AWS Announces New Quantum Chip Ocelot, Reduces Error Correction Costs by 90%

Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced on Thursday a new quantum computing chip called Ocelot. The company claims that compared to current approaches, the chip can reduce the costs of implementing quantum error correction by up to 90%. 

Ocelot was developed by the AWS Centre for Quantum Computing and was based out of the California Institute of Technology. 

“Ocelot represents a breakthrough in the pursuit of building fault-tolerant quantum computers capable of solving problems of commercial and scientific importance that are beyond the reach of today’s conventional computers,” the company said. 

The company uses a novel design for the chip’s architecture using ‘cat qubits’ as an ode to Schrödinger’s thought experiment. 

AWS said cat qubits intrinsically suppress certain errors, reducing the resources required for quantum error correction.

This approach led the researchers at AWS to combine cat qubit technology and additional quantum error correction components into a microchip that can be manufactured for scale. 

Error correction is essential for quantum computing, as these systems are highly sensitive to noise or disruptions. 

AWS addresses this problem by building error correction into the architecture from the ground up, a different approach from others that incorporate error correction after implementing the architecture.

“We selected our qubit and architecture with quantum error correction as the top requirement. We believe that if we’re going to make practical quantum computers, quantum error correction needs to come first,” said Oskar Painter, director of quantum hardware at AWS. 

AWS has also published a technical research report on Nature, outlining the new technology. 

The company revealed that Ocelot is still a prototype and will continue to invest in further research.

Recently, Microsoft announced the Majorana 1 quantum chip, calling it the world’s first quantum chip that uses a new ‘Topological Core’ architecture. It can hold one million qubits on a single chip, slightly larger than desktop computer CPUs.

The chip uses a novel material called a ‘topoconductor’ or topological superconductor to control Majorana particles, leading to more reliable qubits.