IBM plans to join Fermilab’s Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems (SQMS) Center, a DOE National Quantum Information Science Research Center, to accelerate the development of superconducting quantum systems and expand quantum workforce development programs. The partnership has been approved by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. SQMS is a leading national and international research center focused on superconducting quantum systems, with IBM contributing its expertise in superconducting quantum computing technology.
The partnership will focus on five critical areas: large-scale cryogenics, superconducting qubit noise sources, quantum interconnects, quantum computing applications for fundamental physics, and workforce development. IBM will collaborate with SQMS to develop large-scale cryogenic systems, including the world’s largest dilution refrigerator, Colossus, and to explore high-density quantum interconnects and noise reduction in qubits. This effort will include developing a large-scale cooling system based on liquid He/N2 plants for future large-scale commercial quantum computing systems.
The collaboration also aims to advance quantum computing applications in condensed matter and high-energy physics. IBM and SQMS partners will work on simulations of quantum many-body dynamics and lattice quantum field theories, leveraging IBM’s utility-scale processors. This effort is expected to contribute significantly to the understanding and development of practical quantum computing applications.
Additionally, the partnership will strengthen national quantum workforce development programs. SQMS has established several successful programs, and IBM’s robust quantum education initiatives will support these efforts, attracting and training the next generation of quantum professionals. The formal start of the collaboration is pending final approval of a legal agreement between IBM and Fermi Research Alliance, LLC.
For additional information, refer to the press release provided by IBM and Fermilab that can be accessed here.
July 18, 2024