So a lot seems to be happening at CES 2019 – from intelligent toilets to body-powered watches to walking cars to rollaway TVs and other spectacular gadgets. And this announcement from IBM is here to make quantum computing only better. IBM has launched the “first fully-integrated commercial quantum computer,” called the Q System One.

It enables universal approximate superconducting quantum computers to operate beyond the confines of the research lab for the first time, according to the company.

Design
This elegant piece of engineering comprises a nine-foot-tall, nine-foot-wide case of half-inch thick borosilicate glass forming a sealed, airtight enclosure. Its glass door is said to open effortlessly, simplifying the system’s maintenance and upgrade process while minimizing downtime.

A series of independent aluminum and steel frames unify, but also decouple the system’s cryostat, control electronics, and exterior casing, helping to isolate the system components for improved performance.

For mechanical testing, the team assembled the system at Goppion’s headquarters in Milan over the course of two weeks in the summer of 2018.

IBM Q System One includes a number of custom components: Quantum hardware designed to be stable and auto-calibrated to give repeatable and predictable high-quality qubits; Cryogenic engineering that delivers a continuous cold and isolated quantum environment; High precision electronics in compact form factors to tightly control large numbers of qubits; Quantum firmware to manage the system health and enable system upgrades without downtime for users; and Classical computation to provide secure cloud access and hybrid execution of quantum algorithms.

IBM Q Quantum Computation Center
IBM also revealed plans to open the IBM Q Quantum Computation Center later this year.

Located in Poughkeepsie, New York, the center would help expand IBM’s commercial quantum computing program. It currently includes systems at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown, New York.

Let’s hope the technology soon brings a perceptible impact to our everyday life…