Quantinuum H-Series quantum computer accelerates through 3 more performance records for quantum volume
217, 218, and 219
In the last 6 months, Quantinuum H-Series hardware has demonstrated explosive performance improvement. Quantinuum’s System Model H1-1, Powered by Honeywell, has demonstrated going from 214 = 16,384 quantum volume (QV) announced in February 2023 to now 219 = 524,288, with all the details and data released on our GitHub repository for full transparency. At a quantum volume of 524,288, H1-1 is 1000x higher than the next best reported quantum volume.
We set a big goal back in 2020 when we launched our first quantum computer, HØ. HØ was launched with six qubits and a quantum volume of 26 = 64, and at that time we made the bold and audacious commitment to increasing the quantum volume of our commercial machines 10x per year for 5 years, equating to a quantum volume of 8,388,608 or 223 by the end of 2025. In an industry that is often accused of being over-hyped, a commitment like this was easy to forget. But we did not forget. Diligently, our scientists and engineers continued to achieve world-record after world-record in a tireless and determined pursuit to systematically improve the overall performance of our quantum computers. As seen in Figure 1, from 2020 to early 2023, we have steadily been increasing the quantum volume to demonstrate that increased qubit count while reducing errors directly translates to more computational power. Just within 2023 we’ve had multiple announcements of quantum volume improvements. In February we announced that H1-1 had leapfrogged 214 and achieved a quantum volume of 215. In May 2023, we launched H2-1 with 32 qubits at a quantum volume of 216. Now we are thrilled to announce the sequential improvements of 217, 218, and 219, all on H1-1.
Importantly, none of these results were “hero results”, meaning there are no special calibrations made just to try to make the system look better. Our quantum volume data is taken on our commercial systems interwoven with customer jobs. What we experience is what our customers experience. Instead of improving at 10x per year as we committed back in 2020, the pace of improvement over the past 6 months has been 30x, accelerating at least one year from our 5-year commitment. While these demonstrations were made using H1-1, the similarities in the designs of H1-2 (now upgraded with 20 qubits) and H2-1, our recently released second generation system, make it straightforward to share the improvements from one machine to another and achieve the same results.
In this young and rapidly evolving industry, there are and will be disagreements about which benchmarks are best to use. Quantum volume, developed by IBM, is undeniably rigorous. Quantum volume can be measured on any gate-based machine. Quantum volume has been peer-reviewed and has well defined assumptions and processes for making the measurements. Improvements in QV require consistent reductions in errors, making it likely that no matter the application, QV improvements translate to better performance. In fact, to realize the exponential increase in power that quantum computers promise, it is required to continue to reduce these error rates. The average two-qubit gate error with these three new QV demonstrations was 0.13%, the best in the industry. We measure many benchmarks, but it is for these reasons that we have adopted quantum volume as our primary system-wide benchmark to report our performance.
Putting aside the argument of which benchmark is better, year-over-year improvements in a rigorous benchmark do not happen accidentally. It can only happen because the dedicated, talented scientists and engineers that work on H-Series hardware have a deep understanding of its error model and a deep understanding of how to reduce the errors to make overall performance improvements. Equally important the talented scientists and engineers have mastery of their domain expertise and can dream-up and then implement the improvements. These validated error models become the bedrock of future systems’ design, instilling confidence that those systems will have well understood error models, and the performance of those systems can also be systematically improved and ultimate performance goals achieved. Taking nothing away from those talented scientists and engineers, but having perfect, identical qubits and employing our quantum charge coupled device (QCCD) architecture does give us an advantage that all the other architectures and other modalities do not have.
What should potential users of H-Series quantum computers take away from this write-up (and what do current users already know)?
- Quantinuum is committed to systematically improving the core performance of our quantum computing hardware. The better the fundamental performance, the lower the overhead will be when doing error mitigation, error detection, and ultimately error correction. This provides confidence in our ability to deliver fault-tolerant compute capabilities.
- Progress on your research, use-case, or application can be accelerated by getting access to H-series technology because our quantum computers can do circuits that other technologies cannot. “It actually works!” exclaim excited first-time users.
- Quantinuum intends to continue to be the quantum computing company that quietly over-delivers, even on big goals.
1. https://github.com/CQCL/quantinuum-hardware-quantum-volume
About Quantinuum
Quantinuum, the world’s largest integrated quantum company, pioneers powerful quantum computers and advanced software solutions. Quantinuum’s technology drives breakthroughs in materials discovery, cybersecurity, and next-gen quantum AI. With over 500 employees, including 370+ scientists and engineers, Quantinuum leads the quantum computing revolution across continents.
Quantinuum is uniquely known for, and has always put a premium on, demonstrating rather than merely promising breakthroughs in quantum computing.
When we unveiled the first H-Series quantum computer in 2020, not only did we pioneer the world-leading quantum processors, but we also went the extra mile. We included industry leading comprehensive benchmarking to ensure that any expert could independently verify our results. Since then, our computers have maintained the lead against all competitors in performance and transparency. Today our System Model H2 quantum computer with 56 qubits is the most powerful quantum computer available for industry and scientific research – and the most benchmarked.
More recently, in a period where we upgraded our H2 system from 32 to 56 qubits and demonstrated the scalability of our QCCD architecture, we also hit a quantum volume of over two million, and announced that we had achieved “three 9’s” fidelity, enabling real gains in fault-tolerance – which we proved within months as we demonstrated the most reliable logical qubits in the world with our partner Microsoft.
We don’t just promise what the future might look like; we demonstrate it.
Today, at Quantum World Congress, we shared how recent developments by our integrated hardware and software teams have, yet again, accelerated our technology roadmap. It is with the confidence of what we’ve already demonstrated that we can uniquely announce that by the end of this decade Quantinuum will achieve universal fully fault-tolerant quantum computing, built on foundations such as a universal fault-tolerant gate set, high fidelity physical qubits uniquely capable of supporting reliable logical qubits, and a fully-scalable architecture.
We also demonstrated, with Microsoft, what rapid acceleration looks like with the creation of 12 highly reliable logical qubits – tripling the number from just a few months ago. Among other demonstrations, we supported Microsoft to create the first ever chemistry simulation using reliable logical qubits combined with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and High-Performance Computing (HPC), producing results within chemical accuracy. This is a critical demonstration of what Microsoft has called “the path to a Quantum Supercomputer”.
Quantinuum’s H-Series quantum computers, Powered by Honeywell, were among the first devices made available via Microsoft Azure, where they remain available today. Building on this, we are excited to share that Quantinuum and Microsoft have completed integration of Quantinuum’s InQuanto™ computational quantum chemistry software package with Azure Quantum Elements, the AI enabled generative chemistry platform. The integration mentioned above is accessible to customers participating in a private preview of Azure Quantum Elements, which can be requested from Microsoft and Quantinuum.
We created a short video on the importance of logical qubits, which you can see here:
These demonstrations show that we have the tools to drive progress towards scientific and industrial advantage in the coming years. Together, we’re demonstrating how quantum computing may be applied to some of humanity’s most pressing problems, many of which are likely only to be solved with the combination of key technologies like AI, HPC, and quantum computing.
Our credible roadmap draws a direct line from today to hundreds of logical qubits - at which point quantum computing, possibly combined with AI and HPC, will outperform classical computing for a range of scientific problems.
“The collaboration between Quantinuum and Microsoft has established a crucial step forward for the industry and demonstrated a critical milestone on the path to hybrid classical-quantum supercomputing capable of transforming scientific discovery.” – Dr. Krysta Svore – Technical Fellow and VP of Advanced Quantum Development for Microsoft Azure Quantum
What we revealed today underlines the accelerating pace of development. It is now clear that enterprises need to be ready to take advantage of the progress we can see coming in the next business cycle.
Why now?
The industry consensus is that the latter half of this decade will be critical for quantum computing, prompting many companies to develop roadmaps signalling their path toward error corrected qubits. In their entirety, Quantinuum’s technical and scientific advances accelerate the quantum computing industry, and as we have shown today, reveal a path to universal fault-tolerance much earlier than expected.
Grounded in our prior demonstrations, we now have sufficient visibility into an accelerated timeline for a highly credible hardware roadmap, making now the time to release an update. This provides organizations all over the world with a way to plan, reliably, for universal fully fault-tolerant quantum computing. We have shown how we will scale to more physical qubits at fidelities that support lower error rates (made possible by QEC), with the capacity for “universality” at the logical level. “Universality” is non-negotiable when making good on the promise of quantum computing: if your quantum computer isn’t universal everything you do can be efficiently reproduced on a classical computer.
“Our proven history of driving technical acceleration, as well as the confidence that globally renowned partners such as Microsoft have in us, means that this is the industry’s most bankable roadmap to universal fully fault-tolerant quantum computing,” said Dr. Raj Hazra, Quantinuum’s CEO.
Where we go from here
Before the end of the decade, our quantum computers will have thousands of physical qubits, hundreds of logical qubits with error rates less than 10-6, and the full machinery required for universality and fault-tolerance – truly making good on the promise of quantum computing.
Quantinuum has a proven history of achieving our technical goals. This is evidenced by our leadership in hardware, software, and the ecosystem of developer tools that make quantum computing accessible. Our leadership in quantum volume and fidelity, our consistent cadence of breakthrough publications, and our collaboration with enterprises such as Microsoft, showcases our commitment to pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
We are now making an even stronger public commitment to deliver on our roadmap, ushering the industry toward the era of universal fully fault-tolerant quantum computing this decade. We have all the machinery in place for fault-tolerance with error rates around 10-6, meaning we will be able to run circuits that are millions of gates deep – putting us on a trajectory for scientific quantum advantage, and beyond.
Every year, The IEEE International Conference on Quantum Computing and Engineering – or IEEE Quantum Week – brings together engineers, scientists, researchers, students, and others to learn about advancements in quantum computing.
At this year’s conference, from September 15th – 20th, the Quantinuum team will share insights on how we are forging the path to fault-tolerant quantum computing with our integrated full-stack. Join the below sessions to learn about recent upgrades to our hardware, our path to error correction, enhancements to our open-source toolkits, and more.
Visit our team at booth 304 in the exhibit hall to talk in detail about our recent milestones in quantum computing.
You can also catch us at several sessions, from Keynote speeches to tutorials. Come say hi!
Sunday, September 15
Workshop: Towards Error Correction within Modular Quantum Computing Architectures
Speaker: Henry Semenenko, Senior Advanced Optics Engineer
Time: 10:00-16:30
Speakers: Bob Coecke, Chief Scientist, chaired by Lia Yeh, Research Engineer, who is chair of Quantum in K-12 and Quantum Understanding sessions
Time: 13:00 – 13:15
Monday, September 16
Birds of a Feather: AI in Quantum Computing
Speaker: Josh Savory, Director of Offering Management, Hardware and Cloud Platform Products
Time: 10:00 – 11:30
Tutorial: Using and benefiting from Quantinuum H-Series quantum computers’ unique features
Speakers: Irfan Khan, Senior Application Engineer, and Shival Dasu, Advanced Physicist
Time: 10:00 - 10:30
Tuesday, September 17
Workshop: Applications Explored on H-Series Quantum Hardware
Speakers: Michael Foss-Feig, Principal Physicist, and Nathan Fitzpatrick, Senior Research Scientist
Date and Time: Sep 17, 10:00 - 16:30
Speakers: Josh Savory, Director of Offering Management, Hardware and Cloud Platform Products, and David Hayes, Senior R&D Manager for the theory and architecture groups
Time: 10:00–11:30
Speaker: Michael Foss-Feig, Principal Physicist
Time: 13:00 – 14:30
Thursday, September 19
Keynote: Quantinuum H-Series: Advancing Quantum Computing to Scalable Fault-Tolerant Systems
Speaker: Rajeeb Hazra, President & Chief Executive Officer
Time: 8:00 – 9:30
Panel: Effective DEIA Requires Accountability
Speaker: Abby Perry, Senior Advanced Physicist
Time: 10:00–11:30
Workshop: Current Progress and Remaining Challenges in Scaling Trapped-Ion Quantum Computing
Speaker: Robert Delaney, Advanced Physicist
Time: 10:00 – 16:30
Tutorial: From Quantum in Pictures to Interpretable Quantum NLP
Speakers: Bob Coecke, Chief Scientist, and Lia Yeh, Research Engineer
Time: 10:00 -16:30
Workshop: Quantum Software 2.0: Enabling Large-scale and Performant Quantum Computing
Speaker: Kartik Singhal, Quantum Compiler Engineer
Time: 10:00 – 16:30
Birds of a Feather: Navigating the Quantum Computing Journey: Student to Professional Opportunities
Speaker: Lia Yeh
Time: 15:00 – 16:30
Friday, September 20
Tutorial: Academic and professional training in quantum computing: the importance of open-source
Speaker: Lia Yeh, Research Engineer
Time: 10:00-16:30
Panel: What Does “Break Even” Mean?
Speaker: David Hayes, Senior R&D Manager for the theory and architecture groups
Time: 13:00–14:30
*All sessions are listed in Montreal time, Eastern Daylight Time
Quantinuum is excited to introduce the beta availability of Quantinuum Nexus, our comprehensive quantum computing platform. Nexus is built to simplify quantum computing workflows with its expert design and full-stack support. We are inviting quantum users to apply for beta availability; accepted users can work closely with Quantinuum on how Nexus can be adopted and customized for you.
Nexus was developed by our in-house quantum experts to streamline the deployment of quantum algorithms. From tackling common tasks like installing packages and libraries to addressing pain points like setting up storage, Nexus seamlessly integrates thoughtful details to enhance user experience.
Run, track, and manage your usage
Nexus allows users to run, track, and manage resources across multiple quantum backends, making it easier for researchers to directly compare results and processes when using our H-Series hardware or other providers. Additionally, Nexus features a cloud-hosted and preconfigured JupyterHub environment and dedicated simulators - most notably, the Quantinuum H-Series emulator. Nexus’ emulator integration means that new users and organizations that don’t have access to H-Series hardware can start experimenting with H-Series capabilities right away.
Full-stack mindset
Quantinuum Nexus is at the core of our full stack, integrated fully with our H-Series Quantum Processor, our software offerings such as InQuanto™, and our H-Series emulators. Nexus is also back-end inclusive, interfacing with multiple other hardware and simulation backends. In the future, we will be introducing new cutting-edge tools such as a more powerful cloud-based version of our compiler, powered by version 2 of TKET.
Nexus also stores everything you need to recreate your experiment in one place – meaning a full snapshot of the backend, the settings and variables you used, and more. Combined with easy data sharing and storage, you can stop worrying about the logistics of data management. You’re in control of how you structure your data, how you track what’s most important to you, and who gets to see it.
Tools for Administrators
Administrators benefit from resource controls within Nexus, allowing them to manage user access, create user groups, and update usage quotas to match their priorities. With multiple backend support, administrators can track jobs and usage for all their quantum resource in one platform. Advanced usage visualization allows administrators to quickly gain insight from historical trends in usage. Nexus also features collaboration tools that give users the ability to share data, as well as access controls that allow administrators to ensure this is done securely.
Why Quantinuum Nexus?
Users, developers, and administrators have several options when it comes to selecting a platform for managing quantum resources. So why Nexus? Quantinuum Nexus was built by quantum experts, for quantum experts. Our experiment management and cataloging system makes us stand out as the best platform for collaborating between scientific teams. Our provision of the H-Series emulator in the cloud means you get more access to the emulator of one of the world's best devices with less time in the queue, so you can spend more time with your results. Our quantum chemistry package InQuanto™ is integrated into Nexus, meaning zero setup time with easy data storage in our managed environment.
Nexus provides a consistent API for working with a range of quantum devices & tools. This improves the experience of our end users, as scripts that work for one device can easily be ported to other devices with only a change to the config. The Nexus API interface also improves integration with 3rd party partners by providing them a programmatic way to access Quantinuum tools, alongside a pathway for integrating these resources into their own tools for redistribution.
With Nexus, Quantinuum is setting a new standard in quantum Platform-as-a-Service providers, empowering users with cutting-edge tools and seamless integration for quantum computing advancements.