Pasqal, a company developing neutral-atom based quantum computers, has achieved a significant milestone by successfully loading over 1,000 atoms in a single shot within their quantum processor. This breakthrough is a critical step towards scalable quantum computing, allowing for more complex optimization problems and quantum simulations.

Pasqal’s architecture confines and manipulates rubidium atoms using electromagnetic fields within a cryogenic environment at 6 K. The atoms’ internal energy states function as qubits for performing quantum operations. The company demonstrated the trapping of over 1,110 atoms across approximately 2,000 traps and showcased atom-by-atom rearrangement using optical tweezers controlled by a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). This advancement highlights the feasibility of large-scale neutral atom quantum computing, crucial for building scalable processors capable of addressing problems beyond the reach of classical computers.

There is still much work left to be done in order to continue improving the technology. Future work includes improving the quality of the vacuum which can limit the trapping lifetime, improving the rearrangement procedure by using multiple tweezers, and demonstrating the needed control of the atoms to perform useful quantum computations. Pasqal aims to develop quantum processors with over 1,000 qubits, progressing towards 10,000 qubits by 2026-2027, in alignment with their strategic roadmap.

For more information on this scientific achievement, please reference the full paper here and a press release the company has provided here .

June 25, 2024