A significant milestone that promises to change technology in quantum computing has been reached. For the first time in the history of computers, a quantum computer has fixed its own errors mid-calculation. Quantum error correction, as scientists are calling it, is a process that makes quantum computers more reliable. It also has the potential to pave the way for these computers to solve problems that are a challenge for advanced classical computers.
So why does error correction matter? Well, Quantum computers are not like ordinary laptops or even phones. These machines perform calculations using quantum bits, or qubits, which harness the strange and powerful laws of quantum physics. The catch? Qubits are notoriously sensitive and can cause massive errors even when faced with the slightest disturbances. If quantum computers are to solve incredibly complex problems, there must be error correction.
With quantum error correction, faulty qubits are turned into reliable qubits. The basic idea is to combine multiple faulty qubits to create something better: logical qubits. Think of it as assembling a dream team of qubits to work together more reliably. However, until recently, this idea didn’t work all the time. In the past, any efforts made things worse, either by failing to fix the errors or by introducing even more mistakes during the process.
But now, Microsoft and researchers from the quantum computing company Quantinuum have finally made quantum-error correction possible. What’s more, the results are exciting. The team used eight logical qubits to significantly reduce error rates. In fact, the corrected calculation was 10 times more accurate than those performed with error-prone qubits, which are known as “physical qubits.”
That’s not all. These researchers entangled 12 logical qubits — the largest number ever entangled — and achieved an error rate of less than 1/20th of what they had with the original physical qubits. This is quite impressive and represents a huge step forward in making quantum computers more reliable for real-world applications.
The process is, of course, far from perfect at this stage. The method of error correction used was able to fix only a single error at a time. The system would spot the mistake and discard the result if the quantum computer made more than a single small error during a calculation. It is another sign that we are a long way off from building an ultimate quantum computer, but progress is being made.
Although these strides are encouraging, the end game is clear: a universal quantum computer that can process any calculation however complicated. Scientists are working on this, and when they figure it out, quantum computers will be able to help us solve some of the largest problems humanity is facing today.
Other quantum computing companies such as D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) are coming up with their own innovations that are pushing the boundaries of what is possible in quantum computing. The future of the industry looks exciting.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/QBTS
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