IBM unveiled 433-qubit quantum chip, 1,121-qubit Condor processor planned for 2023

In just one year, IBM tripled the number of qubits on a single chip with their new Osprey quantum computing platform.

The first quantum processor containing more than 100 qubits – Eagle – was introduced by IBM in 2021. Now the company says they are on track to triple this number once more, with their planned delivery of the world’s first universal quantum computer with 1,121 qubits in 2023.

If the same pace of development in the field of practical quantum technology remains steady, we could see the first mega- or even giga-scale quantum processors in less than a decade.

IBM notes that their quantum chips – including the new Osprey – can be combined into larger systems using communication links, effectively scaling the number of qubits in a single computing system. IBM Quantum System Two, quantum computer based on multiple interconnected quantum chips, is planned to be deceloped by the end of 2023,

In 2016, IBM had a quantum computer prototype consisting of just 5 qubits. It was then connected to a cloud, making it accessible for anyone to experiment with. An increase in cubits then followed: 27-qubit Falcon was introduced in 2019, 65-qubit Hummingbird debuted in 2020, followed by 127-qubit Eagle in 2021.

IBM is determined to continue scaling the quantum processing technology. One of the ways to accomplish this task is to use multi-level wiring, separating wires and sensitive qubits to avoid interference.

Another innovation, organizing wires in flexible low-resistance ribbon cables helps to minimize excessive heat, leading to a larger density of chip connections. Osprey is also equipped with a new generation of control electronics that manages all the microwave communications necessary to send and receive signals to and from the quantum processor.

According to IBM, control electronics also became much more power efficient. The first control circuits required approximately 100 watts of power per single qubit. Now, only about 10 milliwatts of power per qubit are required.