Researchers Simulate 70-Qubit Experiment In 37.3 Minutes

Hidetaka Manabe of the Singapore University of Technology and Design and colleagues have, for the first time, classically simulated IBM’s 70-qubit doped Clifford random circuit sampling experiment using a deterministic tensor network approach. Previously, simulating such a complex quantum circuit required substantial computational resources, but the team completed all 2051 amplitude batches in 37.3 minutes using 32 nodes. The largest intermediate tensor required only 235 complex64 entries, a times smaller than IBM’s initial estimation.

A more efficient classical simulation technique for complex quantum computations has been achieved, successfully modelling IBM’s 70-qubit experiment. This method required considerably fewer computational resources than previously thought, completing the simulation in under an hour using 32 processing nodes. The advance provides a key verification tool for quantum computer outputs and enables the design of future quantum experiments by offering a means to quantitatively assess their complexity.

The team achieved an advancement in simulating complex quantum computations by successfully modelling IBM’s 70-qubit experiment with a new classical approach. They employed a tensor network technique, which can be visualised as a flow chart representing the quantum calculation as a network of interconnected nodes, allowing for a more efficient organisation of the data and calculations. This work provides a valuable set of tools for verifying the outputs of actual quantum computers and designing future experiments.