieving the 100-qubit goal.
