Quantum Error Suppression Software Boosts Performance on Rigetti’s 84-Qubit Computer

Q-CTRL’s performance-enhancing software, Fire Opal, is now available on Rigetti’s 84-qubit quantum computer, Ankaa-3, via the Rigetti Quantum Cloud Services platform. This integration delivers automated error suppression and performance improvements to address the inherent fragility and error susceptibility of quantum computations. Early access has demonstrated performance gains in benchmark tests – including a 32x improvement in a financial modelling application – and has been validated through collaborations with organisations such as the NSW Office of the Chief Scientist. The availability of Fire Opal on Ankaa-3 allows users to immediately access these benefits and explore enhanced quantum capabilities.

Enhanced Quantum Computation Through Active Error Mitigation

Quantum computation holds the promise of solving complex problems intractable for classical computers, but its realisation is hampered by the inherent fragility of quantum states. These states, represented by qubits – the quantum analogue of classical bits – are susceptible to environmental noise, leading to errors that rapidly degrade computational accuracy. Q-CTRL’s Fire Opal software significantly enhances quantum computation by actively mitigating errors. This unlocks the potential for improved performance.

The primary challenge in building practical quantum computers lies in maintaining quantum coherence – the ability of a qubit to exist in a superposition of states. Any interaction with the environment causes decoherence, effectively collapsing the superposition and introducing errors. Traditional error correction methods often require significant overhead in terms of additional qubits, increasing the complexity and cost of quantum systems.

Fire Opal employs a different approach, utilising dynamical decoupling techniques. This involves applying carefully timed pulses to the qubits, effectively shielding them from environmental noise without the need for extensive redundancy. By actively suppressing errors at the qubit level, the software extends coherence times and improves the fidelity of quantum operations.