Researchers from Quantinuum, QuTech and the University of Stuttgart have used error mitigation techniques to run a fault-tolerant algorithm using three logically encoded qubits. This has been declared an industry first.
A key advance in driving quantum computers forwards is seen by many scientists as being based on the move from merely physical qubits to those that are ‘fault-tolerant’. The research demonstrates the first fault-tolerant method using three logically-encoded qubits. This process was used to perform a mathematical procedure.
The reason this is important is because fault-tolerant quantum computers offer radical new solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems in medicine, finance and the environment. In addition, this form of technology can facilitate the widespread use of AI.
In addition, fault-tolerant quantum computing methods are expected to open the way for practical solutions to real-world problems across domains such as molecular simulation, artificial intelligence, optimization, and cybersecurity.
The experiment was run on Quantinuum’s H1 quantum computer, which further reduces the overall rate of physical errors due to the quantum charge-coupled device. This was driven by a multidisciplinary team from Quantinuum, QuTech (Delft University of Technology) and the University of Stuttgart.
Quantinuum has previously demonstrated entangling gates between two logical qubits in a fully fault-tolerant manner using real-time error correction and simulating the hydrogen molecule with two logically-encoded qubits.
With the new breakthrough, the researchers have stated that these results show that the H-series hardware can run all the essentials of fault-tolerant quantum computing together. By performing one-bit addition using the smallest-known fault-tolerant circuit, the team achieved an error rate almost an order of magnitude lower compared to an unencoded circuit.
In a statement, Ilyas Khan, Chief Product Officer and Founder at Quantinuum, says: “In addition to continuing to provide the quantum ecosystem with evidence of what is possible in these early days of quantum computing, the current demonstration is noteworthy for its ingenuity.”
Khan adds: “The ion trap architecture of our H-Series offers the lowest physical error rates and the flexibility derived from qubit transport, which allows users of our hardware to implement a much wider choice of error-correcting codes, and that is what made this possible. Watch out for further important computational advances in the coming period as we link up the quality of our hardware with tasks that are meaningful in the real world.”
The research is described in a new pre-print on arXiv, “Fault-Tolerant One-Bit Addition with the Smallest Interesting Colour Code.”
