Last year was big for quantum computers. Google claimed that it had achieved quantum supremacy, but IBM was skeptical of it. Now, Honeywell claims that it has created the world"s most powerful quantum computer to date.
With a breakthrough in technology after the demonstration of the firm"s charge coupled device (QCCD), the industry giant has announced that by mid-2020, it will be releasing a quantum computer with a quantum volume of at least 64, which is twice that of IBM Q"s System One. Honeywell wrote:
Our quantum computer will be the most powerful available because it will have at least double the quantum volume of alternatives.
Succinctly, the quantum computer will employ ion traps to manipulate and control ions (qubits) by applying electromagnetic fields. This is a more accurate, albeit slower way of manipulating quantum states when compared to superconducting quantum chips. The company also claims to have enabled "if" statements in quantum computers by allowing them to gauge qubits and taking decisions based on their states (via MIT Technology Review).
The Chairman and CEO of Honeywell claimed that “quantum computing will enable us to tackle complex scientific and business challenges, driving step-change improvements in computational power, operating costs and speed.” There is some truth behind the statement, as quantum computers and algorithms mimicking them have already demonstrated promising results in the finance industry.
Honeywell also announced that its quantum computer will be used by J.P. Morgan Chase as both companies are on board to develop new ways for quantum computing to further the practical applications of quantum computers, especially those in the finance industry. Though it is unclear at this point whether J.P Morgan will be employing the upcoming quantum computer.
If you are interested in finding out more, you may study the paper published by the team at Honeywell on arXiv.