Russian scientists have created the country's first ion-based quantum computer using a new type of quantum unit that works with seven energy levels, the Russian Quantum Center (RQC) was quoted by TASS as saying on Monday.

The new technology makes the system as powerful as a 72-qubit quantum processor and enables it to perform important calculations with very high accuracy, the RQC press service said.

Maxim Ostras, head of the RQC, said researchers began testing this multi-level approach in 2021 with a much smaller system.

"Over just four years, we have greatly increased the computing power and created a prototype equal to 72 qubits," he said.

Most existing quantum computers are built using qubits, which are quantum versions of classical computer bits. A normal qubit has only two possible energy levels, similar to an artificial atom.

However, scientists are now developing more complex quantum units, such as three-level and four-level systems, and even higher-level ones, because they can store and process more information using fewer particles. These systems are more powerful but also more difficult to control.

The new Russian quantum computer uses 26 calcium ions, with each ion acting as a seven-level quantum unit that can take values from zero to six. To build the system, the research team, led by RQC scientist Kirill Lakhmanskiy, developed specialized laser equipment and a complex optical structure that allows precise control of quantum states and the performance of key logical operations.

Tests showed that the processor can perform single-qubit operations with 99.92 percent accuracy and two-qubit operations with 96.5 percent accuracy, which is a record level for quantum systems of this size.

Lakhmanskiy said the team plans to use the new quantum computer soon to run algorithms for combinatorial optimization, which are widely used in network design and other complex planning tasks.