- IBM unveiled a series of quantum advancements this week
- But one exec said there's still plenty of work to be done on the software that will let quantum play nice with CPUs and GPUs
- Quantum developments are happening fast but there's still plenty of uncertainty about what it means for folks looking to deploy the tech
IBM used its Quantum Developer Conference this week to herald the arrival of its latest quantum processor, quantum code assistant and error-reducing algorithms. But as it works to mature the nascent technology, we wondered: what does it all mean for those looking to put the tech to work in the real world?
First, it helps to know the idea is for quantum processing units (QPUs) to supplement – not supplant – traditional compute from CPUs and GPUs. Jamie Garcia, Technical Program Director at IBM Quantum, said IBM has actually already managed to blend quantum and classical computing together in two data centers, including one in New York State in the U.S. and one in Germany.
The focus now, she added, is refining the ways in which these systems work together.
“IBM's vision of quantum-centric supercomputing aims to integrate advanced quantum and classical computers executing parallelized workloads to easily break apart complex problems with performant software, allowing each architecture to solve parts of an algorithm for which it is best suited,” she explained.
Garcia continued: “Such software is being designed to seamlessly and quickly knit problems back together, allowing algorithms to be run that are inaccessible or difficult for each computing paradigm on its own.”
Looking ahead, Garcia said IBM sees itself both as an R&D leader as well as a provider of quantum computing services. But – at least on the hardware front – it will have competition.
IDC Quantum Computing Research Manager Heather West told Fierce other quantum hardware vendors include D-Wave, Rigetti, PASQAL, QuEra, Quantinuum, IonQ, Xanadu and IonQ. Given it’s still early days, she added there’s still plenty of room for innovation and disruption in this space.
The quantum market is rapidly moving ahead (much like that of its symbiotic sister technology, artificial intelligence), but West said it’s not exactly clear at this point what it all means for cloud providers, data center operators and enterprises looking to deploy QPUs.
“Because quantum computing can be consumed via the cloud or through on-prem installations, organizations will have options as to how they would like to integrate quantum,” she said. “If choosing to install on-prem, the specifications may vary depending on the type of quantum computing system being installed. However, this is something currently under investigation.”