--- title: "IBM Just Unveiled Its First Commercial Quantum Computer" description: "## Qu-Who?" date: "2019-01-08" modified: "2019-01-08" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/ibm-q-system-one-commercial-quantum-computer" categories: - "Physics" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "ces" - "ibm" - "quantum computer" - "quantum physics" --- # IBM Just Unveiled Its First Commercial Quantum Computer ![IBM has unveiled a sleek, and sexy commercial quantum computer called the IBM Q System One at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.]() *\Image: IBM\* ## Qu-Who? While we're still trying to [figure out]() the possible advantages and applications of quantum computing, IBM has [unveiled]() a sleek commercial quantum computer at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The 20-qubit system, called the [IBM Q System One](), is essentially a nine-foot glass box that houses the components needed to make quantum computations work, including a cooler that keeps the qubits at just above absolute zero, around -460 Fahrenheit. IBM touts the Q as the "world's first fully integrated universal quantum computing system." https://youtu.be/LAA0-vjTaNY Rather than selling the Q System One, IBM is planning to hook it up to the internet, allowing researchers, scientists, and engineers to take advantage of it remotely. The System One isn't the most powerful quantum computer out there. In fact, IBM itself already built a more poweful 50-qubit machine [back in 2017](). ## Q\*Bert A quantum bit — or qubit for short — is the equivalent of the zeros and ones that form a "bit" in a classic binary computing system. The more qubits, the more computations the machine can do at a time. 20 qubits is [not powerful enough]() to replace the big number-crunching computations a traditional data center has to take care of these days. Researchers believe quantum computers would actually [need far more]() to outperform their binary counterparts. But that's not the point. IBM is emphasizing that the Q is mostly a symbolic first step into the world of commercial quantum computing. It could also help researchers find applications for quantum computing in the world of science, and business that could make it actually, you know, useful one day. **READ MORE:** [IBM unveils its first commercial quantum computer]() \[*TechCrunch*\] ***More on quantum computers: [The World’s First Practical Quantum Computer May Be Just Five Years Away]()*** ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()