IBM Building -459 Fahrenheit Fridge to House World’s Largest Quantum Computer

IBM is designing a massive “super-fridge” with the idea that it could house a record-setting quantum computing system.

Codenamed “Goldeneye,” the fridge will be 10-feet tall and 6-feet wide, according to Jay Gambetta, an IBM fellow and the vice president of IBM Quantum.

Says the executive,

“Our team has designed this behemoth with a million-qubit system in mind — and has already begun fundamental feasibility tests.

Ultimately, we envision a future where quantum interconnects link dilution refrigerators each holding a million qubits like the intranet links supercomputing processors, creating a massively parallel quantum computer capable of changing the world.” 

The emergence of quantum computing machines has grabbed headlines over the past few months as the technology poses a theoretical threat to cryptographic algorithms that keep cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin – as well as the internet at large – safe and secure.

But before quantum computers can actually endanger the security of cryptocurrencies, more quantum information, or qubits, are required.

Gambetta notes that his company released a 65-qubit IBM Quantum Hummingbird processor to IBM Q Network members. IBM plans to release a 127-qubit processor in 2021, a 433-qubit system in 2022, and a 1,121-qubit processor in 2023.

The 2023 processor, titled the Condor, will require the super-fridge, which Digital Trends reports will power a temperature of -459 degrees Fahrenheit.

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