IBM and Cisco have announced a collaborative initiative aimed at integrating quantum computers over long distances. The goal is to showcase the feasibility of such a network by 2030, potentially laying the groundwork for a quantum internet. This information comes from Reuters.
However, both companies warn that achieving this ambitious project will require the development of technologies that do not currently exist, in partnership with universities and national laboratories.
Quantum computers have the potential to solve complex problems in the fields of physics, chemistry, and cryptography that would take traditional systems millennia. Yet, their main challenge lies in high error rates. IBM aims to have a working quantum computer by 2029.
One of the key technical hurdles is the process of information transfer. Quantum processors are housed in cryogenic facilities where stationary qubits operate. IBM must convert these into 'flying' qubits – microwave signals that can be transmitted over distances.
Another challenge is to transform these microwave signals into optical ones for transmission via Cisco's fiber-optic infrastructure. This requires a new type of device – a microwave-optical transducer, which will be developed in conjunction with the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center led by Fermilab.
Simultaneously, Cisco and IBM will create open-source software that will integrate all elements of the future quantum network.
"We view this as a single system rather than two separate roadmaps," said Vidjoy Pandey, Senior Vice President of Cisco Outshift. He noted that a collaborative approach increases the chances of moving in the same direction and resolving technical challenges more swiftly.
Previously, IBM began collaborating with AMD to develop next-generation computing architectures that integrate quantum computers with high-performance computing systems.