Oxford Ionics, a trapped-ion quantum computing company founded in 2019, has partnered with Iceberg Quantum, a quantum architecture firm established in 2024, to accelerate the development of fault-tolerant quantum computing. The collaboration, part of Oxford Ionics’ participation in the US DARPA Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, will combine Oxford Ionics’ hardware with Iceberg Quantum’s Quantum Low-Density Parity-Check (qLDPC) codes, aiming to reduce the hardware overhead required for quantum error correction. Oxford Ionics, which has raised $37 million in funding, commercialised its technology in 2024 with sales to the UK’s National Quantum Computing Centre and Germany’s Cyberagentur.
Quantum Error Correction and the Pursuit of Fault Tolerance Ensuring low error rates is paramount in the construction of quantum computers, with error management achievable through both engineering low error rates and the application of Quantum Error Correction (QEC), a software protocol designed to correct hardware errors. QEC is critical to building fault-tolerant quantum computers by encoding logical qubits into a larger number of physical qubits, enabling error detection and correction without disturbing the encoded information and thus facilitating complex quantum algorithms.
Quantum Low-Density Parity-Check (qLDPC) codes represent a promising alternative to more established QEC methods, combining powerful error protection with dramatically lower qubit overhead due to their sparse and non-local structure. Recent breakthroughs demonstrate that qLDPC codes can achieve constant rate and linear distance, signifying stronger protection against errors with fewer additional qubits as the system scales. The structure of qLDPC codes also lends itself to fast, parallel decoding, a feature critical for real-time quantum computing applications.
Trapped-ion hardware is uniquely well-suited to qLDPC codes, benefiting from long-range connectivity, excellent coherence times, and higher gate fidelities. These features facilitate the non-local interactions required by qLDPC codes and allow them to operate effectively in low physical-error-rate regimes where their advantages are greatest.
Iceberg Quantum is at the forefront of qLDPC code development, pioneering the first general-purpose methods for performing targeted, universal logic gates with qLDPC codes, a critical theoretical advancement enabling practical computation with these codes. The company is developing architectures that aim to reduce the overhead for quantum error correction by over an order of magnitude.
Oxford Ionics is well-positioned to benefit from qLDPC codes, owing to its all-to-all connectivity and record-breaking fidelities, currently holding world records in single-qubit gate fidelity, two-qubit gate fidelity, and quantum state preparation and measurement (SPAM). The two companies are collaborating on a design of fault-tolerant quantum architecture that combines Oxford Ionics’ trapped-ion technology with Iceberg Quantum’s qLDPC codes.
The Promise of qLDPC Codes Recent breakthroughs demonstrate that qLDPC codes can achieve constant rate and linear distance, meaning stronger protection against errors with fewer extra qubits as the system grows. Their structure also lends itself to fast, parallel decoding, critical for real-time quantum computing.
Iceberg Quantum is developing architectures that aim to reduce the overhead for quantum error correction by over an order of magnitude, and pioneered the first general-purpose methods for performing targeted, universal logic gates with qLDPC codes, a critical theoretical advancement enabling practical computation with these codes. Oxford Ionics is well-positioned to benefit from qLDPC codes, owing to its all-to-all connectivity and record-breaking fidelities, currently holding world records in single-qubit gate fidelity, two-qubit gate fidelity, and quantum state preparation and measurement (SPAM). The two companies are collaborating on a design of fault-tolerant quantum architecture that combines Oxford Ionics’ trapped-ion technology with Iceberg Quantum’s qLDPC codes.
Partnership to Integrate qLDPC with Trapped-Ion Technology Oxford Ionics and Iceberg Quantum are collaborating on a design of fault-tolerant quantum architecture that combines Oxford Ionics’ leading trapped-ion technology with Iceberg Quantum’s qLDPC codes. This collaboration forms part of Oxford Ionics’ participation in Stage A of the United States DARPA Quantum Benchmarking Initiative.
Dr Chris Ballance, co-founder and CEO of Oxford Ionics, commented that qLDPC codes are an exciting, rapidly-improving technology, and with Iceberg Quantum’s expertise, they can ensure they stay ahead of this development curve and implement the latest research into their products. Dr Felix Thomsen, co-founder and CEO of Iceberg Quantum, commented that with unparalleled gate fidelities and long-range connectivity built into its hardware, Oxford Ionics is uniquely positioned to benefit from the qLDPC code approach, which they believe will significantly accelerate the path to fault tolerance.
The collaboration seeks to unlock commercially useful applications years sooner than expected. Oxford Ionics’ all-to-all connectivity and record-breaking fidelities are expected to be particularly beneficial in this integration, as the company currently holds world records in single-qubit gate fidelity, two-qubit gate fidelity, and quantum state preparation and measurement (SPAM).
Company Profiles Oxford Ionics and Iceberg Quantum Oxford Ionics was co-founded in 2019 by Dr Tom Harty and Dr Chris Ballance, both of whom hold world records in quantum breakthroughs. The team comprises 80 global experts across physics, quantum architecture, engineering, and software, and expects to triple headcount over the next 18 months as the business scales internationally. The company has raised $37 million to date, with investors including Braavos, OSE, Lansdowne Partners, Prosus Ventures, 2xN, and Hermann Hauser. In 2024, Oxford Ionics rapidly commercialised its technology, selling full-stack quantum computers to the UK’s National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) and Germany’s Cyberagentur.
Iceberg Quantum is a quantum architecture company designing the next generation of fault-tolerant architectures based on LDPC codes. Founded in 2024 by Felix Thomsen, Sam Smith and Larry Cohen, PhD graduates from the University of Sydney’s quantum error correction group led by Prof. Stephen Bartlett, Iceberg is developing architectures that reduce the overhead for quantum error correction by over an order of magnitude. Backed by Blackbird Ventures and LocalGlobe, Iceberg is building a fault tolerance research lab and partnering with leading quantum hardware companies.
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