D-Wave Quantum reports 99.9% two-qubit fidelity in Nature paper, targeting fault-tolerant system by 2032
PALO ALTO, Aug. 5. A peer-reviewed paper published Tuesday in Nature reports approximately 99.9% fidelity in two-qubit operations from D-Wave Quantum Inc.'s (Nasdaq: QBTS) superconducting dual-rail architecture, with gate times of about 500 nanoseconds. The results, disclosed in an 8-K filing, form a central pillar of the company's roadmap to deliver a fault-tolerant gate-model quantum computer by 2032.
Key takeaways
- A peer-reviewed Nature paper published Tuesday reports approximately 99.9% fidelity in two-qubit operations from D-Wave Quantum's superconducting dual-rail architecture, with gate times of about 500 nanoseconds.
- D-Wave's roadmap targets a fault-tolerant gate-model quantum computer by 2032, aiming for a 100-logical-qubit system capable of more than 1 million operations.
- The paper, titled "An entangling gate for dual-rail erasure qubits," describes a two-qubit entangling gate that preserves a favorable error hierarchy where the most common errors are the easiest to detect.
- D-Wave simulations indicate the dual-rail architecture could achieve a Lambda of 10, reducing the logical error rate tenfold for each increment of error correction added and lowering the physical qubit count needed.
- D-Wave describes itself as the only company offering both annealing and gate-model quantum computing systems, with more than 100 organizations across commercial, government, and research sectors using its systems.
PALO ALTO, Aug. 5. A peer-reviewed paper published Tuesday in Nature reports approximately 99.9% fidelity in two-qubit operations from D-Wave Quantum Inc.'s (Nasdaq: QBTS) superconducting dual-rail architecture, with gate times of about 500 nanoseconds. The results, disclosed in an 8-K filing, form a central pillar of the company's roadmap to deliver a fault-tolerant gate-model quantum computer by 2032.
What the Nature paper demonstrates
The paper, "An entangling gate for dual-rail erasure qubits," details a two-qubit entangling gate built for efficient quantum error correction. D-Wave said the gate preserves a favorable error hierarchy in which the most common quantum errors are also the easiest to detect. That property holds during two-qubit operations, the company reported. The gate is already integrated into D-Wave's gate-model systems, according to Dr. Robert Schoelkopf, the company's chief scientist.
D-Wave simulations indicate the dual-rail architecture could reduce the logical error rate by a factor of 10 for each increment of error correction added. The company calls this metric Lambda. A Lambda of 10 means each added layer of error correction makes the system ten times more reliable, reducing the physical qubit count required for fault-tolerant operation.
The fault-tolerant roadmap
D-Wave's gate-model development roadmap targets a 100-logical-qubit system capable of completing more than 1 million operations by 2032. The roadmap also brings together the dual-rail architecture with integrated cryogenic control technology. The Nature paper is intended to validate that this architecture can deliver both speed and high fidelity as systems scale.
Dr. Alan Baratz, chief executive, said the research shows the company's path to commercial fault-tolerant quantum computing is practical and achievable, noting that superconducting systems are known for speed but that achieving high fidelity at scale had remained a standing challenge. Dr. Trevor Lanting, chief development officer, described the paper as demonstrating one foundational capability of the dual-rail architecture.
D-Wave's dual-platform position
D-Wave describes itself as the only company offering both annealing and gate-model quantum computing systems, software, and services. The gate-model research is separate from its annealing products, which the company has sold commercially, and is meant to extend its reach to a broader range of computationally complex problems. More than 100 organizations across commercial, government, and research sectors use D-Wave systems, according to company disclosures.
The roadmap targets a Lambda of 10, the threshold the company says will allow fault-tolerant quantum computing with substantially fewer physical qubits.