Oak Ridge labs gets hybrid quantum-HPC system to test qubit error correction

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) now boasts a system for research into quantum error correction, combining IBM quantum processors with a high-performance compute (HPC) system based on AMD silicon.

The Quantum Science Center (QSC) at ORNL, funded by the US Department of Energy (DoE), unveiled what it calls a co-design platform for quantum error correction, marrying up quantum and HPC technology.

While useful, fault-tolerant quantum systems always seem to be at least a decade away, there have been notable advances over the past several years in the field of quantum error correction, according to ORNL. These include early demonstrations of protecting quantum information from environmental noise, which can cause loss of the fragile quantum states needed for computations.

"Solving the challenges of quantum error correction is essential to making quantum computing a practical tool for scientific discovery, which is a priority for Oak Ridge National Laboratory," said QSC director Travis Humble.

IBM Fellow and director of IBM Research Jay Gambetta …