Quantum Chemistry Progresses Meaningfully Towards a Fault Tolerant Regime Using Logical Qubits
In a major scientific first, quantum chemistry experts at Quantinuum have used a partially fault tolerant algorithm run on logical qubits to simulate the hydrogen molecule (H2)
Tokyo, Japan, Cambridge, UK, and Broomfield, Colorado, July 12th, 2023 — Quantinuum, the world’s largest quantum computing company, has become the first to simulate a chemical molecule by implementing a partially fault tolerant algorithm on a quantum processor using logical qubits.
This essential step towards using quantum computers to speed up molecular discovery, with better modeling of chemical systems, reduces the time to generate commercial and economic value.
Quantinuum scientists, led from Japan, used three logical qubits on Quantinuum’s H1 quantum computer to calculate the ground state energy of the hydrogen molecule (H2) using an algorithm for early fault tolerant devices called stochastic quantum phase estimation.
It is already known that many algorithms that can be used on today’s “NISQ” era quantum computers will not scale to larger problems. The phase estimation technique used in this experiment with logical qubits has better potential to scale but is challenging to implement on today’s quantum computers because it requires very complex circuits, which are prone to failing due to noise.
Dr. Raj Hazra, CEO of Quantinuum, said: “Today’s announcement turns a page for quantum chemistry on quantum computers, moving us towards the era of early fault tolerance. This achievement is testament to the dedication of the hardware and software teams at Quantinuum, who consistently demonstrate their ability to achieve world-class results. It was made possible thanks to the H1 quantum computer which brings together high-fidelity gate operations, all-to-all connectivity and conditional logic, with the truly world-leading algorithms, methods and error handling techniques offered by our InQuanto chemistry platform.”
In a scientific preprint paper, “Demonstrating Bayesian Quantum Phase Estimation with Quantum Error Detection”, the team of scientists led by Dr. Kentaro Yamamoto report they have overcome this challenge by creating and using logical qubits achieved with a newly developed error detection code designed for the H-series quantum hardware*. The code saved quantum resources by immediately discarding a calculation if it detected qubits that had produced errors during the computation process.
When combined with the low noise of the H-Series hardware and the capabilities of the Quantinuum Software InQuanto™, researchers were able to run these complex circuits for the first time, producing more accurate simulation results than those achieved without the error detection code. Creating and using logical qubits with error detection is a prerequisite for the more advanced error correction, which provides real-time protection for a quantum computer against various forms of “noise”.
Dr. Kentaro Yamamoto, Senior Researcher at Quantinuum, said: “Simulating the hydrogen molecule and getting such good results with logical qubits is an excellent experimental result and reminds us how fast we continue to progress. This result may reflect the start of a new chapter for quantum computing professionals, where we can begin to adopt partially fault tolerant algorithms on near-term devices, using all the techniques that will ultimately be required for future large-scale quantum computing.”
For scientific researchers and industrial enterprises in sectors such as healthcare, energy, automotive and manufacturing, who invest heavily in researching future molecules and materials, this demonstration implies that the time to useful quantum computing continues to get nearer.
This demonstration, which was run on Quantinuum’s System Model H1 quantum computer, Powered by Honeywell, will be integrated into future versions of its industry-leading quantum computational chemistry platform, InQuanto, allowing industrial companies and academic researchers to explore the use of partially fault-tolerant algorithms run on quantum computers for material and molecular modeling.
* For more information about the error detection code, see “Protecting Expressive Circuits with a Quantum Error Detection Code”
About Quantinuum
Quantinuum is the world’s largest standalone quantum computing company, formed by the combination of Honeywell Quantum Solutions’ world-leading hardware and Cambridge Quantum’s class-leading middleware and applications. Science-led and enterprise-driven, Quantinuum accelerates quantum computing and the development of applications across chemistry, cybersecurity, finance and optimization. Its focus is to create scalable and commercial quantum solutions to solve the world’s most pressing problems in fields such as energy, logistics, climate change, and health. The company employs over 480 individuals, including 350+ scientists and engineers, at eight sites across the United States, Europe, and Japan. For more information, please visit https://www.quantinuum.com. The Honeywell trademark is used under license from Honeywell International Inc. Honeywell makes no representations or warranties with respect to this service.
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.
Santa Clara, Calif. – March 18, 2025 – Quantinuum, the industry leader in quantum computing with the world’s highest performing quantum computer, will work with NVIDIA as a founding collaborator on breakthroughs at the NVIDIA Accelerated Quantum Research Center, where operations are expected to begin later this year.
NVIDIA Accelerated Quantum Computing Research Center (NVAQC) will provide the ability to develop quantum solutions and applications that help solve some of the world’s most pressing problems. The center will accomplish this by using NVIDIA CUDA-Q platform alongside a world leading NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 supercomputer with Quantinuum’s System H2, which achieves 2,097,152 Quantum Volume — orders of magnitude greater than the next best available.
Quantinuum’s quantum computing architecture delivers the fastest time-to-solution available and is positioned to extend this leadership with its next-generation systems. By 2027, Quantinuum will launch the industry’s first 100-logical-qubit system, featuring best-in-class error rates. The company is also on track to deliver commercially scalable quantum computers with hundreds of logical qubits by the end of the decade. This progress builds upon a series of recent technology breakthroughs, including Quantinuum’s creation of the most reliable and highest-quality logical qubits, as well as solving the key scalability challenge associated with ion-trap quantum computers — culminating in a commercial system with greater than 99.9% two-qubit gate fidelity.
In 2022, Quantinuum became the first company to bring CUDA-Q to its Quantum systems, establishing a pioneering collaboration that continues to advance the platform today in multiple areas including application development and Quantum Error Correction (QEC). Users of CUDA-Q are currently offered access to Quantinuum’s System H1 QPU and emulator for 90 days. Quantinuum’s future systems will continue to support the CUDA-Q platform and be available via the NVAQC, accelerating the adoption of Generative Quantum AI (Gen QAI).
Quantinuum’s groundbreaking Gen QAI system, announced last month, enables data generated by Quantinuum’s quantum systems to be harnessed to train AI systems, significantly enhancing the fidelity of AI models, and allowing them to tackle challenges previously deemed unsolvable. Through this achievement, Quantinuum is setting a new standard for AI training and problem-solving across various industries.
“By combining NVIDIA's AI hardware and software solutions with leading and differentiated solutions from Quantinuum, we’re unlocking unprecedented solutions and accelerating Generative Quantum AI’s adoption across diverse markets,” said Dr. Rajeeb Hazra, President and CEO of Quantinuum.
"Progress toward useful quantum computing hinges on new discoveries," said Tim Costa, Senior Director of CAE, Quantum, and CUDA-X at NVIDIA. "The NVAQC will fast-track the development of useful quantum devices, being the epicenter for breakthroughs made with partners like Quantinuum."
About Quantinuum
Quantinuum is the world leader in quantum computing. The company’s quantum systems deliver the highest performance across all industry benchmarks. Quantinuum’s over 550 employees, including 370+ scientists and engineers, across the US, UK, Germany, and Japan, are driving the quantum computing revolution.
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TOKYO, JAPAN – February 12, 2025 – Quantinuum, the world’s largest integrated quantum computing company, and RIKEN, Japan’s largest comprehensive research institution, today announced the successful on-premise installation of Quantinuum’s “Reimei” quantum computer at RIKEN’s Wako campus in Saitama, Japan. RIKEN has designed, prepared, and delivered a world-class facility for the trapped-ion quantum computer, which will enable generations of high-performance quantum systems.
This state-of-the-art machine is now fully operational, ushering in a new era of discovery and innovation. With its installation at RIKEN’s world-class facility, Japanese researchers now have direct, on-site access to Quantinuum’s cutting-edge quantum computing technology, renowned for being the highest performing systems in the world. Quantinuum’s hardware stands out as the only available system using a unique architecture that physically moves qubits, unlocking new tools and possibilities unavailable on other platforms. The exceptional performance and consistency of the system are supported by the stability of the facility's world-class environment, which is designed, built, and maintained to maximize the capabilities of Quantinuum's quantum computers.
Named “Reimei,” which translates into “dawn” in Japanese, this powerful quantum computer symbolizes the incredible potential of quantum technology and integrated hybrid computational platforms. The trapped-ion quantum computer by Quantinuum will work in harmony with RIKEN’s famed Japanese flagship supercomputer Fugaku, creating a cutting-edge quantum-HPC hybrid platform designed to tackle computations that surpasses the capabilities of traditional supercomputers—an exciting leap forward for scientific research.
This groundbreaking installation is part of an ambitious project commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), a national research and development entity under Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
Looking ahead, the next phase of this collaboration will focus on the integration of a quantum-HPC hybrid platform in 2025. Quantinuum is excited to team up with RIKEN and other partners to optimize operations within this innovative hybrid environment.
Additionally, Quantinuum will continue collaborating with RIKEN researchers to advance scientific discovery across various applications. The company will work with local suppliers to enhance the quantum supply chain and foster growth within the Japanese quantum computing ecosystem through customized, in-person workshops and tutorials.
Dr. Mitsuhisa Sato, Division Director of the Quantum-HPC Hybrid Platform Division, RIKEN Center for Computational Science, said: “Reimei’s high-fidelity qubits and all-to-all connectivity will significantly enhance the research possibilities of our quantum-HPC hybrid platform. We are thrilled to explore new frontiers in scientific research on quantum-HPC hybrid applications by using the Quantinuum system with our Fugaku.”
Dr. Rajeeb Hazra, President and CEO of Quantinuum, emphasized the significance of this milestone: “This installation represents a pivotal moment for our global strategy, marking the first on-site deployment of our quantum technology outside the U.S. We are eager to collaborate with RIKEN’s exceptional researchers, whose expertise will be instrumental in driving unprecedented scientific breakthroughs.”
About RIKEN
RIKEN, a National Research and Development Agency, is Japan’s largest comprehensive research institution renowned for high-quality research in a diverse range of scientific disciplines. Founded in 1917, initially as a private research foundation, RIKEN has grown rapidly in size and scope, today encompassing a network of world-class research centers and institutes across Japan.
About Quantinuum
Quantinuum, the world’s largest and leading 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.
For more information, please visit the website at www.quantinuum.com