Rosatom Develops 20-Qubit Quantum Computer, but Doesn't Yet Know Its Application

Rosatom, as part of the quantum computing roadmap, has developed a 20-qubit quantum computer (qubit - information in a quantum computer - editor's note www1.ru) on an ion platform. It surpasses the 25-qubit computer on an atomic platform in terms of operation quality, said Ruslan Yunusov, advisor to the corporation's CEO.

According to him, computer performance is much more important than the number of qubits. Currently, scientists are only developing approaches to assessing the effectiveness of such computing technology. For example, IBM has proposed evaluating computers by quantum volume - the combination of the quantity and quality of qubits.

A Rosatom representative admitted that the field of application of quantum computers has not yet been studied.

It is expected that such computers will be able to solve logistical problems, model molecules - perform calculations where there are many different options. Rosatom is already testing quantum algorithms in tasks for developing new types of reactors and batteries, Yunusov summarized.

In the summer of 2023, at the Forum of Future Technologies in Moscow, President Vladimir Putin was presented with the most powerful 16-qubit quantum computer at that time. An algorithm for calculating a simple molecule was launched on it. According to experts, in 2024-2025, quantum computers based on 1000 qubits will appear in Russia. Users will have access to them through a cloud service.