China and the US are the countries that are dedicating more resources to the development of quantum technologies. And also those who are reaching the most relevant achievements. However, there is a country that has officialized its intention to lead in the medium term both in the field of quantum computing and in the manufacture of semiconductors: Japan. In the middle of last April we tell you that the Riken Center for Quantum Computing and Fujitsu had just announced that they had developed a joint project a superconductor quantum provided with 256 cubits.
A priori it may not seem a great achievement if we have in mind that IBM already has a condor, a superconductor quantum processor of 1,121 cubits, and also the Heron (5K) platform equipped with error mitigation. And the China Telecom (CTQG) quantum group and the Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed the Xiaohong quantum processor of 504 superconductor cubits. However, Japan’s plan in the field of quantum machines does not end up here. And in 2030 it intends to have a quantum computer 25% more powerful than the most capable of IBM at that time.
250 logical cubits to make a difference
The design and tuning project of this ambitious quantum machine is already underway. And the Riken Center for Quantum Computing, Fujitsu and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science in Japan. This quantum computer will use superconductor cubits and a very advanced cooling system, presumably a dilution system similar to that used by the machine they presented in April. Whatever your best asset, if you finally get to fruition, it will be its 250 logical cubits.
Each logical ul
Logical cubits represent a way to overcome the difficulty involved in the use of hardware or physical cubits, which are extremely noise sensitive, and, therefore, prone to make mistakes. Each logical cubit is constructed in an abstract way About several physical or hardware cubitsso that a single logical cubit encodes a single cubit of quantum information, but with redundancy. It is precisely this redundancy that allows to detect and correct the errors that are present in the physical cubits.
Until very recently the number of hardware cubits that was necessary to implement a single logical cubit immune to errors was impracticable, but IBM says it has found the solution to this problem. And presumably Fujitsu and the Riken center too. IBM is going to build the ‘Starling’ quantum computer in a new data center that will be housed in Poughkeepsie, New York (USA). This machine will bring together 200 logical cubits that, in theory, will allow you to execute 100 million quantum operations.
IBM says that ‘Starling’ will be ready in 2029, but, as I have mentioned a few lines above, Fujitsu and Riken intend to have their quantum machine of 250 logical ubits in 2030. If they get it, they are likely to lead in this field. In any case, before that milestone arrives, much earlier, in 2026, they seek to have a computer of 1,000 cubits ready. They will not be 1,000 logical cubits; They will be 1,000 conventional cubits, and, therefore, prone to make mistakes. Even so, if Japan get it, only one step from the US and China will be placed in this field.
Imagen | Fujitsu
More information | Nikkei Asia
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