More Than Meets the Eye
Infleqtion's "Sqale" Neutral Atom Quantum Computer
Infleqtion recently announced that it had delivered a 100-qubit neutral atom quantum computer to the UK’s National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC), which caught me by surprise because Infleqtion had already delivered a 256-atom system to the same NQCC back in 2024. Why would they celebrate delivering a smaller system?
Atoms in Disguise
Physically, Infleqtion delivered a 256-atom analog system back in 2024. Key word: analog. That same system now has a digital mode that uses up to 100 of the 256 available atoms as qubits. So, it’s the digital mode that has been delivered, and the system is now the first 100-qubit system at the NQCC. Its purpose is to allow researchers to play with both quantum error correction (QEC) and real-world materials science and optimization applications.
If you re-read that last paragraph carefully, you may note the distinction not only between models of computation, but also between the use of “atoms” and “qubits.” According to Infleqtion, you need a defect-free atomic array to have a true quantum computer. The former is a prerequisite for the latter; therefore, a distinction is made between the atoms used with the former and the qubits they become with the latter.
Transform and roll out.
Just like 80’s-era Transformers toys, therefore, the exciting part of playing with Sqale is that it can transform between analog and digital models. You use some internal code to access the analog model and Infleqtion’s Superstaq software to access the digital model. Also like the toys, each computer is sold separately.
Like the animated versions of the Transformers, Sqale fires lasers. But it does something special with its lasers that other neutral atom providers don’t do. No, they don’t fire lasers at Decepticons; however, Sqale fires photons at atoms in a way that causes in-place entanglement. This allows Sqale to use movement sparingly, which consequently allows the system to operate faster than competitive architectures.
Conclusion
If we analogize real-world problems to the evil forces of the Decepticons, then Sqale would indeed seem to be the leader of the Autobots.
