Latest Quantum Industry & Ecosystem News
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Feb- 2025 -23 FebruaryIndustry
Microsoft’s Majorana-Based Quantum Chip – Beyond the Hype
In February 2025, Microsoft unveiled “Majorana 1,” an eight-qubit quantum chip built on a topological qubit architecture – a first-of-its-kind design leveraging exotic Majorana quasiparticles. This chip uses a new material called a “topoconductor” (a specially engineered topological superconductor) made from indium arsenide and aluminum, which can host and control Majorana zero modes (MZMs) to serve as qubits. Microsoft’s announcement…
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Dec- 2024 -31 DecemberSystems & Engineering
Google AI’s Surface Code Breaks the Quantum Error Threshold
In a landmark experiment, Google Quantum AI researchers have demonstrated the first quantum memory operating below the error-correction threshold on a superconducting processor. Using two new “Willow” quantum chips of 72 and 105 qubits, the team ran surface code error-correction cycles that actually outperformed the best physical qubits, a long-sought milestone in quantum computing. For the larger distance-7 surface code…
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30 DecemberIndustry
Russia Unveils First 50-Qubit Quantum Computer Prototype
Russian scientists have unveiled the country’s first prototype quantum computer to achieve 50 qubits, marking a significant leap in its national quantum program. Researchers at Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) and the Russian Quantum Center (RQC) developed the 50-qubit device using neutral rubidium atoms as quantum bits. The prototype was successfully tested on December 19, 2024, just in time to…
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18 DecemberIndustry
Tianyan-504 Goes Live: China’s 504-Qubit Quantum Computer Joins the Cloud
18 Dec 2024 - The Tianyan-504, China's most powerful quantum computer, was formally unveiled on December 5, 2024 and is slated for integration into China Telecom's Tianyan quantum computing cloud platform, where it will be accessible to users worldwide. The announcement, made through Xinhua and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, marks the next stage for the 504-qubit Xiaohong chip: from…
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11 DecemberIndustry
Google Announces Willow Quantum Chip
Google has unveiled a new quantum processor named “Willow”, marking a major milestone in the race toward practical quantum computing. The 105-qubit Willow chip demonstrates two breakthroughs that have long eluded researchers: it dramatically reduces error rates as qubit count scales up, and it completed a computational task in minutes that would take a classical supercomputer longer than the age…
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Nov- 2024 -20 NovemberIndustry
IBM Unveils 156-Qubit ‘Heron R2’ Quantum Processor
IBM has announced a new 156-qubit quantum processor called Heron R2, marking a significant upgrade to its quantum computing hardware portfolio. The Heron R2 chip is the second-generation follow-up to IBM’s 133-qubit “Heron” processor introduced in late 2023. Building on its predecessor, the Heron R2 not only adds more qubits but also delivers major improvements in qubit coherence, gate fidelity,…
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6 NovemberIndustry
Banque de France & MAS Complete Landmark Post-Quantum Email Security Experiment
The Banque de France (BDF) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) have successfully completed a groundbreaking cross-border experiment in post-quantum cryptography (PQC), carried out between Paris and Singapore using ordinary internet infrastructure. This joint trial marks an important milestone in fortifying digital communications against future quantum-enabled cyber threats. By demonstrating quantum-resistant encryption and digital signatures on real-world email systems,…
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Oct- 2024 -1 OctoberIndustry
Gartner just put a date on the quantum threat – and it’s sooner than many think
Gartner just published a clear, plain‑English call to action on post‑quantum cryptography (PQC). The headline message is blunt: “Quantum computing will render traditional cryptography unsafe by 2029.” As someone who spends a lot of time helping enterprises inventory their crypto, map risks, and plan migrations, I welcome this. Enterprises listen to Gartner; a concrete date tends to galvanize roadmaps, budgets,…
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Aug- 2024 -30 AugustIndustry
India Tests First Indigenous 6-Qubit Quantum Processor
India has achieved a significant quantum computing milestone with its first successful test of a homegrown 6-qubit superconducting quantum processor. A team of scientists from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) completed end-to-end testing of the 6-qubit device, marking a major step in India’s quantum research efforts. This…
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May- 2024 -11 MayIndustry
China Unveils Xiaohong: A 504-Qubit Processor
Chinese researchers have announced “Xiaohong”, a new superconducting quantum processor boasting 504 qubits – the largest such chip ever built in China. This record-breaking processor, developed by the CAS Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics in collaboration with industry partner QuantumCTek, vaults China into the upper echelon of quantum hardware achievements. Xiaohong’s qubit count surpasses previous domestic…
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Apr- 2024 -4 AprilIndustry
Microsoft Announces Record Breaking Logical Qubit Results
Microsoft and Quantinuum have announced a major quantum computing breakthrough: the creation of the most reliable logical qubits on record, with error rates 800 times lower than those of physical qubits. In an achievement unveiled on April 3, 2024, the teams reported running over 14,000 quantum circuit trials without a single uncorrected error. This accomplishment was made possible by combining…
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Jan- 2024 -18 JanuaryIndustry
NATO publishes first Quantum Technologies Strategy, pledging a “quantum-ready” Alliance and a shift to quantum-safe crypto
NATO has released a public summary of its first Quantum Technologies Strategy, signalling that the Alliance now treats quantum as more than a long-term science project: it’s a near-term driver of military advantage, a cybersecurity risk, and a locus of strategic competition. The 5‑minute official text (dated 16 January 2024) frames quantum technologies as potentially transformative across sensing, imaging, positioning/navigation/timing…
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15 JanuaryIndustry
Origin Quantum’s Wukong: China’s 72-Qubit Processor
In a major milestone for China’s quantum tech ambitions, Hefei-based startup Origin Quantum has unveiled “Wukong,” a 72-qubit superconducting quantum processor. Launched on January 6, 2024, this third-generation quantum computer is China’s first home-grown superconducting quantum computer and the most advanced of its kind in the country. The system – named after the Monkey King Sun Wukong (famed for “72…
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Dec- 2023 -28 DecemberIndustry
IBM Unveils Next-Gen 133-Qubit ‘Heron’ Quantum Processor
IBM has announced a new superconducting quantum processor, code-named “Heron,” featuring 133 qubits and a host of architectural advances. The IBM Quantum Heron chip was unveiled at the IBM Quantum Summit 2023 as the company’s latest milestone in its quantum computing roadmap. IBM touts Heron as a next-generation processor that delivers significantly improved performance and reliability compared to its predecessors.…
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22 DecemberQuantum Security & PQC
2023 Quantum Threat Timeline Report Published
Dr. Michele Mosca, a prominent figure in the field of quantum computing and cryptography, and one of the most prominent voices advocating for active preparation of industries and governments for the quantum era regularly publishes a survey of global quantum computing experts on their Q-Day predictions. The latest report, “The 2023 Quantum Threat Timeline Report,” was just published. The report…
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