A quantum computing feat brings the 'megaquops' era a step closer

What BBN said about it

1. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorA quantum computer has built a logical qubit that glitched only five times in a million operations, Science News reports.

2. 

   Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorNinety-nine point nine nine nine five percent accurate. I've never been that accurate about anything, including my own name tag.

3. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe machine is Helios, from Quantinuum.

4. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorIt has ninety-eight qubits made from electrically charged atoms, and the error fixing is what makes the glitch rate so low.

5. 

   Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorThe company says that's a hundred times lower than Google's best published result. I'd call that a healthy lead, not a race.

6. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorAnd the goal is a megaquop machine, one that runs over a million operations without an error.

7. 

   Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorSo we're basically there! Quantinuum says it's on the cusp.

8. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorReaching that regime could take around fifty to a hundred logical qubits. This experiment used one.

9. 

   Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorOne qubit with a very strong start. We call that a founding team.

10. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSo the machine is nearly perfect, provided nobody asks it to be two.