IBM Corp. and Google LLC have pledged $150 million to support two universities’ quantum computing research efforts.

The recipients are the University of Chicago and the University of Tokyo, the Wall Street Journal reported today. Besides financial resources, researchers will also receive access to quantum computing hardware from Google.

Today’s quantum computers are capable of carrying out only simple calculations. However, it’s believed that future machines with more qubits could tackle processing tasks too complex for even the world’s fastest conventional supercomputers. The technology is expected to unlock new research advances in areas such as materials science and logistics.

IBM and Google are both developing quantum computing chips. By funding quantum computing projects at universities, the companies will support research that could make the technology easier to commercialize.

According to the Journal, IBM will contribute $100 million to research projects at the University of Chicago and the University of Tokyo. Google, in turn, is contributing $50 million. The search giant also intends to provide scientists with access to its quantum computing hardware.

Google has publicly detailed several of its internally developed quantum chips. Most recently, it introduced a 53-qubit chip called Sycamore in 2018. According to Google, Sycamore has demonstrated the ability to perform a calculation involving random numbers faster than a 200-petaflop supercomputer.

IBM has also developed a series of quantum chips. Its newest processor, Osprey, debuted last November and features 433 qubits. IBM has stated that it plans to develop chips with significantly more qubits in the future, a goal Google is pursuing as well.

Both companies’ chips are based on a processing approach called superconducting quantum computing. Chips based on that approach carry out calculations using qubits made of superconducting materials.

Such materials enable electricity to travel from one point to another in a chip without generating heat, which eases processor design. Quantum processors are highly susceptible to errors and even a slight increase in temperature can cause a malfunction. By reducing heat, superconducting qubits can increase the reliability of calculations.

Given their focus on superconducting quantum chips, IBM and Google may prioritize this area as part of their newly announced $150 million research initiative. Topological quantum computing may emerge as another focus. It’s an emerging approach to building qubits that both companies have exploited in recent years.

Topological quantum computing seeks to carry out calculations with quasiparticles called non-Abelian anyons. A quasiparticle is a physical phenomenon that shares certain similarities with particles, such as electrons and atoms, but isn’t a particle. It’s believed topological quantum chips could be less prone to calculation errors than current hardware.

Earlier this month, Google announced that its research into non-Abelian anyons has reached an important milestone. Earlier, IBM researchers published multiple papers about the topic.

According to the Journal, the companies’ new $150 million initiative seeks to not only advance research but also train a new generation of quantum experts. The companies hope to train physicists as well as scientists in adjacent fields where quantum chips could one day help facilitate new discoveries. 

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