IBM unveiled the first quantum computer for commercial use

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, IBM unveiled the first quantum computer designed with commercial customers in mind. IBM Q System One will not be available for sale for now, but the company will allow access to it via the cloud.

Quantum computers carry the promise of enormous computing power, far surpassing traditional machines. Computations currently taking the fastest traction computers several days, quantum computers will perform in seconds. The Q System One, unveiled in Las Vegas, is not a machine that puts today’s supercomputers to the sword, but it can be seen as a first, somewhat tentative step in that direction.

Traditional computers perform calculations on bits – series of zeros and ones. Their quantum counterparts use cubitow, or quantum bitow, and these can take on both simultaneously. The equipment presented has 20 cubitsow.

IBM Q System One is basically a hermetic glass container nearly three meters highow, w ktorym contains the components needed to perform quantum computing. One of the more important componentsoin enclosed in a glass box is a cooler, whichora keeps cubits at temperatures just above absolute zero. This temperature is necessary for the quantum computer to function properly.

IBM extols swoj new hardware as "The world’s first fully integrated universal quantum computing system". Instead of selling the Q System One, the company plans to connect it to the Internet, allowing scientists and engineers to use its computing power remotely.

But Q System One is not the most powerful quantum computer in existence. IBM itself had already built a more powerful machine in 2017, ktora has 50 cubitsow. However, the equipment unveiled at the fair is the first intended for commercial use.

20 cubitow is not powerful enough to perform difficult calculations, with which theohe company has to supportomodern, traditionally hardware-based data centers. Researchers believe that quantum computers will need much more power to outperform their binary counterparts. IBM representatives, however, emphasize that Q System One is more of a technology demonstration, a symbolic first step into the world of commercial quantum computing.

– IBM Q System One is a big step forwardod toward the commercialization of quantum computing,” said Arvind Krishna, director of IBM Research. – Our new system is key to advancing quantum computing and taking the technology beyond the walls of the research lab. We are constantly working on practical quantum applications for science and business – added.

Quantum computers are a radically different kind of computerow based on the laws of quantum mechanics. They can solve someore problems beyond the reach of classical computersow. They have the potential to transform many fields – from pharmaceuticals to astrophysics. They are a harbinger of the coming revolution and, once they emerge, will open up entirely new possibilities.