Quantum Machines Ltd., a startup with a hardware platform that makes quantum computers easier to build and operate, today said its latest Pulse Processor Unit, called “Hadamard,” is now generally available.

The company is the creator of a hardware platform that helps to manage the “qubits” in quantum computers. Traditional servers play an important role in quantum machines, finding the most optimal way to carry out any given calculation that’s performed with qubits to ensure no errors crop up.

Qubits are what make quantum computer so special. Rather than traditional bits, which can store information as a 0 or a 1, qubits store data as a 0, 1 or in both states at the same time. This makes them exponentially more powerful and able to perform calculations in a matter of seconds that would take traditional machines years to do.

Usually enterprises and research labs developing quantum computers have to build their own traditional server from scratch. The task requires not only setting up hardware but also writing a great deal of custom code. Building a qubit orchestration server represents such a significant time investment that it can slow down the pace of quantum computing projects in some cases.

Quantum Machines’ hardware platform for managing qubits spares teams the hassle of building one from scratch. The platform, called Operator-X, runs on a field-programmable gate array chip dubbed the Pulse Processor. A field-programmable gate array is a type of customizable chip that can be optimized for a specific task, in this case managing quantum computers.

Quantum computers direct their qubits to perform calculations with the help of electromagnetic pulses. The pulses are used to encode data into qubits, carry out computations on the data and then read the results. Operator-X can manage the entire process thanks to a set of specialized hardware components included in the chassis.

The company said Hadamard, its latest Pulse Processor, can orchestrate protocols that were not previously possible, in real-time. Through this it’s able to significantly boost runtimes and performance by as much as 5,000 times, Quantum Machines said. These improvements will enable researchers to not only pursue and test more advanced quantum algorithms, but also perform tasks that were previously impossible, such as real-time quantum error correction, ensuring the accuracy of the results of quantum calculations.

Quantum Machines Chief Executive Dr. Itamar Sivan said that in terms of quantum control, there’s no comparison between Hadamard and alternative solutions. He likened the difference to that of a car that’s manually pre-programmed to drive to work, and a fully autonomous vehicle that can go anywhere of its own accord.

“The first will follow the pre-programmed route but will struggle with any unforeseen variables on the road, such as a closed route or obstruction,” he said. “The autonomous vehicle, on the other hand, will use its sensors and navigation system to react to the changes and find the fastest way around the issue.”

Photo: Quantum Machines