IBM, AMD, Oak Ridge National Laboratory launch quantum error correction platform

Quantum computers tackle complex problems using fragile subatomic particles prone to calculation errors

IBM, AMD and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) on Thursday launched a joint platform aimed at ​solving quantum computing machines' tendency to make ‌errors.

Quantum computers harness the behavior of subatomic particles to solve problems conventional machines cannot. However, their calculations are ​extremely fragile and prone to mistakes.

The new platform pairs IBM's ⁠quantum computers, including its most powerful quantum chip, ​the 120-qubit Nighthawk, with ORNL's Umbra supercomputer powered ​by AMD's Instinct graphics processors and EPYC central processors

Qubits are the fundamental units of information in a quantum computer

Together, ​the systems let researchers test ways to spot ​and fix quantum errors, combining classical and quantum computing resources ‌to ⁠advance error correction.

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The effort supports a US Department of Energy goal to build a scientifically useful quantum computer by late 2028. IBM said ongoing ​experiments are ​roughly 230 ⁠times short of that target

The platform will connect to the Oak Ridge Leadership ​Computing Facility in Ten.nessee, allowing researchers ​to ⁠study tighter integration between quantum and classical computing resources

In May, IBM said it plans to invest more than $10 ⁠billion ​in quantum computing as it ​aims to build the first large-scale quantum computer by 2029.