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Large Scale Energy Efficient Sensor Network Routing Using a Quantum Processor Unit
Published on: September 8, 2023
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Evidence for the utility of quantum computing before fault tolerance.
Youngseok Kim1, Andrew Eddins2, Sajant Anand3
1IBM Quantum, IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY, USA. youngseok.kim1@ibm.com.
Nature
|June 14, 2023
Summary
This study shows that noisy quantum computers can accurately measure values beyond classical limits. This demonstrates the practical utility of quantum computing even before fault-tolerant systems are available.
Area of Science:
- Quantum Computing
- Superconducting Processors
- Noise Characterization
Background:
- Quantum computing offers significant speed-ups but is hindered by noise.
- Fault-tolerant quantum circuits are the ideal solution but are not yet feasible.
- Current quantum processors operate in a noisy, pre-fault-tolerant era.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate the utility of current noisy quantum processors.
- To measure accurate expectation values at a scale exceeding classical computation.
- To provide evidence for near-term quantum applications.
Main Methods:
- Experiments on a 127-qubit superconducting processor.
- Characterization and manipulation of noise.
- Comparison with exactly verifiable circuits and classical tensor network methods (MPS, isoTNS).
Main Results:
- Accurate expectation values were measured for circuit volumes beyond classical brute-force computation.
- Quantum computer results were correct in strongly entangled regimes where classical methods failed.
- Demonstrated utility of quantum computing in the pre-fault-tolerant era.
Conclusions:
- Advances in coherence, calibration, and noise control enable large-scale quantum experiments.
- Noisy quantum processors can provide valuable results surpassing classical approximations.
- This work establishes a foundational tool for near-term quantum applications.
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