IBM and Cisco Systems plan to link quantum computers over long distances to demonstrate the concept by the end of 2030, a move that could pave the way for a quantum internet. But executives from both companies have warned that such networks will require technologies that do not yet exist and will have to be developed in collaboration with universities and government laboratories.
IBM and Cisco Systems plan to link quantum computers over long distances to demonstrate the concept by the end of 2030, a move that could pave the way for a quantum internet. But executives from both companies have warned that such networks will require technologies that do not yet exist and will have to be developed in collaboration with universities and government laboratories.
Quantum computers promise to solve problems in physics, chemistry and computer security that would take traditional computers thousands of years to solve. But they can be prone to errors, and building a reliable prototype is a challenge that IBM, Google and other companies are trying to overcome. IBM aims to have a working machine up and running by 2029, and Cisco this year opened a lab to research methods for connecting quantum machines, Reuters reports .
But the challenge begins with a problem: IBM's quantum computers are housed in huge cryogenic facilities, where the temperature is so low that atoms almost stop moving. To extract data from them, IBM must figure out how to convert information from stationary "qubits" — the basic units of quantum information — into "flying" qubits that can be transmitted by microwaves.
These flying microwave qubits will need to be converted into optical signals that can be transmitted between Cisco switches over fiber-optic cables. The Center for Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems, led by Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory near Chicago, will be involved in developing the technology for this conversion—a so-called microwave-to-optic converter.
In parallel, Cisco and IBM plan to release open software that will connect all parts of the future network.
“We’re looking at this as a holistic system … not two separate roadmaps,” said Vijay Pandey, senior vice president of Cisco Outshift, an innovation incubator. “We’re solving this problem together, which greatly increases the chances of moving in the same direction.”
