A fridge for quantum computers built by IBM is 100 times colder than outer space and could eventually house quantum computers with 4000 qubits
Metal plates inside the fridge help draw heat away from the centre
Karmela Padavic-Callaghan
In the Hudson Valley, an hour’s train trip away from New York City, I am struggling to move a big, curved piece of metal. It is at the front of a large cylindrical machine at least twice my size. IBM physicist Pat Gumann lends a helping hand and, together, we get it done. Closing the door of the world’s largest quantum computer fridge is no joke.
Quantum computing relies on keeping things cold. The quantum properties …
Article amended on 22 September 2022
We corrected the difference between the temperature in the fridge and outer space
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