Quantum computers do not have CPUs (Central Processing Units) in the same sense as classical computers. Traditional CPUs are designed to perform calculations using classical bits and operate at gigahertz (GHz) frequencies.
Quantum computers, on the other hand, use qubits to store and process quantum information. Qubits are implemented using various physical systems, such as superconducting circuits, trapped ions, or topological states. The performance and speed of quantum computers are typically measured in terms of quantum gate operations and quantum volume rather than gigahertz frequencies.
Quantum gate operations refer to the basic building blocks of quantum algorithms. They represent the manipulation and transformation of qubits to perform quantum computations. The speed of quantum gate operations is influenced by various factors, including the physical implementation of qubits, the coherence time of the qubits, and the complexity of the quantum algorithm being executed.
Quantum volume is a metric introduced by IBM to assess the computational capability of quantum computers. It takes into account the number of qubits, the error rates of the qubits, and the connectivity between qubits.
the number of qubits and the overall computational power of quantum computers were rapidly evolving, and it would be inaccurate to equate their performance or speed directly with classical CPUs measured in gigahertz. Quantum computing technology is still in its early stages, and the focus is on increasing the number of qubits, improving qubit coherence times, and reducing error rates to enable more complex and accurate computations.