A six-fold leap towards practical quantum advantage has been achieved by QMill, a Finnish quantum algorithm company, using just 48 qubits and 99.94% accuracy. This breakthrough significantly lowers the bar for demonstrating quantum superiority – previous estimates required 200 qubits and 99.99% accuracy. QMill’s latest results suggest their algorithm can outperform even El Capitan, the world’s most powerful supercomputer, and crucially, verify its results using a standard laptop. “Our goal is to make verification of cloud-based quantum computers practical on the best machines available now and on all good machines in the near term,” says Mikko Möttönen, Chief Scientist and Co-Founder of QMill, signaling a major step forward in realizing the potential of near-term quantum computing.
Six-Fold Fault Tolerance Achieves Near-Term Quantum Advantage
QMill, a quantum-algorithm and software company based in Espoo, Finland, announced on January 22, 2026, simulation results indicating a significant reduction in the requirements for achieving quantum advantage. This represents a six-fold improvement in fault tolerance, previously estimated to require 200 qubits and 99.99% accuracy. This leap forward isn’t merely about theoretical speed; it’s about demonstrable verification. QMill’s algorithm is designed to allow confirmation of genuine quantum computation using a standard laptop, addressing a critical hurdle in the field. The team’s estimations, currently awaiting peer review and publication, are based on advanced mathematical calculations and numerical analyses.
The company’s focus remains firmly on the NISQ (noisy intermediate-scale quantum) era, developing algorithms suited to current hardware limitations. QMill isn’t simply aiming for speed; they’re prioritizing practical value and usability. “Unlocking quantum advantage involves not just algorithms that outperform classical computers but also demonstrating their practical value,” said Ville Kotovirta, CTO and Co-Founder of QMill.
Hannu Kauppinen, CEO and Co-Founder, emphasized the broader implications, stating, “These results bring quantum advantage within reach—an important signal for the quantum community as well as our current and future customers.” QMill intends to translate this algorithmic success into a marketable product, recognizing the growing investment and potential for tens of billions of dollars in quantum-computing revenue by the mid-2030s.
QMill Algorithm Verifies Quantum Results with Classical Systems
Their newly developed algorithm aims to solve a key challenge in the noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) era: confirming that results generated by a quantum computer are genuinely superior to those achievable with classical systems. This isn’t simply about faster processing; it’s about establishing trust in emerging quantum cloud services. The algorithm reportedly requires only 48 qubits operating at 99.94% accuracy to achieve quantum advantage – a substantial reduction from previous estimations needing 200 qubits and 99.99% accuracy. The team emphasizes the importance of not just algorithmic performance, but also demonstrable practical value. Their focus remains on developing algorithms suited for the NISQ era, enabling quantum researchers and industrial sectors to leverage near-term quantum capabilities.
NISQ Era Algorithms Target Practical Industrial Applications
This development isn’t simply about theoretical speed; it’s about creating a system where genuine quantum computation can be confirmed through readily available classical computing resources. This necessitates “compact, resilient to noise, and paired with classical checks that confirm the result,” according to company background information. This focus on verifiable results is central to QMill’s strategy. The company isn’t just seeking speedups, but “the ability to validate quantum computation with relatively light classical checks and having quantum speed‑up over the fastest supercomputers is an enabler of useful quantum computing,” Möttönen added.
Our goal is to make verification of cloud-based quantum computers practical on the best machines available now and on all good machines in the near term. The ability to validate quantum computation with relatively light classical checks and having quantum speed‑up over the fastest supercomputers is an enabler of useful quantum computing.
