Rigetti Unveils the public availability of its 84-qubit Ankaa-2 quantum system, which offers a 2.5x performance improvement compared to its previous quantum processing units (QPUs). The Ankaa-2 system, available via Rigetti’s Quantum Cloud Services, features a new chip fabrication process, superconducting PCB technology, and improved control signals. The system achieved a 98% median 2-qubit fidelity, a significant improvement in error performance. Rigetti CEO, Dr. Subodh Kulkarni, and CTO, David Rivas, highlighted the importance of high-quality qubits and the company’s commitment to advancing quantum computing technology.
Rigetti Unveils Ankaa-2
“Rigetti’s focus on improving our median 2-qubit fidelities is a crucial part of our mission to build the world’s most powerful computers. Useful quantum computers will need not only a large number of qubits, but also high quality qubits. Reaching 98% fidelity on the Ankaa-2 system is the result of years of innovation and commitment from our teams across the technology stack. Now that the Ankaa-2 system is available to all of our customers and partners, I look forward to focusing on continued progress in accelerating this transformational technology,”
Dr. Subodh Kulkarni, Rigetti CEO.
Rigetti’s Ankaa-2 System Now Publicly Available
Rigetti Computing, Inc., a public company specializing in full-stack quantum-classical computing, has announced the public availability of its 84-qubit Ankaa-2 quantum system. The system is accessible to all customers via Rigetti’s Quantum Cloud Services (QCS) as of December 20, 2023. The Ankaa-2 system is based on Rigetti’s fourth-generation chip architecture, which features tunable couplers and a square lattice. This architecture allows for high-fidelity 2-qubit operations, a significant improvement over Rigetti’s previous systems. The Ankaa-2 system also boasts the highest qubit count quantum processing unit (QPU) available to the public from the company.
Performance Improvements in Ankaa-2 System
The Ankaa-2 system has achieved a 98% median 2-qubit fidelity, marking a 2.5x performance improvement compared to Rigetti’s previous QPUs. This improvement is the result of several technology updates to the Ankaa-2 system. These include the implementation of a new chip fabrication process, which results in qubits with fewer atomic defects, the incorporation of new superconducting PCB technology that improves thermal performance, and electronics improvements that generate control signals with less noise.
Rigetti’s Commitment to Quantum Computing
Rigetti’s CEO, Dr. Subodh Kulkarni, emphasized the company’s commitment to improving median 2-qubit fidelities as part of their mission to build the world’s most powerful computers. He stated that useful quantum computers will require not only a large number of qubits but also high-quality qubits. The achievement of 98% fidelity on the Ankaa-2 system is the result of years of innovation and commitment from Rigetti’s teams. With the Ankaa-2 system now available to all customers and partners, the company is looking forward to continued progress in accelerating this transformational technology.
Rigetti’s Strategy for Quantum Advantage
David Rivas, Rigetti’s CTO, expressed satisfaction with the progress made with the Ankaa-class architecture against their QPU roadmap and qubit performance. He emphasized the need for high-performance qubits and a large number of them to reach quantum advantage. Rigetti has already designed and deployed a modular architecture, tiling multiple chips together, which they believe is the way forward towards building larger systems. The company believes that a densely connected square lattice with tunable couplers that allows control of qubit interactions is the foundation for driving qubit performance.
Rigetti’s Previous Quantum Computing Developments
The public launch of the Ankaa-2 system follows the release of the Novera QPU, Rigetti’s first commercially available QPU. The Novera QPU is based on the same Ankaa-class architecture and is designed for hands-on access to state-of-the-art quantum hardware for foundational quantum computing R&D.
Rigetti is a pioneer in full-stack quantum computing. The company has operated quantum computers over the cloud since 2017 and serves global enterprise, government, and research clients through its Rigetti Quantum Cloud Services platform. Rigetti has developed the industry’s first multi-chip quantum processor for scalable quantum computing systems. The company designs and manufactures its chips in-house at Fab-1, the industry’s first dedicated and integrated quantum device manufacturing facility.
“I am thrilled with the progress we are making with our Ankaa-class architecture against our QPU roadmap and qubit performance. To reach quantum advantage we know we need high performance qubits, and a lot of them. We’ve already designed and deployed a modular architecture, tiling multiple chips together demonstrating what we believe is the way forward towards building larger systems.
David Rivas, Rigetti CTO.
We believe a densely connected square lattice with tunable couplers that allows us to control qubit interactions is the foundation for driving qubit performance. A 2.5x increase in error performance against our previous QPUs, increasing our fidelities by 3%, coupled with our scaling approach, shows us that we have a promising strategy for building increasingly higher performing QPUs to help our customers solve their most pressing problems,”
Summary
The 84-qubit Ankaa-2 quantum system, which offers a 2.5 times performance improvement over previous quantum processing units, is now publicly accessible. The system, which achieved a 98% median 2-qubit fidelity, is based on a fourth-generation chip architecture that enables high fidelity 2-qubit operations.
- Rigetti Computing, a pioneer in quantum-classical computing, has announced the public availability of its 84-qubit Ankaa-2 quantum system.
- The Ankaa-2 system is accessible to all customers via Rigetti’s Quantum Cloud Services.
- The system has achieved a 98% median 2-qubit fidelity, marking a 2.5x performance improvement compared to Rigetti’s previous Quantum Processing Units (QPUs).
- The Ankaa-2 system is based on Rigetti’s fourth-generation chip architecture, featuring tunable couplers and a square lattice, which enable high fidelity 2-qubit operations.
- The system’s improvements in fidelity are due to a new chip fabrication process, the incorporation of new superconducting PCB technology, and electronics improvements that generate control signals with less noise.
- Rigetti CEO, Dr. Subodh Kulkarni, and CTO, David Rivas, have expressed their satisfaction with the progress and performance of the Ankaa-2 system.
- The public launch of the Ankaa-2 system follows the release of the Novera QPU, Rigetti’s first commercially available QPU, which is based on the same Ankaa-class architecture.
