Modular Quantum Computing Architectures

Check out the latest from MIT EQuS and Lincoln Laboratory published in @NaturePhysics! In this work, we demonstrate a quantum interconnect using a waveguide to connect two superconducting, multi-qubit modules located in separate microwave packages. We emit and absorb microwave photons on demand and in a chosen direction between these modules using quantum entanglement and quantum interference. To optimize the emission and absorption protocol, we use a reinforcement learning algorithm to shape the photon for maximal absorption efficiency, exceeding 60% in both directions. By halting the emission process halfway through its duration, we generate remote entanglement between modules in the form of a four-qubit W state with concurrence exceeding 60%. This quantum network architecture enables all-to-all connectivity between non-local processors for modular, distributed, and extensible quantum computation. Read the full paper here: https://lnkd.in/eN4MagvU (paywall), view-only link https://rdcu.be/eeuBF, or arXiv https://lnkd.in/ez3Xz7KT. See also the related MIT News article: https://lnkd.in/e_4pv8cs. Congratulations Aziza Almanakly, Beatriz Yankelevich, and all co-authors with the MIT EQuS Group and MIT Lincoln Laboratory! Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT Center for Quantum Engineering, MIT EECS, MIT Department of Physics, MIT School of Engineering, MIT School of Science, Research Laboratory of Electronics at MIT, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, MIT xPRO, Will Oliver

IBM Successfully Links Two Quantum Chips to Operate as a Single Device Key Insights: • IBM has achieved a significant milestone by linking two quantum chips to function as a single, cohesive system, enabling them to perform calculations beyond the capability of either chip independently. • This accomplishment supports IBM’s modular approach to building scalable quantum computers, a strategy aimed at overcoming the limitations of single-chip architectures. • The linked chips demonstrated successful cooperation, marking a step closer to larger and more powerful quantum systems capable of addressing complex real-world problems. The Modular Quantum Computing Approach: • IBM employs superconducting quantum chips, manufactured using processes similar to traditional semiconductor technology, allowing scalability and integration with existing hardware infrastructure. • Modular quantum systems involve linking smaller quantum processors, rather than relying on a single massive chip, reducing fabrication challenges and improving scalability. • This architecture allows multiple chips to share quantum information seamlessly, paving the way for constructing larger quantum systems without exponentially increasing hardware complexity. Addressing Key Challenges in Quantum Computing: • Scalability: Connecting multiple chips is a critical step toward scaling quantum computers to thousands or even millions of qubits. • Error Reduction: Larger quantum systems increase susceptibility to errors. Modular architectures provide pathways for better error management and correction across linked processors. • Coherence Across Chips: Maintaining the delicate quantum states across separate chips is technically challenging, and IBM’s success suggests progress in solving this issue. Implications of IBM’s Achievement: • Enhanced Computational Power: Linked quantum chips unlock the potential for more complex simulations and problem-solving capabilities. • Practical Quantum Applications: Industries like pharmaceuticals, cryptography, and materials science may soon benefit from more robust and scalable quantum computing solutions. • Competitive Advantage: IBM’s progress underscores its leadership in modular quantum computing, positioning it strongly in the competitive quantum technology landscape. Future Outlook: IBM’s successful demonstration of inter-chip quantum communication validates the modular quantum computing strategy as a viable path to scaling up systems. Future advancements will likely focus on enhancing chip-to-chip communication fidelity, increasing the number of interconnected chips, and reducing overall error rates. This breakthrough brings us one step closer to practical, large-scale quantum computing systems capable of solving problems previously deemed unsolvable by classical computers.

Is this the "Attention Is All You Need" moment for Quantum Computing? Oxford University scientists in Nature have demonstrated the first working example of a distributed quantum computing (DQC) architecture. It consists of two modules, two meters apart, which "act as a single, fully connected universal quantum processor." This architecture "provides a scalable approach to fault-tolerant quantum computing". Like how the famous "Attention Is All You Need" paper from Google scientists introduced the Transformer architecture as an alternative to classical neural networks, this paper introduces Quantum gate teleportation (QGT) as an alternative to the direct transfer of quantum information across quantum channels. The benefit? Lossless communication. But not only communication: computation also. This is the first execution of a distributed quantum algorithm (Grover’s search algorithm) comprising several non-local two-qubit gates. The paper contains many pointers to the future, which I am sure will be pored over by other labs, startups and VCs. I am excited to follow developments in: - Quantum repeaters to increase the distance between modules - Removal of channel noise through entanglement purification - Scaling up the number of qubits in the architecture Amid all the AI developments, this may be the most important innovation happening in computing now. https://lnkd.in/e8qwh9zp

You don’t scale to a million qubits by building a bigger fridge. Every dilution refrigerator has physical and operational limits. Thermal cycles take days. Infrastructure costs grow rapidly with qubit count. That’s why modularity isn’t optional—it’s essential. A fault-tolerant quantum computer will require millions of components. Scaling to that level means: • Breaking the system into independently testable modules • Defining performance specs at the component level • Developing high-throughput tools for cryogenic characterization    This isn’t just an engineering challenge—it’s a mega-science endeavor. Like LIGO or CERN, success will depend on modular architectures, subsystem validation, and tight control across interfaces. You can’t scale what you can’t test—and you can’t test at scale without modular design. 📸 Image Credits: Oxford Instruments NanoScience

Researchers at MIT and MITRE have demonstrated a scalable, modular hardware platform that integrates thousands of interconnected qubits onto a customized integrated circuit. This “quantum-system-on-chip” (QSoC) architecture enables the researchers to precisely tune and control a dense array of qubits. Multiple chips could be connected using optical networking to create a large-scale quantum communication network.

𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗔𝗜, 𝗟𝗟𝗠𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗣𝗨𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀! But there’s another technology quietly advancing — one that could make today’s AI systems look primitive: 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗺 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. Last week, IBM revealed its roadmap to build the world’s first large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer — IBM Quantum Starling — targeted for delivery by 2029. This system is designed to perform 100 million quantum operations using 200 logical qubits, scaling far beyond current quantum machines. To represent its quantum state would require **more memory than 10⁴⁸ classical supercomputers combined*. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆’𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀? ⬇️ - Quantum computers use qubits, which can represent multiple states at once — enabling exponential computational power. - They have the potential to transform industries like drug development, materials discovery, and optimization. - At the same time, their power threatens to break current encryption protocols, prompting urgent work on quantum-safe security. - The field is still experimental, requiring extreme conditions like temperatures close to absolute zero — but the trajectory is clear. 𝗜𝗕𝗠’𝘀 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗼𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴: ⬇️ It’s building toward fault-tolerant quantum computing through a stepwise hardware roadmap: 1. Loon (2025) will test new chip components for error correction using quantum LDPC codes — the foundation of scalable quantum computing. 2. Kookaburra (2026) introduces IBM’s first modular quantum processor, combining memory and logic to build systems beyond a single chip. 3.Cockatoo (2027) will entangle multiple Kookaburra modules, connecting chips like nodes in a distributed quantum system. All of this leads to Starling (2029) — IBM’s planned breakthrough system capable of running 100 million quantum operations on 200 logical qubits. These are tightly integrated hardware milestones — solving problems like error correction, interconnects, and scalability — that make large-scale quantum computing actually achievable. 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽 𝘂𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗱𝘀 — 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲.