IBM to make quantum computing publicly available
For the first time ever, IBM Research is to make quantum computing available to members of the public on IBM Cloud, allowing users to access and run experiments on their five-qubit quantum processor.
IBM PRESS RELEASE
IBM scientists have built a quantum processor that users can access through a first-of-a-kind quantum computing platform delivered via the IBM Cloud onto any desktop or mobile device. IBM believes quantum computing is the future of computing and has the potential to solve certain problems that are impossible to solve on today’s supercomputers.
The cloud-enabled quantum computing platform, called IBM Quantum Experience, will allow users to run algorithms and experiments on IBM’s quantum processor, work with the individual quantum bits (qubits), and explore tutorials and simulations around what might be possible with quantum computing.
The quantum processor is composed of five superconducting qubits and is housed at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center in New York. The five-qubit processor represents the latest advancement in IBM’s quantum architecture that can scale to larger quantum systems. It is the leading approach towards building a universal quantum computer.
A universal quantum computer can be programmed to perform any computing task and will be exponentially faster than classical computers for a number of important applications for science and business.
A universal quantum computer does not exist today, but IBM envisions medium-sized quantum processors of 50-100 qubits to be possible in the next decade. With a quantum computer built of just 50 qubits, none of today’s TOP500 supercomputers could successfully emulate it, reflecting the tremendous potential of this technology. The community of quantum computer scientists and theorists is working to harness this power, and applications in optimization and chemistry will likely be the first to demonstrate quantum speed-up.
“Quantum computers are very different from today’s computers, not only in what they look like and are made of, but more importantly in what they can do. Quantum computing is becoming a reality and it will extend computation far beyond what is imaginable with today’s computers,” said Arvind Krishna, senior vice president and director, IBM Research. “This moment represents the birth of quantum cloud computing. By giving hands-on access to IBM’s experimental quantum systems, the IBM Quantum Experience will make it easier for researchers and the scientific community to accelerate innovations in the quantum field, and help discover new applications for this technology.”
With Moore’s Law running out of steam, quantum computing will be among the technologies that could usher in a new era of innovation across industries. This leap forward in computing could lead to the discovery of new pharmaceutical drugs and completely safeguard cloud computing systems. It could also unlock new facets of artificial intelligence (which could lead to future, more powerful Watson technologies), develop new materials science to transform industries, and search large volumes of big data.
Senior Member
Posts: 2843
Joined: 2009-09-15
I want to run Cinebench R15 on it. Or x265 2x Overkill mode!

Senior Member
Posts: 789
Joined: 2006-02-20
and yet still no cure for cancer.
Senior Member
Posts: 2843
Joined: 2009-09-15
I'm sure there is a cure for cancer but if they release it, we will live a lot longer and we will over-populate this planet and we will exhaust all natural resources before we are able to travel in outer space to colonize other planets.
Senior Member
Posts: 11808
Joined: 2012-07-20
Over-population is not problem. Global warming is not a problem. Natural resources? Not a problem, we do not mine deep, we currently can only scratch surface.
Problem is toxicity. We are polluting everything. We may suffocate even if current human and animal population got reduced to 1/2 as current approximation has plankton in ocean to be source of 50~85% of oxygen.
Senior Member
Posts: 3929
Joined: 2014-12-09
Graphene and quantum computer could make the Technological singularity arrive sooner than expected. (at least in secret labs...).
Interesting article (2 years old) on Moore's Law, Graphene, Quantum computing and IBM:
IBM invests $3bn in graphene semiconductor research
It seems IBM has something to show from that 3 Billion investment.