Quantum computers just got a 1,000-times-faster boost. Here's how

Researchers in Sweden have found a way to speed up a key class of quantum operations, potentially helping computers avoid errors.

In Short

• Quantum computers face errors due to extreme sensitivity
• Chalmers University developed a method to speed up quantum operations 1000 times
• Faster operations may help build reliable, fault-tolerant quantum machines

Quantum computers could transform fields ranging from drug discovery and energy systems to artificial intelligence and cryptography. But one major obstacle stands in the way; their extreme sensitivity to errors.

Now, researchers at Sweden’s Chalmers University of Technology have developed a method that could make a wide range of quantum operations more than 1,000 times faster, potentially reducing the time during which errors can occur.

The study, published in Physical Review Letters, could help move quantum computers closer to becoming reliable, fault-tolerant machines.

WHY QUANTUM COMPUTERS ARE SENSITIVE

Quantum computers use qubits to process information. Unlike the bits in conventional computers, qubits are highly sensitive to their surroundings.

Electrical noise, cosmic radiation and overheating can disturb their delicate quantum states and cause information to be lost.

"The fundamental building blocks of quantum computers, known as qubits, are so sensitive that even the smallest disturbance can cause the quantum state to deviate from the target, resulting in the loss of information," said Lei Du, the lead author of the study. "If too many errors accumulate before they can be corrected, the computation can fail."

Researchers are therefore exploring ways to protect quantum information from such errors.

FASTER WAY TO PROTECT QUANTUM COMPUTERS

The Chalmers team focused on bosonic quantum codes.

Instead of storing quantum information directly in individual qubits, which are the basic building blocks of quantum computers, these codes store it in microwave signals inside superconducting circuits.

These are tiny electrical circuits that are cooled to extremely low temperatures. This approach can help protect the information from certain types of errors.

But working with these states has traditionally been slow.

Previous methods required quantum systems to go through thousands of repeated driving cycles, creating more opportunities for disturbances to corrupt the information.

The new approach uses quantum lattice gates, which allow the operations to be completed in a single driving cycle.

"Our method shows that a diverse range of quantum operations on bosonic states can be completed within a single driving cycle, rather than the several thousand cycles that have been required previously," said Du. "This makes the operations both faster and more efficient.

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