absorb.md

Jay Gambetta

Chronological feed of everything captured from Jay Gambetta.

Quantum Computing: An Accelerator, Not a Replacement

IBM envisions quantum computing as an essential accelerator within a broader computing ecosystem, working alongside HPC and AI, rather than a standalone replacement. The company is developing a full-stack approach, leveraging its extensive semiconductor and HPC expertise to build quantum systems. The focus for 2023 is to reach a tipping point where quantum circuits outperform classical computers for specific tasks, moving towards practical business applications by 2025-2026.

The Shift to 100+ Qubit Utility: Overcoming Depth and Noise in Large-Scale Quantum Experiments

The quantum computing field is transitioning from small-scale exploratory experiments to a 'utility era' characterized by 100+ qubit systems. This shift necessitates a departure from traditional fidelity metrics toward state-specific verification and the adoption of dynamic circuits to overcome linear depth scaling. Current research focuses on using error mitigation and hybrid classical-quantum verification to explore many-body physics and dynamics that are classically intractable.

IBM and Cisco Collaborate on Distributed Quantum Computing Network

IBM and Cisco are partnering to develop a network of large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers. This initiative aims to overcome the limitations of single quantum predecessors, laying the groundwork for a quantum internet. This collaboration leverages IBM's quantum hardware and software with Cisco's networking expertise.

Dynamic Quantum Circuits Achieve Significant Performance Gains in Kicked Ising Simulation

IBM has implemented substantial upgrades to dynamic quantum circuits, significantly accelerating mid-circuit measurements and conditional operations. These advancements resulted in a 28% reduction in two-qubit gates per Trotter step and up to 24% improved performance in a 46-site kicked Ising simulation on 106 qubits, compared to unitary circuits. The improvements are attributed to capabilities like faster feedforward and enhanced timing control, demonstrating a notable step forward in quantum computation efficiency.

IBM’s Quantum Computing Trajectory: From Foundational Science to Fault-Tolerant Systems

IBM's Director of Research, Jay Gambetta, outlines the company's deep and long-standing commitment to quantum computing, emphasizing its role as a supplementary, not replacement, technology to classical computing. He details IBM's pioneering advancements in the field, from early theoretical contributions to the development of modular, error-corrected quantum processors. The long-term vision includes achieving fault-tolerant quantum computing by 2029, enabling solutions for complex scientific and industrial problems.

IBM Achieves Record 140-Qubit Entangled State with Higher Fidelity on Heron R3

IBM researchers have demonstrably advanced quantum entanglement, achieving a record-setting 140-qubit GHZ state on the new Heron R3 ibm_boston processor. This surpasses their previous 120-qubit record on Heron R2 ibm_aachen by demonstrating improved fidelity and shot-retention rates. This advancement signifies progress in scaling quantum systems while maintaining coherence.

IBM Achieves Record 120-Qubit Entanglement, Pushing Quantum Computing Scale

IBM has successfully entangled 120 qubits, setting a new record for the largest entangled state on a quantum computer. This achievement, detailed in a forthcoming letter, demonstrates significant progress in scaling quantum systems. The advance suggests increasing qubit coherence and control, crucial steps toward fault-tolerant quantum computation.

FPGA Accelerates Quantum LDPC Decoding

IBM has developed an FPGA-based Relay-BP decoder for quantum Low-Density Parity-Check (qLDPC) codes, demonstrating significant speed improvements over GPU-based solutions. This advancement enables real-time decoding on hardware, which is crucial for practical quantum error correction.

Qiskit Fall Fest 2025: Rapid Global Expansion Driven by Community Engagement

Qiskit Fall Fest has demonstrated significant growth in community interest and institutional adoption over two years. The event, expanding globally, leverages a decentralized, community-driven model to organize diverse technical activities, anticipating substantial participation. This growth highlights the effectiveness of a community-led strategy in scaling quantum computing education and development.

IBM Quantum System One Installed at O'Hare, Targeting Data Center Integration

IBM has installed a full-scale model of its Quantum System One at Chicago O'Hare, aiming to increase public engagement with quantum computing. This installation highlights the system's design for data center environments, signifying a pivotal step towards practical integration of quantum technology. The initiative seeks to inspire broader interest and understanding of quantum computing among a large audience.

IBM Quantum Bolsters Cloud Security Standards

IBM's Quantum service is fully integrated into the IBM Cloud infrastructure, adhering to the same stringent security and operational standards as other IBM Cloud services. This integration ensures that the quantum computing offerings meet the security and reliability expectations of clients handling sensitive data globally.

Quantum Algorithms for Portfolio Optimization Explored by IBM and Vanguard

IBM Quantum and Vanguard collaborated on researching sampling-based Variational Quantum Eigensolvers (VQAs) for portfolio construction. This initiative investigates the application of quantum computing to financial optimization problems, aiming to assess its practical utility and performance in real-world scenarios. The research was published in a blog post by IBM and a pre-print on arXiv.

IBM Confident in Modular FTQC for DARPA QBI Challenge

IBM, through Jay Gambetta's statement, expresses strong confidence in its modular fault-tolerant quantum computing (FTQC) approach. The company believes this methodology is the most practical and will achieve rapid, significant success. Consequently, IBM is eager to demonstrate the efficacy of its FTQC strategy by participating in DARPA's Quantum Benchmark Initiative (QBI) challenge.

IBM Expands Heron R2 Fleet to Five Units Across Global Datacenters

IBM has increased its Heron quantum processor deployment to five units by adding two Heron R2 processors. These units are now operational in the Aachen, Germany and Kingston, New York datacenters, expanding availability via the IBM Quantum Cloud.

IBM's Gambetta on Quantum Progress: Algorithm Discovery and Hardware Scale Are the Key Milestones to Watch

Jay Gambetta, speaking around IEEE Quantum Week, frames the current state of quantum computing around two converging priorities: developing practically useful algorithms and scaling hardware. IBM treats Quantum Week as a core venue for both showcasing progress and gathering user feedback to drive iterative improvement. For newcomers, the message is clear — hands-on experimentation via open-source tooling is the fastest path into the field.

Reinforcement Learning Cuts Quantum Circuit Depth by Up to 40% via Pauli Network Transpilation

IBM's quantum team has extended RL-based Clifford circuit synthesis to generalized Pauli Networks, achieving meaningful reductions in compiled circuit depth. Benchmarked against the Benchpress suite, the approach yields ~20% average depth reduction and exceeds 40% in favorable cases. This represents a concrete advance in AI-driven quantum circuit transpilation, a critical bottleneck for near-term quantum hardware utilization.

AI Enhances Quantum Circuit Transpilation for Pauli Networks

IBM's research team has advanced AI-driven quantum circuit transpilation, extending prior work on RL-based Clifford circuit synthesis to general Pauli Networks. This new methodology achieves significant reductions in circuit depth, averaging 20% and frequently exceeding 40% on the Benchpress benchmark. This improvement indicates a notable step forward in optimizing quantum circuit efficiency.

Understanding Quantum Advantage

Quantum advantage is anticipated to emerge within the next few years. This concept, along with its prerequisites, is explained in detail by Liv Lanes and John Watrous in a dedicated video. The video clarifies what constitutes quantum advantage and the conditions necessary for its realization.

IBM Quantum Partners with Université de Sherbrooke for Research Chairs

IBM Quantum has partnered with Université de Sherbrooke (UdeS) to establish two new research chair positions at the Institut quantique. This initiative aims to bolster quantum research efforts and collaboration between industry and academia, leveraging UdeS's expertise in the field.

IBM Quantum Bolsters Basque Ecosystem and Outlines Ambitious Roadmap

IBM is deepening its partnership with the Basque Country, highlighted by the deployment of the first IBM Quantum System Two in Europe. This collaboration emphasizes people-centric development with a focus on training students and fostering a quantum ecosystem. IBM articulates an aggressive roadmap towards fault-tolerant quantum computing by the decade's end, integrating quantum, AI, and classical computing accelerators into a hybrid future.

Advancements in Quantum-Centric Supercomputing for Near-Term Quantum Advantage

IBM's quantum computing roadmap is progressing, with hardware and software advancements enabling the execution of increasingly complex quantum circuits. The focus is on achieving "quantum advantage" in the near term by integrating quantum and classical computing, particularly for scientific applications. This involves overcoming classical simulation limits and developing robust error mitigation and detection techniques to ensure trustworthy results from noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices.

IBM Quantum Advances with Enhanced Qiskit and Strategic Partnerships for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing

IBM is accelerating quantum computing toward utility-scale applications by enhancing its Qiskit open-source SDK with new performance features and modular add-ons. Strategic partnerships are crucial for integrating advanced error mitigation and application-specific functions, enabling the execution of increasingly complex quantum circuits and broader accessibility for diverse user groups. The roadmap includes achieving error correction by 2029 and reaching 5K operations in the current year, leveraging both hardware innovation and collaborative software development.

Quantum-Centric Supercomputing: Bridging the Divide for Practical Quantum Advantage

IBM is developing a "Quantum-Centric Supercomputing" paradigm that integrates quantum processing units (QPUs) with classical high-performance computing (HPC) resources. This approach aims to achieve practical quantum advantage by running quantum circuits that are beyond brute-force classical simulation, while leveraging classical resources for tasks like error mitigation, workload management, and algorithm extension. The strategy emphasizes a hybrid computational model, acknowledging that quantum computers alone are insufficient for many complex problems.

Benchpress Validates Qiskit as Top-Performing Quantum SDK with New Functions Catalog Launch

Benchpress benchmarking confirms Qiskit as the most performant quantum SDK available. IBM has launched the Qiskit Functions Catalog, integrating quantum software innovations from partners including Algorithmiq, Q-CTRL, Qedma, and QunaSys. This enables users to access advanced partner-developed functions directly via quantum.cloud.ibm.com/functions.

Beyond Brute Force: IBM's Roadmap from Quantum Utility to Centric Supercomputing

IBM is shifting from the era of 'Quantum Utility'—where noisy 100+ qubit systems outperform brute-force classical simulation—toward 'Quantum Advantage' via a hybrid Quantum Centric Supercomputing architecture. This strategy integrates QPUs with HPC resources (CPUs/GPUs) and leverages a specific algorithmic pipeline of mapping, optimization, and error mitigation. To scale this, IBM is introducing a function-based software abstraction in Qiskit to move beyond low-level circuit execution.

IBM's Quantum Utility Era: Scaling, Quality, and Speed for Commercialization

IBM is entering an "era of quantum utility" by focusing on delivering quantum technology to users at an accelerated pace. This involves moving beyond benchmarking small machines to utilizing larger platforms for scientific advancement. The strategy hinges on continuous improvements in scale, quality, and speed, with a commitment to commercialization through robust hardware and an accessible software stack.

IBM Targets Quantum Centric Supercomputing by 2033 with 100,000 Qubit Goal

IBM is aiming for a 100,000-qubit Quantum Centric Supercomputer by 2033, integrating quantum and classical computing. This initiative is supported by a five-pronged strategy focusing on accessible 100+ qubit systems, scalable open-source software (Qiskit), a robust runtime environment for noise management, collaborative identification of quantum applications with key partners, and a clear development roadmap. The immediate focus is on transitioning from an exploratory phase to a "utility phase" where 100-qubit systems are reliably used for algorithm development and application discovery.

IBM's Vision for Quantum Utility: Collaborative, Efficient, and Integrated

IBM asserts that 2023 marked the beginning of the "era of utility" in quantum computing, emphasizing that achieving quantum advantage necessitates collaboration with partners and clients, not a solitary effort. They challenge the notion that error-corrected quantum computers will require an exorbitant number of qubits, suggesting a more efficient approach combining error mitigation and correction. Furthermore, IBM advocates for a "Quantum Centric Supercomputing" paradigm, integrating classical and quantum computing to overcome single-circuit limitations and foster multi-circuit execution.

IBM's Quantum Computing Milestones and Future Roadmap

IBM has reached a critical juncture in quantum computing, moving from an "era of emergence" to an "era of utility" marked by powerful new processors, enhanced software, and a clear 10-year roadmap. They have achieved significant scaling in qubit count and improved gate quality, enabling quantum computations beyond classical simulation. The company is committed to integrating AI to simplify quantum programming and is actively working towards error-corrected quantum systems.

IBM's Quantum Utility Phase Marks a Milestone in Quantum Computing

IBM has entered a new phase of 'Quantum Utility' with a published paper in Nature demonstrating a quantum computer's ability to solve a physics problem that classical computers cannot. This marks a significant step towards practical applications of quantum computing, moving beyond the initial phase of establishing quantum as a field of research. The advancement is attributed to IBM's continuous investment in hardware, specifically the Eagle processor, and the development of error mitigation techniques since 2017.

IBM Quantum Unveils 433-Qubit Osprey Processor and Blueprint for Quantum-Centric Supercomputing

IBM announced the 433-qubit Osprey processor, exceeding prior Eagle at 127 qubits, with heavy-hex lattice, multilayer wiring, and median coherence times of 70-80 microseconds. Performance advances include 4x quantum volume increase via tunable couplers and 10x CLOPS to 15,000 via runtime optimizations. New software integrates error suppression/mitigation with resilience levels in Qiskit primitives and enables dynamic circuits on 18 systems, paving the way for quantum-centric supercomputing via modular systems like System Two, circuit knitting, and the 100x100 challenge for reliable 100-qubit, depth-100 circuits by 2024.

IBM Unveils Quantum-Centric Supercomputing: Modular Quantum-Classical Middleware for Scalable Acceleration

IBM's Quantum-Centric Supercomputing integrates modularity across quantum chips, fridges, and software; fuses quantum communication with computation; and deploys middleware to position quantum as an accelerator in heterogeneous architectures. This enables parallelization of large problems via smaller quantum subroutines, abstracts noise via error mitigation APIs, and targets users like pharmaceutical and energy firms needing computational edges without quantum physics expertise. Roadmap confirms 433-qubit Osprey, dynamic circuits on 18 systems, System Two by end-2023 for massive scaling, and a 100x100 qubit-depth challenge by 2024.

IBM Unveils Modular Quantum Scaling Roadmap: Multi-Chip Couplers Enable 4158-Qubit Systems by 2025

IBM's updated quantum roadmap introduces the Heron processor with redesigned gates and tunable couplers for superior quality, alongside chip-to-chip and long-range couplers to scale beyond single-chip limits. Key milestones include 433-qubit Osprey and QV 1024 in 2022, classically-parallel Heron and dynamic circuits in 2023, 408-qubit Crossbill and 1386-qubit Flamingo in 2024 via short- and long-range linking, and 4158-qubit Kookaburra in 2025. Software advances feature dynamic circuits via OpenQASM 3, Qiskit Runtime primitives (sampler/estimator), threaded runtimes, error mitigation, and quantum serverless for circuit knitting, integrating QPUs with CPUs/GPUs in quantum-centric supercomputers.

IBM's Quantum Roadmap: Scaling to 1000+ Qubits via Hardware Innovations and Dynamic Software Hybrids

IBM operates over 20 cloud-accessed quantum systems up to 65 qubits, running 2 billion circuits daily and enabling 500+ research papers, treating them as production systems for rapid iteration. Hardware scaling to 433-qubit Osprey and 1000+ qubits relies on flip-chip bonding, laser-tuned qubit frequencies, multi-level wiring, and high-fidelity gates approaching 99.9% fidelity, while software advances dynamic circuits with real-time/near-time classical integration via Qiskit updates. Error mitigation hybrids with correction target 10^3-10^4 T-gates, bridging to fault tolerance amid coherence and interconnect challenges.

Quantum Circuits Defined: Unitary Evolution with Real-Time Classical Control for Practical Quantum Algorithms

Quantum circuits enable quantum advantage not through faster classical operations like multiplication, but via superposition, entanglement, and interference for hard problems like integer factorization. Core gates—Hadamard for superposition, CNOT for entanglement, phase for complex amplitudes—compose universal unitaries, with circuit hardness stemming from high entanglement, interference, and non-Clifford algebra rather than qubit count or depth. Practical circuits integrate real-time classical computation (e.g., measurement-conditioned corrections in teleportation or GHZ state generation) within coherence times to boost fidelity and efficiency, distinguishing from pure unitary views or overbroad "rebel" definitions like full VQE loops.

Grover's Algorithm Solves 3-SAT via Qiskit Aqua in Minimal Code

This GitHub Gist provides a concise Python script using Qiskit Aqua to apply Grover's search algorithm to a 3-variable, 5-clause DIMACS SAT instance. The oracle parses the CNF directly, and execution on qasm_simulator yields the satisfying assignment. Demonstrates quantum advantage for NP-complete problems with 5 lines of core logic.

Qiskit Aqua Chemistry Initializes H2 Molecule via PySCF Driver

Code snippet demonstrates configuring and loading an H2 molecule for quantum chemistry simulations in Qiskit Aqua. Uses PySCF driver with STO-3G basis set and 0.735 Angstrom bond length. Configuration manager handles driver instantiation and molecule object creation from atomic coordinates.

Qiskit Bell State Circuit Demonstrates Basic Quantum Entanglement Simulation

This Qiskit script creates a 2-qubit quantum circuit implementing a Bell state via Hadamard gate on the first qubit followed by CNOT to entangle it with the second. It measures both qubits into classical registers and executes on the local QASM simulator. The output retrieves counts of the resulting entangled state, typically showing 00 and 11 outcomes with equal probability.