At the IBM Quantum Summit 2022, the technology giant announced its innovations in quantum hardware and software. IBM unveiled the IBM Osprey, which has the largest qubit count — at over 400 —of any IBM quantum processor.

IBM Osprey has three times more qubit count than the IBM Eagle processor with 127 qubits launched in 2021. It has the potential to run complex quantum computations well beyond the computational capability of any classical computer. The number of classical bits that would be necessary to represent a state on the IBM Osprey processor exceeds the total number of atoms in the known universe.

“The new 433 qubit ‘Osprey’ processor brings us a step closer to the point where quantum computers will be used to tackle previously unsolvable problems,” said Dr. Darío Gil, senior vice president, IBM and director of Research. “We are continuously scaling up and advancing our quantum technology across hardware, software, and classical integration to meet the biggest challenges of our time, in conjunction with our partners and clients worldwide.”

IBM introduces industry’s first quantum-safe system
IBM unveils 127-Qubit quantum processor

IBM also released updates on its IBM Quantum System Two, a system designed to be modular and flexible, combining multiple processors into a single system with communication links. This system is targeted to be online by the end of 2023 and will be a building block of quantum-centric supercomputing — the next wave in quantum computing which scales by employing a modular architecture and quantum communication to increase its computational capacity, and which employs hybrid cloud middleware to seamlessly integrate quantum and classical workflows.

“As we continue to increase the scale of quantum systems and make them simpler to use, we will continue to see adoption and growth of the quantum industry,” said Jay Gambetta, IBM Fellow and VP of IBM Quantum. “Our breakthroughs define the next wave in quantum, which we call quantum-centric supercomputing, where modularity, communication, and middleware will contribute to enhanced scaling computation capacity, and integration of quantum and classical workflows.”