Quantum-Centric Supercomputing

Seven years ago, IBM put the first quantum computer in the cloud and ushered in the phase of quantum computing adoption. Now, advances in hardware, software and error suppression and mitigation protocols have put us on the cusp of the second phase: the phase of quantum utility, where quantum computers will drive innovations in classical computing and provide increasingly higher value in the exploration of problems beyond the reach of classical methods.

In this Presidential Lecture, Darío Gil will overview these developments, the advances that have enabled us to scale quantum systems and the path to systems of hundreds of thousands of qubits that, integrated with classical computing resources in a hybrid cloud platform, will bring about the third phase: the era of quantum-centric supercomputing by 2033. He will conclude by discussing how he and his colleagues are building fully modular systems (IBM Quantum System Two) that combine bits, qubits and hybrid cloud computing environments in a new computing architecture that will realize the world’s first utility-scale quantum supercomputer.