Aeponyx tech lets Pasqal control four qubits on a chip

Pasqal reports trapping individual atoms using laser light generated by a photonic integrated circuit, a first for neutral-atom quantum computing. Achieved less than 18 months after acquiring Aeponyx, this milestone addresses a key engineering challenge in scaling quantum processors beyond current limitations. “Building quantum computers that excel commercially means building hardware that delivers industry leading performance and can be manufactured in a scalable way,” said Wasiq Bokhari, Chief Executive Officer, Pasqal. The company aims to scale this technology toward processors with over 10,000 atoms and 100 logical qubits.This achievement, realized with technology from its subsidiary Aeponyx, addresses a significant engineering hurdle in building larger and more stable quantum systems. The company reports that this is the first instance of light delivered from a photonic chip successfully holding atoms within a neutral-atom quantum computer, validating an approach to qubit control that could dramatically reduce the size and complexity of future machines. The need for miniaturization stems from the architecture of neutral-atom quantum computers, which utilize highly focused laser beams to both trap and manipulate individual atoms functioning as qubits.By shifting critical optical functions onto a silicon-nitride photonic chip, Pasqal intends to shrink the physical footprint of its quantum processors by as much as 50 times. This demonstration involved generating four optical traps through a single photonic chip, each capable of holding a single atom.Testing revealed that the performance of this photonic-chip architecture matched that of Pasqal’s existing bulk-optics systems, maintaining atom lifetimes of approximately 27.5 seconds. This consistency is crucial because any degradation in qubit control quality would render the new technology impractical. The successful reproduction of these performance metrics validates integrated photonics as a viable building block for future neutral-atom processors, according to the company.Bokhari added, “By moving qubit control onto a photonic chip, we removed what we believe to be one of the biggest barriers to scale—and we did it within 18 months of acquiring Aeponyx. We are very proud of our team for achieving this milestone.” The development of this technology is not simply about reducing size, but about enabling a practical route to large-scale manufacturing.Current quantum computing prototypes are often painstakingly assembled by hand, a process unsustainable for commercial production. Photonic integrated circuits, however, are manufactured using well-established semiconductor fabrication techniques, offering the potential for mass production and lower costs. This is particularly important as the industry transitions from research and development to building commercially viable quantum computers. Pasqal’s strategy of owning the critical hardware layers of its stack, exemplified by the Aeponyx acquisition, is intended to accelerate this transition and deliver measurable technical and commercial advances.Pasqal’s long-term goal remains the creation of fault-tolerant, industrial-scale quantum computing systems. Achieving this requires not only increasing the number of qubits but also improving their coherence and reducing error rates. While this recent demonstration focuses on qubit control, the company is simultaneously working on other key areas, such as qubit connectivity and error correction.The ability to generate, route, and control laser light directly on-chip represents a significant step forward in realizing this ambitious vision, positioning Pasqal to build practical and scalable quantum computers. The company anticipates that this technology will be instrumental in addressing complex challenges in optimization, simulation, and artificial intelligence, serving clients and partners across industries including Saudi Aramco, LG Electronics, and IBM.Building quantum computers that excel commercially means building hardware that delivers industry leading performance and can be manufactured in a scalable way. Source: https://www.pasqal.com/newsroom/pasqal-brings-qubit-control-on-chip-advancing-the-path-to-fault-tolerant-quantum-computing-at-scale/ See today’s quantum computing news on Quantum Zeitgeist for the latest breakthroughs in qubits, hardware, algorithms, and industry deals.Dr. Donovan is a futurist and technology writer covering the quantum revolution. Where classical computers manipulate bits that are either on or off, quantum machines exploit superposition and entanglement to process information in ways that classical physics cannot. Dr. Donovan tracks the full quantum landscape: fault-tolerant computing, photonic and superconducting architectures, post-quantum cryptography, and the geopolitical race between nations and corporations to achieve quantum advantage. The decisions being made now, in research labs and government offices around the world, will determine who controls the most powerful computers ever built.