Ibm and Amd to Work on Quantum-Centric Supercomputing

Posted4 months agoActive4 months ago

donutloop

56 points

32 comments

newsroom.ibm.comNewsstory

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Quantum ComputingSupercomputingBusiness Technology

Key topics

Quantum Computing

Supercomputing

Business Technology

The tech world is abuzz with IBM and AMD's new collaboration on quantum-centric supercomputing, sparking memories of past alliances like the IBM-Motorola-Apple PowerPC partnership. As commenters weigh in, some question IBM's current relevance, with one suggesting they're coasting on legacy software, while others defend their leadership in AI and quantum computing. The discussion reveals a mix of optimism and skepticism about the future value of quantum computing, with some humorously noting its potential impact may be stuck in a superposition between 0 and 1. Amidst the debate, the thread shines a light on the evolving landscape of high-performance computing and the potential for innovative breakthroughs.

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01Story posted
Aug 26, 2025 at 2:53 PM EDT
4 months ago
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Aug 26, 2025 at 3:09 PM EDT
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29 comments in 0-12h
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Sep 3, 2025 at 10:59 AM EDT
4 months ago
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Discussion (32 comments)

Showing 32 comments

orionblastar

4 months ago

1 reply

This reminds me of when IBM, Motorola, and Apple did PowerPC.

beeflet

4 months ago

IBM is still doing POWER. I have one running on my desk

heisgone

4 months ago

4 replies

Is IBM still a serious player? It seems to me they are living out of legacy software. Is there quantum computer stuff promising?

staringback

4 months ago

2 replies

What do you mean? IBM is the world leader of AI development thanks to their cutting edge IBM Watson

stirfish

4 months ago

I can't tell if you're being serious. Watson is... fine. You can try out the granite models for yourself.

heisgone

4 months ago

Watson used to be cool... a decade ago. I used it to evaluate subreddit personallity trait back then:

https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/2r0prh/wha...

wmf

4 months ago

1 reply

IBM really is a leader in quantum computing but it's not yet clear whether that field will ever have real-world value.

gentooflux

4 months ago

1 reply

And if it does, that value will likely fall somewhere between 0 and 1.

bee_rider

4 months ago

I think it’ll be exactly one, or exactly zero. That’s the quantum part, right?

esseph

4 months ago

They are among the best in the world, and they also have a very strong presence in Operational Technology industries like manufacturing.

zipy124

4 months ago

IBM is still a serious player in research, just not in actual output. They make a substantial sum from IP licensing/consulting to the more modern players.

They do for example a large amount of foundational silicon research that other fabs can license.

Industry analysts like Dr. Ian Curtis are good to keep tabs on this space such as IBMs 2nm wafers https://youtu.be/PpBagorVtC0?si=CB8-2e3KbFgZQqFH .

Or his interview with the IBM research VP of hybrid cloud. https://youtu.be/Dl6oGdLhCvk?si=RZ8KLUAqSRWcFHDJ .

cjs_ac

4 months ago

1 reply

> YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y. and AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, IBM (NYSE: IBM) and AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) announced plans to develop next-generation computing architectures based on the combination of quantum computers and high-performance computing, known as quantum-centric supercomputing. AMD and IBM are collaborating to develop scalable, open-source platforms that could redefine the future of computing, leveraging IBM's leadership in developing the world's most performant quantum computers and software, and AMD's leadership in high-performance computing and AI accelerators.

Has anyone found a real-world problem that's best solved by a quantum computer that isn't cryptography? I exclude cryptography because if the only thing these machines are good for is breaking ciphers, then governments won't let anyone else buy one, will they?

dijit

4 months ago

3 replies

Materials Science and Drug Discovery would suddenly become a lot easier, along with financial modelling (of our entire society possibly) and logistics/supply chains.

They would also be much better at training ML and doing pattern recognition.

Basically anything that requires a massively parallel computation on undeterminable states that are only clear in hindsight. They’re really important actually and its only an unfortunate side-effect that the same solution breaks all our cryptography.

(of course: the offensive wings of our defence ministries really enjoy that side-effect)

atq2119

4 months ago

> Basically anything that requires a massively parallel computation on undeterminable states that are only clear in hindsight.

If only. This description makes it sound as if quantum computers could help efficiently solve all problems in NP, which is not believed to be true.

Those "undeterminable" states need some non-trivial algebraic structure so that destructive interference of states can do its magic in a quantum computer. Finding such a structure is incredibly difficult, if it exists at all.

mcmcmc

4 months ago

Better financial modeling? Oh boy, who’s ready for quantum dynamic pricing to really squeeze your wallet to the max

kevinventullo

4 months ago

Basically anything that requires a massively parallel computation on undeterminable states that are only clear in hindsight.

From https://scottaaronson.blog/ :

“If you take nothing else from this blog: quantum computers won't solve hard problems instantly by just trying all solutions in parallel.”

cs702

4 months ago

1 reply

> Today, IBM (NYSE: IBM) and AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) announced plans to develop next-generation computing architectures based on the combination of quantum computers and high-performance computing, known as quantum-centric supercomputing. AMD and IBM are collaborating to develop scalable, open-source platforms that could redefine the future of computing, leveraging IBM's leadership in developing the world's most performant quantum computers and software, and AMD's leadership in high-performance computing and AI accelerators.

Translation from corporate-speak: "Maybe we can chip away at Nvidia's dominance by working together and promising something Nvidia can't offer?"

As I understand things, firing up a bunch of GPUs is still more cost-effective than any quantum computer available right now.

Nonetheless, I wish IBM and AMD lots of success. It would be nice if Nvidia gets real competition!

esseph

4 months ago

1 reply

.. I haven't heard about Nvidia working on quantum anything?

This seems very different, more of a leap forward but in a different direction.

Note: Start moving to quantum-resistant algorithms now.

cs702

4 months ago

1 reply

The announcement is meant to make corporate buyers believe that IBM's quantum magic + AMD's chips could somehow leapfrog Nvidia's GPUs, hoping to slow down its sales.

I never wrote Nvidia is working on quantum anything.

esseph

4 months ago

1 reply

It sounds like are intended to be products used to solve different problems but in a similar space. At least, if IBM is trying to parley their quantum advances. Different customers?

cs702

4 months ago

In theory, quantum algorithms could solve problems that have a combinatorial nature faster than classical algorithms.

In practice, today, those problems are faster, cheaper, and easier to solve with classical algorithms on rented cloud hardware.

solardev

4 months ago

1 reply

Why does the future of computing sound like we're back in 1999?

Who's next... Intel and SGI? Rockchip and Cyrix? Nvidia must be positively trembling...

Mistletoe

4 months ago

1 reply

Wait until you see my LLM crunched on my Voodoo card.

solardev

4 months ago

I mean, technically Nvidia did buy 3dfx... so you're not far off :)

guerrilla

4 months ago

2 replies

I feel like this is just another publicity stunt.

xfactorial

4 months ago

For what i know, IBM R&D is truly a marvel in terms of Innovation, but one thing is “we managed to Create a process to make xyz” and another is, indeed, putting it together at scale.

5 nanometer was something they worked on, but it was TMCS the one who actually made it happen.

Perhaps this is a good chance to put to work some of that research using AMD Manufacturing.

Let’s see how it goes.

pryelluw

4 months ago

From IBM?! No …

jzelinskie

4 months ago

1 reply

After reading about the recommendation system breakthrough[1], I'm more curious about just how much we're leaving on the table with classical algorithms. If you raised the amount of money being funneled into quantum computing and spent it purely funding classical algorithm research, would you be better off?

[1]: https://www.quantamagazine.org/teenager-finds-classical-alte...

mrbungie

4 months ago

Shhh, big tech needs a new dragon to chase iff GenAI stops being shiny.

Non-cynic take: exploration-based endeavors still may end up in useful developments.

ranger_danger

4 months ago

Is that the world's largest heatsink? Either way it's beautiful.

Towaway69

4 months ago

Are they combining forces in an attempt to overtake nvidia in the AI space?

Jlagreen