New ion-trap quantum computer

© IonQ.

On Thursday, the startup IonQ  announced that the next generation of its ion-trap quantum computer was ready for use. The new machine marks a major jump for the company, going from 11 qubits up to 32. While this still trails the offerings of companies that are using superconducting qubits, the high fidelity of the trapped ions makes them far less prone to errors and far easier to link into complex configurations. Perhaps more significantly, IonQ's CEO told Ars Technica that it expects to be able to double the number of qubits every eight months for the next few years, meaning its hardware should consistently outperform classical supercomputers within two years.

⇨ Ars Technica, John Timmer , “Trapped-ion quantum computer sets new mark for quantum volume.”