How to test a quantum computer chip
Join IBM Quantum's Jerry Chow and Daniela Bogorin on a tour of IBM Quantum's characterization lab, which tests quantum chips before they're deployed in IBM systems.
There is a lab, deep within IBM Research’s headquarters in Yorktown Heights, New York, that’s testing some of the most advanced quantum computing hardware in the world. It’s locked away behind retina scanners and special ID access. Inside, researchers are working on one major question: Once you’ve built a brand-new quantum computer chip, how do you test to see whether it works as intended?
Quantum computing is an altogether new computing paradigm, one involving quantum processing units (QPUs) comprised of quantum chips that must be cooled down to almost absolute zero to run. IBM runs its quantum chips through a barrage of tests to make sure they're ready be deployed. Every quantum chip designed and built by IBM that ends up in our systems — whether they’re for our own quantum data centers, or our partners around the world — comes through our IBM Quantum characterization lab for testing.
Jerry Chow, IBM Fellow and Director of Quantum Systems, recently took us through the lab, where our quantum chips, like Eagle and Heron, along with the systems that power them, are tested before deployment. Chow ran us through the evolution of the underlying technology that allows researchers on his team to accurately test and scale quantum processor performance.
During our visit, we also met IBM Quantum researcher Daniela Bogorin, who showed us the dilution refrigerator that houses quantum chips during testing, while the team checks metrics like qubit frequency, qubit coherence, and coupler tuning to ensure each new processor is performing as expected. Researchers use dilution refrigerators to cool superconducting quantum chips down to the ultra-cold temperatures they require for operation. The fridge holds quantum chips at a temperature of just 15 millikelvin, considerably colder than the vacuum of space.
Once these chips have passed Bogorin and team’s test, they can be sent to the system they’ll be installed in, or something new is learned and the team can iterate from there. Join us for a look inside the lab to see just what it’s like to test a cutting-edge quantum system.