You’ve probably heard that IBM has been developing something quite revolutionary. Big Blue (IBM), who gave the world mainframe computers and the personal computer (PC), has been developing a Quantum Computer for several years. IBM’s Quantum Computer is a superconducting device and currently sports 433 Qubits (analogous to classical bits). But yesterday, IBM just announced its 1,121 Qubit device named Condor.
IBM Quantum Computer Timeline
2016
IBM Quantum Experience Launch
IBM launched the Quantum Experience, an online interface to access their superconducting systems, paving the way for new protocols in quantum information processing. This year, IBM launched the now ubiquitous and popular toolQuantum Experience, which provided an online interface to their superconducting systems, enabling the publication of new protocols in quantum information processing.
IBM Q 5 Tenerife (5-qubit)
IBM introduced the 5-qubit processor known as IBM Q 5 Tenerife. The IBM Q 5 Tenerife quantum processor is one of the earlier quantum processors developed by IBM, with a qubit count of five. The IBM Q 5 Tenerife quantum processor utilizes a superconducting qubit architecture called a “bow tie” architecture. The average gate fidelity is noted to be 99.897%, and the readout fidelity is 98.64%
IBM Q 5 Yorktown (5-qubit)
Another 5-qubit processor, IBM Q 5 Yorktown, was introduced in 2016.
2017
IBM Q 14 Melbourne (14-qubit)
It was introduced in 2017. A protocol was developed and implemented on the IBM Q 14 Melbourne for teleporting qubits through a quantum network utilizing a highly entangled box-cluster state or chain-type cluster state. This work was aimed at advancing quantum networking and modular quantum computing architectures. The IBM Melbourne has 14 qubits available with a mean gate error of 2.14×10−32.14×10−3 and a mean measure error of 2.68×10−22.68×10−21
IBM Q 16 Rüschlikon (16-qubit)
Launched on May 17, 2017, but retired on September 26, 2018.
IBM Q 17 (17-qubit)
Also, it launched May 17, 2017.
IBM Q 20 Tokyo (20-qubit)
Launched on November 10, 2017.
2018
IBM Q 20 Austin (20-qubit)
Introduced but later retired on July 4, 2018
IBM Q 50 Prototype (50-qubit)
2019
IBM Q 53 (53-qubit)
Launched in October 2019.
2020
A new milestone was unveiled on August 20, 2020, achieving IBM’s highest Quantum Volume (64). Number of qubits is 27.
The first development roadmap was previewed, laying out an ambitious timeline for progressing quantum computing over the following years.
2021
IBM Quantum Eagle Processor (127-qubit)
Released alongside the launch of Qiskit Runtime, enhancing the execution of quantum circuits.
IBM Quantum broke the 100‑qubit processor barrier in 2021. As well as the 127-qubit IBM Quantum Eagle processor Big Blue launched Qiskit Runtime, a runtime environment of co-located classical systems and quantum systems built to support containerized execution of quantum circuits at speed and scale. The Qiskit runtime demonstrated a 120x speedup in simulating molecules thanks to many improvements, including running quantum programs entirely on the cloud with Qiskit Runtime.
IBM also made it easier with Qiskit Primitives to enable Quantum Developers easier access to output without advanced knowledge of the hardware.
2022
IBM Osprey Processor (433-qubit)
Unveiled with a significantly higher qubit count than the previous Eagle processor. Dr. Darío Gil, Senior Vice President of IBM and Director of Research, mentioned that the new 433 qubit ‘Osprey’ processor brings the world a step closer to the point where quantum computers will be used to tackle problems that were previously deemed unsolvable. IBM’s continuous advancements in quantum technology, in collaboration with global partners and clients, are laying the foundation for the upcoming era of quantum-centric supercomputing. With the previous generation of control electronics, IBM needed an entire rack for five and 20-qubit devices. With the advancements, they can now control more than 400 qubits with one rack of equipment.
IBM also released a beta update to Qiskit Runtime, which now includes a feature allowing users to trade speed for a reduced error count with a straightforward option in the API. This abstraction simplifies the complexities, making it easier for users to integrate quantum computing into their workflows and accelerate the development of quantum applications.
2023
IBM Quantum Condor Processor (1,121-qubit)
Scheduled to be released, featuring a substantial increase in qubit count, pushing the boundaries of single-chip processors. IBM’s quantum scientists have built a quantum computer with a 1,121-qubit processor named “Condor.” This processor is pivotal in IBM’s aggressive roadmap to achieve 1,000-plus qubits in 2023.
