Intel reveals their first 49-qubit quantum computing chip

Intel has been taking steps into the world of quantum computing, showing their latest 49-qubit superconducting quantum chip at CES 2018. This chip has been showcased less than three months after the reveal of Intel’s 17-qubit chip, showcasing a rapid leap for Intel in the field.  

This new chip is called “Tangle Lake”, named after a chain of lakes in Alaska, acting as both a nod to the extremely cold temperatures required to run superconductors and the entangled states that quantum bits (qubits) need to function.  

IBM, a competitor to Intel, has been showing off their 50-qubit quantum computer at CES, though at this stage the race towards full Quantum PCs is still in its infancy. Intel’s corporate vice president and managing director of Intel Labs, Mike Mayberry, expects it will take five to seven years before the industry starts tacking engineering-scale problems, with over 1 million qubits being required for something to be seen as “commercially relevant”. 

While Intel’s current chips are based on Superconducting qubits, the company is also researching Spin Qubits, something that can potentially be replicated in silicon and offers the potential to be easier to scale due to their small size when compared to superconducting qubits. Spin Qubits require quantum control of electrons and the nuclear spin of a single atom, which itself requires an insane level of precision. 

Intel has been taking steps into the world of quantum computing, showing their latest 49-qubit superconducting quantum chip at CES 2018. This chip has been showcased less than three months after the reveal of Intel’s 17-qubit chip, showcasing a rapid leap for Intel in the field.  

This new chip is called “Tangle Lake”, named after a chain of lakes in Alaska, acting as both a nod to the extremely cold temperatures required to run superconductors and the entangled states that quantum bits (qubits) need to function.  

IBM, a competitor to Intel, has been showing off their 50-qubit quantum computer at CES, though at this stage the race towards full Quantum PCs is still in its infancy. Intel’s corporate vice president and managing director of Intel Labs, Mike Mayberry, expects it will take five to seven years before the industry starts tacking engineering-scale problems, with over 1 million qubits being required for something to be seen as “commercially relevant”. 

While Intel’s current chips are based on Superconducting qubits, the company is also researching Spin Qubits, something that can potentially be replicated in silicon and offers the potential to be easier to scale due to their small size when compared to superconducting qubits. Spin Qubits require quantum control of electrons and the nuclear spin of a single atom, which itself requires an insane level of precision.