Professor Seth Lloyd of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology pointed out that since the 1990s, we are still in the early industrialization stage of quantum computing. But the “great progress” it brings is comparable to the power that the steam age provided for factories, ships, and trains.
It is worth mentioning that the error correction technology of quantum computers has also made breakthrough progress. As the basic element of data storage and processing in quantum computers, Qubit is susceptible to interference from external forces.
Manufacturers are still working hard to increase the number of qubits in computers, but in the process of moving towards practical applications, researchers must also work hard to overcome various limitations of qubits. For example, the introduction of error correction schemes is to overcome the picky nature of a single qubit.
The finicky nature of qubits is likely to cause damage to the calculation results. In order to build a more stable qubit and consolidate the foundation of connection, quantum computer manufacturers have adopted a different technical route from traditional chip manufacturers.
For example, Google and IBM chose to cool the superconducting circuit to close to absolute zero (colder than space), and Honeywell chose an ion trap based on charged ytterbium atoms. Intel’s qubits are single electrons with spin characteristics, and Xanadu is committed to using photons to allow quantum processors to work at room temperature.
Looking to the future, Eric Lucero, the head of Google’s quantum computing, predicts that the company can achieve the first logical qubits in 2023 and 1,000 logical qubits by the end of 2020.
IBM Q Network Director Anthony Annunziata stated that the company’s goal is to surpass the existing 65-qubit system (Hummingbird), and launch Eagle with 127 qubits in 2021, Osprey with 433 qubits in 2022, and in 2023.
(via)
