The branch of physics that governs the smallest particles exists at a realm seemingly beyond human comprehension — even Albert Einstein struggled to comprehend some of its profoundly “spooky” implications. You might know everything about a particle, and it will still behave randomly. You might have a pair of particles that you’d expect to act completely randomly on their own, and yet paired together, even if you separate them over large distances, their behavior is utterly predicable.
And yet, somehow, research laboratories and companies worldwide have managed to tame systems that act in this strange “quantum” realm. They’ve developed artificial atoms, or have learned to control the properties of real atoms, to a level that you can anyone can manipulate these devices with electric pulses remotely via your own computer over the cloud. Every new quantum computer they build is the most advanced test of the laws of quantum mechanics ever devised.
Isn't that amazing?
Folks who don't have much experience with these devices often ask us “what does a quantum computer do” or “does your new quantum computer beat a classical computer yet?” Typically, we answer these questions with hypotheticals: One day, a quantum computer might be able to aid in drug development by simulating molecules faster than a classical computers can, or it may speed up web searches via algorithms that can only run using this quantum architecture. Quantum communications might allow us to send completely unhackable data, while quantum sensors might allow us to create the best images of space possible.
But again, these are all hypotheticals and not really what quantum physicists think about—they think about how to continue pushing this hardware beyond what they thought was possible, and how to control and manipulate the quantum states of their devices for longer periods of time before the atoms begin to act on their own accord due to accidental interactions with other atoms. We've achieved milestones that demonstrate a level of complexity of these devices and how well we can control them, but quantum technology is still in the early stages. We may still be decades away from a quantum computers doing something useful that a classical computer cannot do.
We recognize that quantum technology is still new, and many of us aren’t in this field because we envision a future where gaming computers run quantum processors to procedurally generate levels (although some of us are). Many of us are simply amazed by the fact that humans have managed to exert this much control over nature. After all, every new quantum computer that you hear about isn’t just a cool science experiment — it’s the most advanced demonstration of the laws of quantum mechanics ever developed. And in many cases, you can run tests on those devices
.
That’s why we’re starting The Quantum Aviary — a blog and community for folks who are simply excited about quantum hardware, who want to learn more about what it takes to build quantum technology or about the latest advances in quantum devices. Check back here periodically for updates, and we’ll keep you updated on our progress on Twitter. We’ll plan on writing layperson summaries of exciting new papers, drafting other writers to provide commentary on the state of quantum hardware, and even sharing insider information on the world of quantum technology.
Who are we? Well, we’re a few folks on the IBM Quantum and Qiskit team who are just really excited about quantum hardware. We can’t promise that we’ll be unbiased, but we’ll try to include outside voices and contributors where we can so you don’t feel like you’re simply reading press releases. Mainly, we just want to show you why we’re excited about quantum hardware, talk to other folks who are interested in quantum hardware, and help tell a story around quantum computing that isn’t loaded with the hype that seems to saturate quantum press (our own press included).
Why “The Quantum Aviary?” A lot of reasons. At IBM (where we work) each family of processors receives a bird name, like “falcon,” “hummingbird,” and soon, “eagle.” But also, you can think of the story of quantum technology as one of a weird, colorful world of strange devices evolving and taking flight. Also, several people on the IBM staff really like birds.
So, if you’re as excited about quantum hardware as we are, join us on this journey!