IBM, Oak Ridge National Lab, and AMD Launch Quantum-Classical Co-Design Platform for Advanced Quantum Error Correction

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IBM, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and AMD have introduced a new co-design platform integrating IBM's 120-qubit Quantum Nighthawk processor with ORNL’s AMD-powered Umbra HPC system to accelerate quantum error correction research, aiming for fault-tolerant quantum computing by 2028.

IBM, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and AMD have unveiled a novel co-design platform that tightly integrates quantum computing with classical high-performance computing to advance quantum error correction, a critical step toward practical, reliable quantum computers. This collaborative effort aligns with the U.S. Department of Energy's Quantum Genesis Mission, which seeks to realize a scientifically relevant quantum computer by 2028.

The platform co-locates IBM’s state-of-the-art IBM Quantum Nighthawk processor, featuring 120 programmable qubits—the company's largest quantum processor to date—with ORNL's Umbra high-performance computing system. Umbra is powered by AMD Instinct MI355X GPUs and 5th Gen AMD EPYC CPUs, providing the classical computing infrastructure necessary to support error correction research via decoding optimization and software orchestration.

Quantum error correction is essential for overcoming the susceptibility of quantum information to noise and errors, enabling quantum systems to perform complex and meaningful computations reliably. Previous advances have demonstrated error correction techniques protecting quantum information and achieving quantum advantage over classical methods, but scaling these techniques critically depends on seamless quantum-classical integration, which this new platform facilitates.

The IBM Quantum Nighthawk processor incorporates advanced features such as a square lattice connectivity layout and independent high-speed qubit reset capabilities, allowing it to execute over 100,000 circuits per second—25 times faster than its predecessor, IBM Quantum Heron. These attributes enable more accurate, large-scale quantum computations involving circuits with thousands of gates, crucial for testing error correction protocols.

By leveraging this integration, researchers can explore concatenated codes, space-time codes, algorithm-aware decoders, and hardware-aware circuit optimizations within a unified quantum-classical stack. This approach also integrates with ORNL's Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility, fostering a holistic development of quantum, artificial intelligence, and high-performance computing technologies.

IBM’s ongoing progress, including demonstrations with up to 70 logical qubits and over 400 hard operations, underscores the need for approximately a 230-fold increase in hard operation count to meet DOE's 2028 target of 100 logical qubits running 100,000 hard operations. The platform’s classical computing resources, alongside quantum hardware, are expected to accelerate this scaling process.

The collaboration builds on existing partnerships among IBM, ORNL, and AMD, including joint research in quantum-classical simulations and efficient quantum error decoding algorithms for AMD GPUs. The new platform represents a strategic step toward IBM's future IBM Quantum Starling fault-tolerant quantum computer and the emergence of hybrid supercomputing architectures melding quantum and classical processing.

With this launch, IBM, ORNL, and AMD position themselves at the forefront of quantum computing research, contributing vital tools and infrastructure to the pursuit of scalable, fault-tolerant quantum machines that can address complex scientific challenges beyond classical reach.

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