Researchers from IBM and the University of Chicago have completed a quantum computation in 15 minutes that would take leading classical supercomputers an impractical amount of time to simulate.
Published in "Sampling hard circuits with verifiably high fidelity," the experiment crosses a major milestone by proving quantum advantage alongside a reliable way to verify the output.
- Solving the Verification Trap: Random circuit sampling (RCS) tests if quantum devices beat classical ones, but checking the answers becomes nearly impossible once calculations get too hard. The team created a structured alternative that keeps the problem classically hard while enabling error detection to verify accuracy.
- 70 Logical Qubits: Using quantum error correction, the system operated 70 error-protected "logical" qubits, executing 2,415 logical two-qubit operations and 468 logical T gates.
- 10x Lower Error Rates: The custom circuit design reduced logical error rates tenfold compared to physical error rates, maintaining high fidelity throughout the run.
- A New Benchmark: Beyond raw speed, this experiment proves quantum systems can deliver verifiable, trustworthy results as they scale up to solve complex real-world problems.
Source: Science Daily
