Is IBM the NVIDIA of Quantum Computing?

Undoubtedly, NVIDIA has always been at the forefront of AI in terms of providing hardware and software capabilities. However, it seems surprisingly silent on another technological front – quantum computing. Here, IBM has been calling the shots and providing everyone with capabilities, giving other players a run for their money.

According to the latest report of the International Data Corporation (IDC), IBM is the leader in the MarketSpace for quantum computing systems, followed by Rigetti Computing and Quantinuum in the field of major players.

Interestingly, NVIDIA is nowhere to be found in the report.

NVIDIA boss Jensen Huang didn’t seem to mind, and told PURPOSE that it may take two decades more for a quantum computer to become truly useful, or even exist. “It has to be classical and quantum,” Huang said. The algorithms we do today will not run as well on quantum computers as they should on quantum computers. “Old computers are not going away,” and will be part of the future of quantum computing.

How to become a quantum NVIDIA

“We support every quantum computing center in quantum computing,” Huang said. NVIDIA believes it is making great strides in quantum computing. AWS, Oracle, Deloitte, and a few others have used cuQuantum for their servers. The company has accelerated research in quantum computing by using cuQuantum, its CUDA-like SDK designed to accelerate quantum computing research that uses NVIDIA TensorCore GPUs to accelerate the simulation of quantum circuits.

But when it comes to IBM, the company has been following the same path for the past fifty years and has been making big claims when it comes to quantum computing. But claims are taking off slowly for the company. IBM says Boeing, Samsung, Sony, Vodafone, Capgemini, JP Morgan Chase & Co, MIT are members of IBM Quantum real applications.

In 2022, Arvind Krishna, CEO of IBM said that organizations will be able to deliver quantum computers “in the period from 2023 to 2025 time” and the qubit system of 4,000 will be available in 2025. This was likely a strategy in the company’s merger strategy. 3 Kookaburra processors, totaling 4,158 qubits, according to the roadmap.

However, NVIDIA is wedded to the idea of ​​classical computing, as it is the company’s most profitable business at the moment. It has announced several plans and collaborations in recent months such as DGX Quantum – a system that combines GPUs, the most common, and quantum computing.

NVIDIA’s approach is very different from IBM’s quantum-only approach.

What is IBM doing right?

NVIDIA has been in the AI ​​game for the past 30 years, and it’s been a long time since the company has been a leader. In his NTU speech, Huang said that despite many setbacks, the company’s approach has made it where it is today. It made its first GPU in 1999 and then with the release of CUDA in 2007, the company made the same AI computing possible for everyone in the world.

Likewise, IBM began its quantum computing journey in the 1970s and over the past fifty years, the company has continued to invest in quantum research, focusing on the research and design of a full-stack superconducting quantum computer. However, according to IBM’s review of the quantum computing report, the company’s focus is not only on being the best, but also on enabling the entire quantum ecosystem to make way for quantum benefits.

It is clearly seen in IBM’s approach to quantum computing. In 2016, the company took the first step in advancing the quantum computing industry by releasing its 5-qubit system on the IBM Cloud. This was the first time quantum computing hardware was made available for research and experimentation to the public, with the release of Qiskit software, an open source and hardware-agnostic SDK for running quantum computers.

Moving forward, in 2017, IBM decided to release IBM’s Quantum Network which deals with the client to provide quantum computing-as-a-service (QCaaS) to companies, governments, educational institutions, and startups with a complete evaluation of the company. quantum hardware.

NVIDIA’s optimistic approach to AI, and its less optimistic approach to quantum computing, is understandable. NVIDIA is a thorough trotter in quantum, and it’s all about behavior. Taking the example of CUDA, NVIDIA made AI accessible to all, and now it wants to repeat its success in quantum computing.

“Foresight has been computer-accelerated. Foresight made this design exactly the same for everyone. Having the training to remain loyal to that platform generation after generation, we believe that eventually our install base will be so large that we will not only reach, but the applications will therefore be activated. “New applications that were not possible before will find us,” said Huang, in an interview with CNBC.

Now, all NVIDIA has to do is continue in the same direction, while IBM leads the way, breaking the boundaries of making powerful quantum computers – the same way it made the first computer.