IEEE Spectrum: This morning, IBM announced it was making a five-qubit quantum processor available online for anyone to use. Jay Gambetta, manager of IBM's Theory of Quantum Computing and Information Group, says the project's goal is to get people thinking about how a quantum computer works. Toward that end, the IBM Quantum Experience includes tutorials and a visual programming interface; no knowledge of a particular programming language is required. Users will be able to learn about various algorithms and run actual operations on the quantum system. However, a classical simulation of this particular system is actually faster. The project expects to have the processor available 24/7, with intermittent downtime for maintenance.
