In a heated race to build the most advanced computers, IBM (IBM) on Tuesday announced a new quantum computer, using technology that has the potential to dramatically advance scientific research and business.
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Quantum computers are at the cutting edge of technology. They possess the potential to perform tasks that the most powerful supercomputers can't handle. Companies developing quantum computing technology include Alphabet (GOOGL), Intel (INTC) and Microsoft (MSFT). The technology is still in its infancy but is progressing fast as governments, institutions, universities and businesses have made it a high priority.
Quantum computing operates in the bizarre and counterintuitive world of quantum mechanics, where subatomic particles like electrons and photons can seemingly exist in multiple states. They operate enormously fast and radically different from current computers but are also highly unstable.
The quantum computer introduced by IBM, called IBM Q System One, was unveiled at CES 19, the consumer electronics show currently underway in Las Vegas.
"IBM Q systems are designed to one day tackle problems that are currently seen as too complex and exponential in nature for classical systems to handle," the company said in the announcement. It's the latest of several quantum computers IBM has introduced. IBM said it's "the world's first integrated quantum computing system for commercial use."
Computers, since they were first invented, process data in a linear sequence. Data is encoded into binary digits of one or zero. But a quantum bit, or "qubit," can represent ones and zeros simultaneously. Qubits can exist in two states at once, enabling multiple computations to be handled at the same time. In theory, quantum computers will outperform the most powerful supercomputers on the market today by a wide margin. They are built to operate near subzero temperatures.
Applications For Quantum Computers
Future applications of quantum computing include finding new ways to model financial data to make better investments. In the long term, quantum computers are expected to transform drug manufacturing and make artificial intelligence more powerful. They'll also lower manufacturing costs, provide better weather modeling and lower energy costs, among other things. But achieving some of those goals could be years or decades away.
As IBM has done with previous quantum computers, the system is not for sale but can be accessed for free to qualified users through IBM's cloud-based Q Experience platform.
Since May 2016, IBM says more than 100,000 users have run more than 6.7 million experiments on its quantum computers. They have published more than 130 research papers.
IBM also announced plans this year to open its first IBM Q Quantum Computation Center for commercial clients. It will be in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The center will house some of the world's most advanced cloud-based quantum computing systems, IBM said.
IBM stock rose 1.4% to close at 119.83 on the stock market today.
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