Microsoft and Quantinuum boast quantum computing breakthrough – DIGIT.FYI

Microsoft and Quantinuum, a quantum computing firm, have claimed to reach a seminal step in quantum computing, in what could be the most reliable quantum capabilities yet to be seen.

The machine boasts the ability to correct itself, using Microsofts qubit-virtualisation system Microsoft says it ran the computer on 14,000 individual experiments without a single error.

Quantum computers can solve computational problems that could take millions of years to solve on a traditional silicon-based computer, with unprecedented speeds.

But quantum relies on qubits as their fundamental component, which, despite their speed, can produce many errors if the environment is not optimal. To combat this, quantum computers often have error-correction techniques built in so that more reliable results are produced.

Breakthroughs in quantum error correction and fault tolerance are important for realising the long-term value of quantum computing for scientific discovery and energy security, Dr Travis Humble, director of of the Quantum Science Centre at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory said.

Microsoft researchers wrote an algorithm to correct the errors produced by Quantinuums qubits, resulting in the largest gap between physical and logical error rates reported to date, Microsoft announced.

From 30 qubits, researchers were able to retain four logical qubits, which could generate solutions and errors that could be fixed without the qubits being destroyed.

The error rate of these four logical qubits were also 800 times lower than the error rate of the physical qubits.

Todays results mark a historic achievement and are a wonderful reflection of how this collaboration continues to push the boundaries for the quantum ecosystem, Ilyas Khan, founder and chief product officer at Quantinuum said.

With Microsofts state-of-the-art error correction aligned with the worlds most powerful quantum computer and a fully integrated approach, we are so excited for the next evolution in quantum applications and cant wait to see how our customers and partners will benefit from our solutions especially as we move towards quantum processors at scale.

The major step has yet to be investigated by the wider scientific community however. Further, quantum computers will likely need 100 ore more logical qubits to tackle the most relevant scientific problems currently facing us. Still, the results are promising to wider quantum computing research.

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Microsoft and Quantinuum boast quantum computing breakthrough - DIGIT.FYI