Amazon Web Services (AWS) Announces Ocelot, Its First Quantum Computing Chip

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced its first quantum computing chip, Ocelot. The announcement puts Amazon in line with cloud giants Microsoft and Google, which have unveiled their quantum chips, Majorana and Willow, respectively, in recent months.

The company has long been investing in the development of quantum technologies. Back in 2019, AWS launched Braket, a quantum computing-as-a-service service, in collaboration with companies such as QuEra and Rigetti.

Quantum computing is based on the principles of quantum mechanics and uses qubits (quantum bits) to perform complex calculations an order of magnitude faster than traditional computers. The technology has enormous potential in areas such as drug development, cryptography, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence.

One of the key challenges of quantum computing remains the high probability of errors. Creating chips that can minimize these errors is an important step for further development of the technology.

“With recent advances in quantum research, the question is no longer whether fault-tolerant quantum computers will be available for real-world applications, but when.”

Oscar Painter, Director of Quantum Hardware, AWS

Ocelot was developed in collaboration with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The chip consists of two small silicon chips stacked on top of each other. Amazon says the design reduces error correction costs by up to 90%.