In May, 2017 IBM announced a 16 qubit processor for its cloud-based quantum computer and a more tightly engineered 17-qubit processor could be the basis for commercial systems. IBM is using wire-loop superconducting circuits. Google's 20-qubit processor is also using wire loop superconducting circuits. Google's Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab expects to achieve quantum supremacy (quantum computers with a 49-qubit chip by the end of this year.

Superconducting circuits and trapped ions should both be able become larger than 50 qubits to become more powerful than any classical computer. Quantum volume measures the number and quality of calculations the machine can perform. Quantum volume includes additional factors such as how fast the qubits can perform the calculations and tolerant they are of errors. Adding more qubits can increase the rate of errors.