IBM researchers link quantum chips with high accuracy
An IBM team successfully connected two quantum chips with 99% accuracy using new couplers.
Researchers linked two large chips together using four special aluminum connectors designed for long distances. This setup allows fragile quantum information to travel between separate modules without losing data quality.
The team achieved an average transfer accuracy of 99% while peaking at 99.29% during tests. This multi-channel approach is more practical than packing more qubits onto a single microchip today. Such machines will need many identical connections between modules to work effectively.
These cables lost very little energy and stayed operational through three cycles of warming and cooling. The system could also send entanglement signals between the chips, proving the technology is viable for scaling. This marks the first time scientists showed a multi-channel link between large superconducting processors.
IBM plans to install these qubits inside fridge-like cryogenic systems that keep them at ultra-cold temperatures. The ultimate goal connects hundreds of chips together to deliver a fault-tolerant computer by 2029. Researchers say this successful connection signals a leap forward for that direction.
“These four high-fidelity L-couplers establish a practical path to scalable quantum interconnects for modular quantum computing”