IBM Quantum Computers Now Finish Some Tasks In Hours, Not Months

IBM has found a way to combine a new program execution environment, Qiskit, with a balance of "classical" and quantum computing to deliver a 100 times speedup for tasks that depend on iterative circuit execution. Computations that take months now will take mere hours, IBM said. Engadget reports: Qiskit by itself allows more circuits to run at a "much faster" rate, and can store quantum programs so that other users can run them. However, it also uploads programs to conventional hardware sitting next to the quantum machines. Before you ask, this isn't really cheating -- the move is meant to cut the latency between a user's computer and the quantum chip. IBM expects to release Qiskit sometime in 2021. Its roadmap also has quantum systems handling a wider range of circuits, and thus a wider range of computing challenges, by 2022. New control systems and libraries in 2023 will help IBM reach its goal of running systems with 1,000 or more qubits, taking the company closer to a "quantum advantage" where the technology can handle at least some tasks more efficiently or cost-effectively than traditional hardware.

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