Quantum News Briefs September 16: IonQ Achieves First Trapped Ion Quantum System to Surpass 99.9% Fidelity on Barium • The UK Could Be the Home of the Next Quantum Microsoft or Quantum Nvidia • Oxford Ionics sets new world record, slashes quantum errors by 1,300% • Boeing Advances Quantum Communications with 2026 Space Test Satellite
IonQ Achieves First Trapped Ion Quantum System to Surpass 99.9% Fidelity on Barium
IonQ recently announced that it has surpassed “three 9’s” (99.9%) two-qubit gate fidelity on one of its next-generation barium development platforms. This is a crucial step along IonQ’s technical roadmap for developing practical, commercial quantum solutions. This achievement highlights IonQ’s dedication to research and development, and underscores the company’s commitment to bringing to market the highest-performing quantum computers in the world.
The company demonstrated optimized two-qubit gates on barium with greater than 99.9% fidelity in a two-ion chain via the same mechanisms used to realize two-qubit gates in IonQ’s production quantum computers. Based on technical improvements developed to achieve this milestone, the company now has a significantly deeper understanding of how to identify and remove error mechanisms in large enterprise-grade quantum systems.
IonQ has worked with ytterbium ions for most of the company’s history and has been exploring barium ions as qubits because they contain intrinsic features that offer the ability to improve quantum computer performance. Compared to traditional ytterbium ions, barium ions offer several key advantages, including a higher native fidelity limit, increased gate speeds, lower state preparation/measurement (SPAM) errors, and better stability as well as superior overall performance. As IonQ makes substantial headway towards reaching commercial advantage, IonQ expects these distinct properties will position its barium systems at the forefront of the quantum computing industry.
In Other News: The Next Web reports “The UK Could Be the Home of the Next Quantum Microsoft or Quantum Nvidia”
The governmental deep tech funding landscape in the UK has been in a bit of a turmoil over the past few months as per Linnea Ahlgren’s TNW September 10 article. She points out “While the UK government recently announced support for five “quantum hubs,” the country’s quantums sector is concerned over the level of funding security — and how increasingly risk-averse regulation could stifle international cooperation.
Ahlgren points out, “Phasecraft is a leader in quantum algorithms — computational methods designed specifically for quantum computers and their qubits”. The company has just released a white paper asking the government not to squander the opportunity for the UK to become a global leader in quantum computing.
Continued and predictable public funding is essential to maintain momentum and support the “high-risk, high-reward” nature of quantum technology
“Historically, government support and encouragement has been absolutely crucial for quantum technologies, and quantum computing in particular,” Ashley Montanaro, co-founder and CEO of Phasecraft, told TNW.
“We think it’s important to make the case that in quantum technologies, the UK in particular, really has an opportunity to be a world leader and be the home of the next ‘quantum Microsoft’ or ‘quantum Nvidia’,” said Montanaro.
In Other News: Interesting Engineering reports “Oxford Ionics sets new world record, slashes quantum errors by 1,300%”
Researchers from Oxford Ionics, a quantum computing company backed by the University of Oxford’s physics department, have developed and tested a new protocol for finding and rejecting faulty qubits as reported by Rupendra Brahambhatt in September 15 Interesting Engineering.
SPAM is the process in quantum computing that prepares qubits in specific quantum states and measures those states after quantum operations.
Oxford Ionics claim their protocol has set a new world record for quantum state preparation and measurement (SPAM). It shows a 13-fold decrease in SPAM errors compared to the current best method, making it the best-performing and most reliable quantum platform in the industry.
It is critical in ensuring the accuracy and reliability of quantum computation because the quality of results delivered by a quantum system directly depends on how well the qubits are prepared.
In Other News: SpaceWars reports “Boeing Advances Quantum Communications with 2026 Space Test Satellite”
Boeing [NYSE: BA] has revealed plans for the 2026 launch of a satellite, Q4S, designed to demonstrate quantum entanglement swapping capabilities in orbit according to Clarence Oxford Sep 15, 2024 in Space Wars. This pioneering, Boeing-funded mission is a key step toward the creation of a global quantum internet, linking quantum sensors and computers with secure, advanced communication systems.
Boeing’s efforts are set to reshape how information is handled, introducing quantum-enhanced technologies such as fault-tolerant computing systems to minimize errors, secure voting mechanisms to ensure electoral integrity, and blind quantum computing, which processes data while keeping it confidential.
“We’re making a big bet on quantum technology,” said Jay Lowell, chief engineer for Boeing’s Disruptive Computing, Networks and Sensors organization. “Quantum entanglement 
swapping underpins the communication of the future, expanding quantum networks beyond simple point-to-point communication. We’re launching Q4S to prove it can be done in orbit.”
The introduction of quantum networking capabilities in space could unlock new potential, enabling researchers to collect more detailed data about Earth and space environments, areas currently constrained by the limitations of existing instruments.
