Head of Quantum Applications

QuEra scientists named co-principal investigators on three of nine teams in Department of Energy's quantum chemistry program, now underway. October 15, 2026 Teams led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Phasecraft partner with QuEra for work on superconductors, high-performance magnets, and hydrogen production applications. BOSTON, MA - October 15, 2026 - QuEra Computing, the leader in quantum computing, today announced that its scientists will work with three of the nine teams selected for the Quantum Computing for Computational Chemistry (QC3) program at the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy (ARPA-E) to develop neutral-atom-based modeling frameworks for complex materials and molecules. The three-year program, announced by the Department of Energy in March 2026, directs $37 million across the program performers. QC3 exists to close the gap between vendor roadmaps that are rapidly transitioning to expanded logical capabilities by the end of the decade but don't yet clearly map to the resources required for published algorithms for energy-relevant chemistry applications. ARPA-E's premise is that the gap closes through full-stack co-design, where improvements of two to three times at each layer of the stack compound into an order of magnitude overall. The program asks its teams to identify an application worth a quadrillion BTU of energy or a gigaton of CO[2]-equivalent, and to pursue a scalable hundredfold improvement over classical state of the art, validated at approximately 100 logical qubits. QuEra's updated roadmap targets 1,000 logical qubits by 2029, providing ample hardware capability for this program. The three projects. QuEra scientists serve as co-principal investigators on each of the following teams, contributing neutral-atom access, expertise, algorithm and architecture co-design. * SuperKIQ, led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Superconductor search through Krylov-inspired quantum algorithms, aimed at deepening understanding of high-temperature superconductors and accelerating the discovery of new superconducting materials by co-designing algorithms and error-correction protocols for hardware with reconfigurable connectivity. The team also includes NASA Ames, the University of Southern California, Michigan State University, Citrine Informatics, and Azulene Labs. * MAGNETIQC, led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Quantum and machine-learning-accelerated software tools applied to the discovery of ultra-strong, lightweight magnets for electric motors, generators, and high-performance information technology. The team also includes members from Columbia University, the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center Application Technology Group, and Citrine Informatics. * Quantum Computing for Hydrogen Fuel Production, led by Phasecraft. Optimized quantum algorithms for simulating electrolysis, with the primary objective of reducing reliance on iridium, a critical mineral, in hydrogen production. The team also includes Phasecraft Ltd, Johnson Matthey, and Harvard University. Why neutral atoms support ARPA-E's mission. The QC3 solicitation required every applicant to submit a letter of intent from a quantum hardware provider as part of its application, which made the hardware choice a gating requirement rather than a later implementation detail. Five of the nine selected primes are hardware companies running their own machines. QuEra is the external hardware provider partner for three out of the remaining four projects. QuEra's neutral-atom technology and application co-design approach is an attractive choice for partners thanks to the architectural benefits it provides for full-stack application development and optimization across both error correction and application layers. Neutral atoms are identical by nature, controlled wirelessly by lasers, and are reconfigurable, which enables a high degree of connectivity: a core lever in algorithm development and error correction implementation. "QuEra's architecture and software stack give researchers exceptional flexibility to co-design quantum error correction and fault-tolerant applications with the hardware itself," said Shengtao Wang, VP of Algorithms and Applications at QuEra. "That flexibility is especially valuable in a long-term program like ARPA-E's QC3, which aims to deliver a step change in computational chemistry and materials science." Co-Design as the method. ARPA-E's co-design thesis is one that QuEra is closely aligned with. With Los Alamos National Laboratory, QuEra published a transversal STAR architecture in PRX Quantum in June 2026 that delivers up to 250 times faster execution and roughly half the physical qubits of conventional fault-tolerant approaches for structured quantum simulation, achieved specifically by co-designing error correction around neutral-atom reconfigurable connectivity. Separately, algorithmic fault tolerance published in Nature in 2025 reduced runtime overhead by 10 to 100 times for reconfigurable architectures. "We have a growing body of evidence that the earliest examples of quantum advantage will be the result of co-design across the entire application stack, from the algorithm design, to the QEC architecture, to the hardware itself," said Stefan Ostermann, Director of Quantum Applications at QuEra. "The Department of Energy's approach through QC3 is one we deeply agree with, and we are excited to partner closely with them over the course of this program." * Read the ARPA-E program details: QC3 program page and project descriptions * Read the co-design result, the transversal STAR architecture published with Los Alamos National Laboratory: https://journals.aps.org/prxquantum/abstract/10.1103/j2fw-ccmy, https://arxiv.org/html/2606.25011v1 * Explore QuEra's work with national programs: www.quera.com/national-programs * Explore the roadmap, covering Libra and QuEra's next-generation gigaquop-class system: quera.com/its-quantum-roadmap

QEC co-designs QuEra's compiler with quantum hardware. QuEra is co-designing its compiler with quantum hardware to address a surprising inefficiency. The Gidney implementation of Shor's algorithm spends 99.5% of its qubit-cycles idle, with qubits waiting rather than computing. Yuval Baum of Q-CTRL argues current quantum software design starts "from the top down," creating theoretical codes and hoping hardware can run them, rather than tailoring software to existing capabilities. This approach overlooks the critical need for software that can efficiently execute workloads, even as qubit counts rise. Q-CTRL's Quantum Compiler for Heterogeneous Execution, Scheduling and Synthesis, or Q-CHESS, aims to reduce algorithmic logical error by scheduling algorithms onto user-defined architectures. Heterogeneous architecture reduces logical errors in Q-CHESS. The company aims to achieve a 10-6 logical error rate with its Libra system, requiring over 10,000 physical qubits to construct 256 error-corrected logical qubits by 2028; however, QuEra recognizes that qubit count alone does not guarantee functional quantum computation. This inefficiency prompted a shift in focus toward software optimization and architectural design, rather than solely pursuing faster gate speeds. Proposed answer borrows from classical computing: rather than one uniform sea of identical qubits, a heterogeneous architecture of small, fast QPU modules (each with its own magic state factory, each O(1) in size no matter how large the algorithm grows) connected to a hierarchy of memory, with the weight of scaling carried by memory rather than by compute. Idle logical qubits get moved to slower, cheaper storage instead of being maintained at full speed in the processor. Idle logical qubits are then moved to slower, less expensive storage, rather than being maintained at full speed within the processor itself; this strategy mirrors techniques used in classical computing to manage resources efficiently. Q-CHESS, the Quantum Compiler for Heterogeneous Execution, Scheduling and Synthesis, results in orders-of-magnitude reduction in algorithmic logical error for the same algorithm, unchanged, simply scheduled onto a better architecture. The error budget changes as you iterate: idling stops dominating, state transfer across interconnects takes over, and with further tuning you arrive at the regime where you are limited by the T gates you genuinely need. Q-CTRL's compiler enables independent stack development. QuEra's compiler stack prioritizes independent development through layered abstraction, allowing quantum error correction experts and hardware engineers to iterate rapidly without dependencies. Stefan Krastanov, leading the quantum error correction layer, explained that this separation isn't primarily about intellectual property, but an engineering decision designed to accelerate progress on both fronts. The team's approach allows for a stable interface between layers, enabling parallel development and reducing bottlenecks inherent in tightly coupled systems, QuEra says. This modular design extends to resource estimation, made possible by parameterizing each compiler step with a machine-readable description of the target architecture. The system is slated for release on Amazon Braket in 2028, with a Next Gen Gigaquop-class system planned for 2028/2029, and the ability to estimate resources before physical construction is a key benefit of this layered approach. Underlying this architecture is Kirin, QuEra's open-source compiler infrastructure, which is general-purpose and not limited to quantum computing. This foundation supports the development of a complete stack, including PPVM and Tsim, all of which are available on GitHub. Recognizing the complexity of building a fault-tolerant computer, QuEra recently co-organized the first Workshop on Compilation, Emulation and Verification of Neutral Atom Computing (CEVNAC 2026) alongside IEEE Quantum Week in Toronto, emphasizing the need for collaborative development within the quantum computing community. Kirin infrastructure supports pre-build resource estimation. Heterogeneous architectures offer a potential solution to the challenge of scaling quantum computation, shifting the burden from compute to memory resources. This contrasts with approaches that attempt to reduce physical qubit counts without considering the impact on runtime, as a reduction to ten thousand physical qubits can result in a 43,000-day execution time for algorithms like Shor's. The company's strategy prioritizes a hierarchy of memory connected to these modules, aiming to manage the scaling demands through memory capacity rather than computational power. Lowering targets within the system focus on embedded controllers and simplifying fundamental operations. A transversal CNOT gate between code blocks, for example, is designed to remain a single, simple operation throughout the entire architecture due to the microarchitecture's efficiency. An in-block T gate on a logical qubit expands into resource allocation from a replenished buffer, followed by a permutation of logical qubits and a teleported T gate, further breaking down into gates, measurements and conditional operations. This parameterization also enables resource estimation before the Libra system is physically built, combining coarse operation counting with physical simulations of atomic movements. "The logical error rate is the most accurate resource estimate you can possibly get," stated a company representative, highlighting the importance of error rates in assessing system viability. PPVM models asynchronous atom movement & failure modes. Lowering application code into architecture-specific quantum error correction (QEC) gadgets is now managed by a system that treats atom placement like virtual memory, according to colleagues describing QuEra's approach. This pipeline descends from abstract code to primitive gadgets, accounting for the physical layout of atoms within the trapping hardware and assigning resources without relying on absolute coordinates. Phillip Weinberg argues that simulating a fault-tolerant machine at this scale requires more than simply running a circuit and reading the output, as atom movement, previously considered free, must now be accounted for by QEC. Some atom moves depend on measurement outcomes, demanding real-time decisions from the processor rather than pre-scheduled actions. The resulting machine operates asynchronously, with atom reloading, decoding and magic state production each running on independent timelines. Understanding the interactions between the quantum and classical runtime components, the CPU, field-programmable gate arrays, optics, atoms and decoder, is critical, and QuEra's Pauli Propagation Virtual Machine (PPVM) is the company's first public tool for modeling this complexity. PPVM combines stabilizer simulation with a model of the interacting runtime and noise sampling that addresses atom-specific failure modes, including single-atom loss during gate operations and correlated loss when qubits are entangled. Phillip Weinberg, who covered compiler and simulation stack, stated. Kirin, PPVM, and Tsim are all available on GitHub, reflecting QuEra's commitment to collaborative development, and this collaborative approach acknowledges that no single company can independently develop the necessary tools for a fully functional, scalable quantum computer. Stay current See today's quantum computing news on Quantum Zeitgeist for the latest breakthroughs in qubits, hardware, algorithms, and industry deals.

QuEra Computing has partnered with HPE to integrate neutral-atom fault-tolerant quantum computing with on-premises high-performance computing environments powered by the HPE Cray supercomputing platform. The collaboration targets HPC centres, national laboratories, and enterprises. The partnership aligns with the US Department of Energy's Genesis Mission, which combines AI, supercomputing, quantum systems, and scientific instruments. QuEra and HPE will pursue integrated testbeds, hybrid algorithm co-design, and software interoperability. QuEra now offers two deployment routes: on-premises through HPE for sovereign workloads, and cloud access through a major cloud provider. Libra, QuEra's first fault-tolerant quantum computer featuring over 256 logical qubits, is targeted for cloud availability in 2028. The companies have collaborated since 2025, with HPE showcasing their joint vision at HPE Discover Las Vegas 2026.