IBM quantum computer runs largest quantum program yet

Large quantum programs build up errors as they run, but a technique for mitigating these errors has allowed researchers at IBM to run over 1700 operations on their quantum computer

By Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

A quantum computer has run the largest quantum program yet. The computer made errors, but a mathematical method was able to extract a meaningful result anyway. This error-mitigation technique could help quantum computers become more useful than their imperfect hardware would otherwise allow them to be.

Quantum computers have the potential to solve problems that even the best conventional supercomputers can’t. Yet, except for in a few specific cases, most existing quantum computers are either too small or make too many errors to achieve this. Youngseok …