NQCC to get QuEra neutral atom quantum computer

In this case, the neutral atoms are rubidium, manipulated by laser optical tweezers and also operated by laser – altering the energy state of an electrons in the atom to represent the equivalent of 0 or 1.

Noise is an issue with quantum computing, to which QuEra applies its own form of quantum error correction by defining ‘logical qubits’ inside which multiple entangled physical qubits encode information redundantly.

“The initial test-bed in the UK will build upon the recently-announced breakthrough using logical qubits to detect and correct errors inherent to quantum calculations,” according to QuEra. “A key part of this process is qubit shuttling, which enables qubits to move while preserving their quantum state and allows for the entanglement of nearby qubits. As a result, the UK will be home to the first qubit shuttling and error correction test-bed in the world.”

QuEra will be testing its most advanced architecture yet.

“This zoned architecture is the quantum equivalent of a classical Von-Neumann architecture,” it said. “The test-bed will have the ability to coherently shuttle groups of atoms, which sets the stage for experimentation with logical qubits. A critical enabler is the ability to dynamically reconfigure atoms in the processor using movable optical tweezers, introducing all-to-all gate connectivity, programmability at scale with just a few local optical controls, and making possible a variety of zoned-architectures.”

It will also introduce mid-circuit measurement to allow for conditional operations and executions based on intermediate results,  “setting the stage for future improvements such as the ability to correct errors or make dynamic adjustments to ongoing computations”, said the company.

As well as testing the architecture, it is hoped that hardware needs will be refined so that a supply chain for neutral atom quantum computers can be developed.

QuEra Computing is based in Boston Massachusetts and built on research from Harvard University and MIT. It will work with UK collaborators on the NQCC prototype.

The UK’s National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) is to be at the Rutherford Appleton laboratory in Harwell, Oxfordshire. Ground was broken for the building in 2021 and the centre is scheduled to be operating by the end of 2024, with six operating quantum computer prototypes by the end of 2025.

“These system-level prototypes will help the NQCC and its collaborators to understand the unique characteristics of different hardware approaches, establish appropriate metrics for each qubit architecture, and explore the types of applications that benefit most from each technological approach,” said NQCC director Michael Cuthbert. “That will feed directly into the NQCC’s ongoing engagement with organisations across academia, industry, and government to develop use cases for early-stage quantum computers, and to identify the innovations that will be needed.”