How do we define the capability of a classical computer? Transistors.
How do we define the capability of a quantum computer? TBD.
IBM introduced Quantum Volume as a metric for quantum computers. Quantum Volume is a measure of the effective number of qubits a processor has.
IonQ disagrees. In 2020, IonQ released its roadmap, introducing a new metric that supposedly possesses the capability to network smaller quantum systems together: Algorithmic Qubits (AQ).
Algorithmic Qubits are defined as the largest number of effectively perfect qubits you can deploy for a typical quantum program. It's a similar idea to Quantum Volume but takes error correction into account and has a clear, direct relationship to qubit count.
AQ is generally smaller than the number of physical qubits. Hence, one should ignore vendors (and by extension, their roadmaps) that describe their systems purely by the number of physical qubits.
A 72 qubit chip and a million qubit chip with 95% fidelity gates both have a QV of 8 and an AQ of 3. With that fidelity, only three qubits can be used for calculation, no matter the number of physical qubits.
Peter Chappman, CEO of IonQ (2020)
IonQ has been making strides on its metric. On February 23, IonQ marked the achievement of 20 algorithmic qubits.
IonQ just went through an IPO in October, so they’re making significant process.
Our Take
Although many critics and researchers disagree on whether qubits measured under AQ or QV will do better in the future, this breakthrough puts IonQ in the position to create the world’s most powerful quantum computer.
Then again, it can be speculative. If you haven’t noticed, we’re seeing quantum breakthroughs every week if not every other day, so we will definitely see updated progress on IonQ’s roadmap soon.
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📈 Quantum Stock Market Watch
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Fact of the Week
The Eiffel Tower gets up to 15 cm taller during the summer