30th October 2023

1,000+ qubit quantum computer announced

California-based startup Atom Computing has announced a 1,225-qubit quantum computer, the first to break the 1,000+ barrier, which it plans to release in 2024.

Quantum bits, or qubits, are the basic units of information in quantum computing – equivalent to bits in classical computing. Unlike bits, however, qubits can exist in multiple states simultaneously, allowing them to perform calculations that would take millions of years for an ordinary computer.

Although still at an early stage of development, the field of quantum computing has seen rapid advances in recent years, with systems beginning to progress from tens to hundreds of qubits per machine. QuEra Computing Inc. revealed a 256-qubit machine in 2021 and IBM beat that with a 433-qubit processor in 2022.

Yet another company has now come forward with plans for an even higher qubit count. Atom Computing, based in California, claims it has already created an atomic array populated with 1,180 qubits – making it the first to exceed 1,000 – and will expand that number to 1,225 next year when the machine is complete and ready for commercial use. This is 10 times greater than the company's previous platform.

"This order-of-magnitude leap – from 100 to 1,000-plus qubits within a generation – shows our atomic array systems are quickly gaining ground on more mature qubit modalities," said Rob Hays, CEO. "Scaling to large numbers of qubits is critical for fault-tolerant quantum computing, which is why it has been our focus from the beginning. We are working closely with partners to explore near-term applications that can take advantage of these larger scale systems."

The company's earlier machine, known as Phoenix, used a platform of strontium-87 atoms for its qubits. By contrast, this next-generation computer is built on a platform of ytterbium-171 atoms. A recent study in the journal PRX Quantum concluded that ytterbium-171 may be the best material of all for qubits.

"It is highly impressive that Atom Computing, founded just five years ago, is going up against larger companies with more resources and holding its own," said Paul Smith-Goodson, vice president and a principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy. "The company has been laser focused on scaling its atomic array technology and is making rapid progress."

"Developing a 1,000-plus qubit quantum technology marks an exceptional achievement for the Atom Computing team and the entire industry. With expanded computational capabilities, we can now delve deeper into the intricate realm of error correction schemes, designing and implementing strategies that pave the way for more reliable and scalable quantum computing systems," said Tommaso Demarie, CEO of Entropica Labs, a strategic partner of Atom Computing. "Entropica is enthusiastic about collaborating with Atom Computing as we create software that takes full advantage of their large-scale quantum computers."

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