AWS launches new quantum computing chip "Ocelot" based on cat qubit design, with scalable architecture to reduce error correction by up to 90%
AWS announced the launch of its new quantum computing chip, "Ocelot," emphasizing that it can reduce computing costs by up to 90% compared to current quantum error correction methods. Developed by the AWS Quantum Computing Center at Caltech, the chip is touted by AWS as a significant breakthrough in building fault-tolerant quantum computers, capable of solving major commercial and scientific problems that current conventional computers cannot handle. In the Ocelot architecture, AWS employs a novel design, incorporating error correction from the outset and using cat qubits, named after the famous "Schrödinger's cat" thought experiment, to suppress certain forms of error, thereby reducing the resources required for quantum error correction and achieving the goal of lower computing costs. Furthermore, AWS researchers have drawn on process design techniques from the microelectronics industry, successfully integrating cat qubit technology and other quantum error correction components onto a scalable microchip for the first time. Oskar Painter, head of the Quantum Hardware division at AWS, stated, "With recent advancements in quantum research, the question of whether practical fault-tolerant quantum computers will become a reality is no longer 'if,' but 'when.' Ocelot is a significant step towards this goal. In the future, quantum chips designed with the Ocelot architecture will require significantly less error correction resources, reducing their cost to one-fifth of current methods. We believe this will accelerate the arrival of practical quantum computers, potentially by up to five years."