Amazon introduces Ocelot, its first quantum computing chip
The new chip, which is developed by the AWS Center for Quantum Computing at the California Institute of Technology, is part of the company’s broader push to build quantum computers that can solve scientific problems better than conventional computers.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has introduced its first quantum computing chip–called Ocelot–which claims to reduce the costs of implementing quantum error correction by up to 90% compared to current approaches.
Quantum error correction is the process of identifying and fixing mistakes in quantum computations.
The new chip, which is developed by the AWS Center for Quantum Computing at the California Institute of Technology, is part of the company’s broader push to build quantum computers that can solve scientific problems better than conventional computers.
“With the recent advancements in quantum research, it is no longer a matter of if, but when practical, fault-tolerant quantum computers will be available for real-world applications. Ocelot is an important step on that journey,” said Oskar Painter, AWS director of Quantum Hardware.
“In the future, quantum chips built according to the Ocelot architecture could cost as little as one-fifth of current approaches, due to the drastically reduced number of resources required for error correction. Concretely, we believe this will accelerate our timeline to a practical quantum computer by up to five years.”
The launch comes at a time when tech rivals such as Microsoft and Google have introduced their own quantum chips—named Majorana and Willow, respectively.
Quantum computers are computers that use the principles of quantum mechanics to perform calculations in fundamentally different ways. Instead of relying on traditional binary bits (0s and 1s), they use quantum bits, or qubits, as their basic building blocks – which are delicate and prone to errors.
The Seattle, Washington-based firm has integrated error correction directly into Ocelot’s architecture using “cat qubits,” a technology inspired by Schrödinger’s famous thought experiment.
The experiment refers to a cat that is simultaneously alive and dead—a metaphor for the unusual behavior of quantum particles. In simple terms, cat qubits are built to naturally reduce certain types of errors, making the overall process of error correction more efficient.
AWS researchers claim to have managed to integrate cat qubits and additional error-correcting components onto a "scalable microchip" using techniques borrowed from microelectronics manufacturing.
“History shows that important advancements in computing have been made by fundamentally rethinking hardware components, as this can have a significant impact on cost, performance, and even the feasibility of a new technology,” read the company’s blog.
“The computer revolution truly took off when the transistor replaced the vacuum tube, enabling room-sized computers to be shrunk down into today’s compact and much more powerful, reliable, and lower-cost laptops. Choosing the right building block to scale is critical, and today’s announcement represents an important step in developing efficient means to scaling up to practical, fault-tolerant quantum computers,” it added.
Edited by Jyoti Narayan