Quantum computing firm QuEra aims to deliver a fault-tolerant machine called Libra by 2028, making it available via cloud services. The system would mark a significant step toward practical quantum computing by reducing errors that currently limit the technology's usefulness.
QuEra researchers, led by Yuval Boger, say the machine will use between 10,000 and 15,000 neutral-atom qubits grouped into 256 logical qubits. Each logical qubit is projected to produce an error only once in a million operations, allowing the system to perform one million operations known as a megaquop.
The company is running five experimental machines to address engineering challenges such as atom replacement and laser management. Boger noted that the balance of work has shifted from mostly science to more engineering.
Experts including Thomas Wong of Creighton University and Joe Fitzsimons of Horizon Quantum Computing described the 2028 target as ambitious yet plausible given QuEra's prior work on error correction. Industry competitor IBM has set a later goal of 2029 for similar systems.
Libra is being developed in partnership with Amazon Web Services for cloud access. Researchers say the machine could support complex simulations in physics and materials science.
