IBM makes major leap in quantum computing error-detection

IBM researchers have developed a system that improves error-detection in quantum computing, a major obstacle to its advancement. Quantum computers are highly sensitive to noise and prone to errors in their qubits. Unlike standard computer bits, qubits cannot be cloned without introducing errors. The researchers have developed an improved code and redesigned qubit placement that reduces the number of physical qubits needed for error-correction by one-tenth. While the approach currently only works on quantum memory and not computational power, it is seen as a step towards fault-tolerant quantum computing.