'This moves the timeline forward significantly': Quantum computing breakthrough could slash pesky errors by up to 100 times

Researchers have discovered a way to speed up quantum error correction (QEC) by a factor of up to 100 — a leap that could significantly shorten the time it takes quantum computers to solve complex problems.

The technique, called algorithmic fault tolerance (AFT), restructures quantum algorithms so they can detect and correct errors on the fly, rather than pausing to run checks at fixed intervals.

In simulations, AFT reduced the time and computational effort spent on error correction by up to 100 times while still maintaining accuracy, according to scientists at QuEra. The results, published Sept. 24 in the journal Nature, were based on tests run on a simulated neutral-atom quantum computer.

In an email to Live Science, Yuval Boger, chief commercial officer at QuEra, said the results marked "a major milestone on the roadmap to practical, large-scale quantum computers," with hardware tests likely to happen "in the next year or two."

"Practical fault-tolerant quantum computing requires both scalable hardware and efficient error correction. AFT directly addresses the efficiency side by removing a major bottleneck," Boger said. "While we’re not at full fault-tolerant systems yet, this result moves the timeline forward significantly, showing that the enormous overhead once assumed is not inevitable."

What is fault-tolerant quantum computing?

Quantum computers can theoretically process information faster than even today’s most powerful supercomputers, which themselves are orders of magnitude more powerful than a top-end PC.

The issue is that qubits, the quantum equivalent of classical computer bits, are notoriously fragile. To perform a reliable calculation, qubits must maintain a delicate quantum state, known as "coherence," long enough to process information. Even the smallest environmental disturbance — be it heat, noise, or electrical interference — can disrupt this state. When this happens, any information held by a qubit is destroyed.

Fault-tolerant quantum computing allows quantum systems to run longer, more complex calculations without being derailed by interference. It typically relies on QEC technologies like logical qubits, which protect information by sharing the same data across many physical qubits — often atoms, ions or superconducting circuits.

Since directly measuring a qubit directly destroys its quantum state, QEC ensures errors can be detected and corrected without collapsing the encoded information. However, it also adds a lot of computational overhead because it involves inserting error checks at regular intervals.

AFT works differently, instead restructuring quantum algorithms so that error detection is built into the flow of the computation itself.

"Instead of needing dozens of repetitions per operation, only a single check per logical step may be enough," Boger told Live Science. "This is a breakthrough because it dramatically reduces the overhead of error correction, meaning quantum computers can perform useful calculations with far less hardware and much faster execution times."

Why AFT and neutral-atom systems work together

Neutral-atom quantum computers may be particularly well-suited for AFT, QuEra representatives said in a statement. These store quantum information in individual atoms that are held in place and controlled by finely tuned laser beams, providing a built-in flexibility that enables qubits to be repositioned as needed.

"In these systems, any atom can be moved to interact with any other, which means they aren’t limited by fixed wiring like superconducting qubits are. This "all-to-all" flexibility is a natural fit for fault-tolerant schemes," Boger said. He added that they support parallel operations, meaning you can give the same instructions to multiple qubits at once. If one of them makes a mistake, the error is isolated and doesn't spread throughout the rest of the system.

Neutral-atom machines also operate at room temperature, avoiding the complexity and expense of extreme cryogenic cooling. "Taken together — flexibility, simultaneous operations and simpler infrastructure — neutral atoms are uniquely positioned to take advantage of algorithmic fault tolerance, even though other platforms may benefit as well," said Boger.

When the researchers applied AFT to simulations of QuEra’s neutral-atom architecture, they found it cut the time and computational resources needed for error correction by between 10 and 100 times, depending on the algorithm.

This kind of acceleration could make quantum computers fast enough to solve real-world problems that were previously considered out of reach, Boger said.

"Imagine an algorithm to optimize the global routes of shipping containers. Such an optimization algorithm might require a month of runtime on a future error-corrected quantum computer. By the time the algorithm finishes, conditions have changed and thus the results are no longer useful. With this new method, the same calculation could potentially be finished in less than a day, moving it from theoretical to practical usefulness."