Quantum computer maker Quantinuum proved the merits of 1990s idea, catching and correcting errors as a calculation progresses.
Last year, they linked multiple ordinary qubits into agroup called a logical qubitthat’s more reliable.
Qubits are individual atoms or other elements tiny enough to be dominated by the weird rules of quantum physics.
It’s those rules that could help quantum computers solve problems that are beyond classical computers.
Logical qubits offer a mechanism to stabilize the situation.
Quantinuum’s system repeats those error correction steps about five times a second.
“There’s a path forward to getting lower error rates,” Stutz said.
A calculation with two logical qubits is still an early stage toward powerful, fault-tolerant quantum computers.
Quantinuum’s test performed a simple test chore.
He estimates about 50 are needed, and that, in turn, means hundreds of underlying physical qubits.
That’s beyond Quantinuum today, though quantum computer makers are gradually headed that direction.
