Microsoft and Quantinuum have claimed an advancement in quantum computing by demonstrating the most reliable logical qubits on record, boasting an error rate 800 times better than physical qubits. This advancement was made possible through Microsoft’s qubit-virtualization system, applied to Quantinuum’s ion-trap hardware, running over 14,000 experiments without a single error and marking a move from the noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) computing to Level 2 Resilient quantum computing. This breakthrough heralds a new era in quantum computing, moving the industry towards solving real-world problems with quantum technology and laying the groundwork for a hybrid supercomputing system that could revolutionize research and innovation across numerous industries. The technical paper can be downloaded here.
The transition to Level 2 Resilient computing opens new possibilities for addressing complex challenges such as climate change, energy crises, and food insecurity by simulating molecular and atomic interactions beyond the reach of classical computers. Microsoft’s Azure Quantum Elements aims to empower organizations by providing a hybrid computing platform that combines AI, supercomputing, and quantum capabilities to accelerate scientific discovery. This innovative approach necessitates co-designing high-quality hardware components and sophisticated error-handling capabilities to achieve reliable, scalable quantum computations.
This collaboration between Microsoft and Quantinuum, which began in 2019, exemplifies the potential of combined efforts in advancing quantum computing technology. Quantinuum’s hardware, recognized for its high fidelity and quantum volumes, coupled with Microsoft’s error correction expertise, ushers the quantum computing ecosystem into a new development phase. As the industry moves beyond Level 2 Resilient computing, both companies continue to invest in technologies that promise to tackle some of the most challenging problems in science and technology, demonstrating their commitment to pioneering the future of quantum computing.
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry is the Managing Editor at Inside Quantum Technology and the Science Communicator at JILA (a partnership between the University of Colorado Boulder and NIST). Her writing beats include deep tech, quantum computing, and AI. Her work has been featured in National Geographic, Scientific American, Discover Magazine, New Scientist, Ars Technica, and more.