IBM unveiled the largest quantum bit count (433 qubits) of its quantum computers to date, named Osprey, at this week’s IBM Quantum Summit. The company also introduced its latest modular quantum computing system.

"The new 433 qubit 'Osprey' processor brings us a step closer to the point where quantum computers will be used to tackle previously unsolvable problems," IBM SVP Darío Gil said in a statement.

The IBM Osprey more than tripled the qubit count of its predecessor — the 127-qubit Eagle processor, launched in 2021. “Like Eagle, Osprey includes multi-level wiring to provide flexibility for signal routing and device layout, while also adding in integrated filtering to reduce noise and improve stability,” Jay Gambetta, VP of IBM Quantum wrote in a blog post.

The company claims Osprey is more powerful to run complex computations and the number of classical bits needed to represent a state on this latest processor far exceeds the total number of atoms in the known universe.

Gambetta noted IBM has been following along its quantum technology development roadmap. The company put its first quantum computer on the cloud in 2016 and aims to launch its first 1000-plus qubit quantum processor (Condor) next year and a 4000-plus qubit processor around 2025.

At the summit, IBM also announced its plan to release its new IBM Quantum System Two by the end of next year.

“IBM Quantum System Two is a modular, extensible system that we foresee as a core building block for the quantum-centric supercomputer,” Gambetta wrote. “System Two is the culmination of our advances into an iconic architecture, representative of the direction we’re taking the quantum age.”

The company touted this system will be a building block for quantum-centric supercomputing. “We also declared 2023 as a major inflection point: we’re ready to begin realizing the quantum-centric supercomputer, a modular computing architecture which enables scaling, combining quantum communication and computation to increase computational capacity, while employing hybrid cloud middleware to seamlessly integrate quantum and classical workflows,” he added.

IBM also announced a partnership with Vodafone to apply its quantum-safe cryptography across the telecom company’s infrastructure.

Photo: IBM's recent quantum processors. Source: IBM.