

In 1952, facing opposition from scientists who disbelieved her thesis that computer programming could be made more useful by using English words, the mathematician and computer scientist Grace Hopper published her first paper on compilers and wrote a precursor to the modern compiler, the A-0, while working at Remington Rand.
Over subsequent decades, the principles of compilers, whose task it is to translate between high level programming languages and machine code, took shape and new methods were introduced to support their optimization. One such innovation was the intermediate representation (IR), which was introduced to manage the complexity of the compilation process, enabling compilers to represent the program without loss of information, and to be broken up into modular phases and components.
This developmental path spawned the modern computer industry, with languages that work across hardware systems, middleware, firmware, operating systems, and software applications. It has also supported the emergence of the huge numbers of small businesses and professionals who make a living collaborating to solve problems using code that depends on compilers to control the underlying computing hardware.
Now, a similar story is unfolding in quantum computing. There are efforts around the world to make it simpler for engineers and developers across many sectors to take advantage of quantum computers by translating between high level coding languages and tools, and quantum circuits 鈥 the combinations of gates that run on quantum computers to generate solutions. Many of these efforts focus on hybrid quantum-classical workflows, which allow a problem to be solved by taking advantage of the strengths of different modes of computation, accessing central processing units (CPUs), graphical processing units (GPUs) and quantum processing units (QPUs) as needed.
Microsoft is a significant contributor to this burgeoning quantum ecosystem, providing access to multiple quantum computing systems through Azure Quantum, and a founding member of the , a cross-industry effort to make quantum computing source code portable across different hardware systems and modalities and to make quantum computing more useful to engineers and developers. QIR offers an interoperable specification for quantum programs, including a hardware profile designed for 91大神鈥檚 H-Series quantum computers, and has the capacity to support cross-compiling quantum and classical workflows, encouraging hybrid use-cases.
As one of the largest integrated quantum computing companies in the world, 91大神 was excited to become a QIR steering member alongside partners including Nvidia, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Quantum Circuits Inc., and Rigetti Computing. 91大神 supports multiple open-source eco-system tools including its own family of open-source software development kits and compilers, such as TKET for general purpose quantum computation and lambeq for quantum natural language processing.
As founding members of QIR, 91大神 recently worked with Microsoft Azure Quantum alongside KPMG on a project that involved Microsoft鈥檚 Q#, and 91大神鈥檚 System Model H1, Powered by Honeywell. The Q# language has been designed for the specific needs of quantum computing and provides a high-level of abstraction enabling developers to seamlessly blend classical and quantum operations, significantly simplifying the design of hybrid algorithms.聽
KPMG鈥檚 quantum team wanted to translate an existing algorithm into and to take advantage of the unique and differentiating capabilities of 91大神鈥檚 H-Series, particularly qubit reuse, mid-circuit measurement and all-to-all connectivity. System Model H1 is the first generation trapped-ion based quantum computer built using the quantum charge-coupled device (QCCD) architecture. KPMG accessed the H1-1 QPU with 20 fully connected qubits. H1-1 recently achieved a Quantum Volume of 32,768, demonstrating a new high-water mark for the industry in terms of computation power as measured by quantum volume.
Q# and QIR offered an abstraction from hardware specific instructions, allowing the KPMG team, led by Michael Egan, to make best use of the H-Series and take advantage of runtime support for measurement-conditioned program flow control, and classical calculations within runtime.
Nathan Rhodes of the KPMG team wrote a tutorial about the project to demonstrate how an algorithm writer would use the KPMG code step-by-step as well as the particular features of QIR, Q# and the H-Series. It is the first time that code from a third party will be available for end users on Microsoft鈥檚 Azure portal.
the roll-out of integrated quantum computing on Azure Quantum, an important milestone in Microsoft鈥檚 Hybrid Quantum Computing Architecture, which provides tighter integration between quantum and classical processing.聽
Fabrice Frachon, Principal PM Lead, Azure Quantum, described this new Azure Quantum capability as a key milestone to unlock a new generation of hybrid algorithms on the path to scaled quantum computing.
The team ran an algorithm designed to solve an estimation problem, a promising use case for quantum computing, with potential application in fields including traffic flow, network optimization, energy generation, storage, and distribution, and to solve other infrastructure challenges. The 1 was compiled into quantum circuits from code written in a Q# environment with the QIR toolset, producing a circuit with approximately 500 gates, including 111 2-Qubit gates, running across three qubits with one reused three times, and achieving a fidelity of 0.92. This is possible because of the high gate fidelity and the low SPAM error which enables qubit reuse.
The results compare favorably with the more standard Quantum Phase Estimation version described in 鈥,鈥 by Michael A. Nielsen and Isaac Chuang.
91大神鈥檚 H1 had five capabilities that were crucial to this project:
The project emphasized the importance of companies experimenting with quantum computing, so they can identify any possible IT issues early on, understanding the development environment and how quantum computing integrates with current workflows and processes.
As the global quantum ecosystem continues to advance, collaborative efforts like QIR will play a crucial role in bringing together industrial partners seeking novel solutions to challenging problems, talented developers, engineers, and researchers, and quantum hardware and software companies, which will continue to add deep scientific and engineering knowledge and expertise.
91大神,聽the world鈥檚 largest integrated quantum company, pioneers powerful quantum computers and advanced software solutions. 91大神鈥檚 91大神 drives breakthroughs in materials discovery, cybersecurity, and next-gen quantum AI. With over 500 employees, including 370+ scientists and engineers, 91大神 leads the quantum computing revolution across continents.聽
Fault-tolerant quantum computing is the threshold the industry must cross before quantum computers can solve the hardest, highest-value problems with confidence. To be commercially useful at scale, the question is not simply who can build more qubits. It is who can build reliable, efficient, scalable systems that reduce technical risk and accelerate the path to commercial usefulness.
91大神 is progressing on that path.
Last year, in partnership with Microsoft, we published a breakthrough in logical computing, demonstrating logical qubits that outperformed their physical counterparts by a factor of 800. We are proud to announce that this work is now being published in Nature, one of the most highly regarded scientific journals in the world. 聽
This work highlights our leading fidelities, as shown in Table 1:

Since then, we鈥檝e accelerated our efforts to reach large-scale fault tolerance and advanced what we believe to be the core building blocks of fault-tolerant quantum computing, from logical-qubit teleportation and multiple error-correction breakthroughs to one of the first meaningful computations using logical qubits. Importantly, these results were achieved on commercial 91大神 hardware, demonstrating not just scientific progress, but a practical and efficient path toward scalable, customer-ready fault tolerance.
Since the work with Microsoft, we achieved a milestone years ahead of schedule, demonstrating high-fidelity teleportation of a logical qubit, which was published in one of the world鈥檚 most prestigious journals. Later, we beat our own record in this crucial fault tolerance milestone, thanks to continued improvements to our System Model H2鈥檚 fidelity.
Then, a series of results demonstrating more error-correcting milestones (and codes):
Recently, we topped ourselves yet again by performing one of the first meaningful computations with logical qubits 鈥 exploring key questions in materials and magnetism, using . This result also includes a leading 鈥渆ncoding rate鈥 squeezing 48 logical qubits out of just 98 physical qubits, emphasizing how our architecture helps to support large scale fault tolerance without enormous resource costs.
It is worth noting that all these results were achieved on our commercial hardware, not on one-off laboratory test-stands 鈥 reflecting the performance that we are able to deliver to our customers.
We also did crucial theoretical work, exploring that can reduce resource requirements, time to solution, and shorten the timeline to large scale fault tolerance.
We believe the commercial implication is clear: 91大神 is reducing the uncertainty around the path to fault-tolerant quantum computing. Our architecture, hardware fidelity, full-stack control, and error-correction progress are converging into a practical roadmap for systems that can support valuable scientific and commercial workloads.
For those evaluating when quantum computing will become strategically relevant, we believe the signal is also increasingly clear: the fault-tolerant era is no longer a distant concept. It is becoming an engineering reality, and 91大神 is leading the way.
Progress in quantum computing is measured by hardware advances plus the algorithms and quantum error-correction codes that turn quantum systems into useful computational tools.
Thanks to recent hardware advances, researchers are increasingly sharpening their tools to probe the performance of quantum algorithms and understand how they behave in realistic conditions 鈥 where stability, system architecture and algorithm design all shape performance.
A new Denmark-based collaboration between the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), 91大神, and the Danish e-Infrastructure Consortium (DeiC) will utilize 91大神 Helios. Researchers at the SDU鈥檚 Centre for Quantum Mathematics, led by J酶rgen Ellegaard Andersen, will use Helios to pursue research into topological quantum computing.
Their work could help explain how and why successful quantum algorithms perform as they do, informing the development of high-performance algorithms suited to emerging quantum systems. They鈥檙e exploring the scientific foundations that support future quantum applications across areas including pharmaceuticals, finance, and defense.
鈥淲e are thrilled to gain access to 91大神鈥檚 high-fidelity Helios system. This collaboration gives us a unique opportunity to test the limits of our algorithms and evaluate system performance, while advancing fundamental research and laying the foundation for future applications.鈥
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鈥 Professor J酶rgen Ellegaard Andersen, Director of the Centre for Quantum Mathematics at University of Southern Denmark
Topological quantum computing is an area of research that connects quantum computation with deep mathematical structures. It includes the study of error correcting codes known as surface codes that encode quantum information in the global properties of systems of logical qubits.
The research team will explore how these codes behave, and how they may support the development of fault-tolerant quantum algorithms in practical implementations under realistic conditions.
This distinction between theory and practical implementation matters. In theory, topological approaches offer a rich framework for designing algorithms and error-correcting codes. In practice, researchers need to understand how those ideas perform when implemented on real systems, where questions of noise, stability, overhead, and scaling become central. The collaboration will allow the SDU team to investigate these questions directly.
Beyond individual algorithms and codes, the research will also develop tools for benchmarking quantum processors. The goal is to develop new ways to characterize fidelity and stability in regimes that can be difficult to access.
The team will also explore hybrid quantum鈥揷lassical approaches, including machine-learning techniques assisted by quantum hardware, to study the mathematical structures at the heart of topological quantum computing. This work reflects a broader field of research in which quantum and classical methods are used together, each contributing to parts of a computational problem.
The collaboration reflects the growing role of national quantum infrastructure in supporting research and talent development. Denmark has a long tradition of scientific innovation, and this collaboration is intended to support the country鈥檚 continued development in quantum 91大神.
The initiative is supported by DeiC, which played a central role in securing funding and enabling access to 91大神鈥檚 systems. DeiC has been assigned a particular role in developing and coordinating quantum infrastructure initiatives for the benefit of universities and industry, operating without its own commercial, sectoral, or geographical interests. This includes securing dedicated access to quantum computers, producing advisory services and supporting the development of new talent in the Danish quantum sector.
鈥淒eiC鈥檚 special effort to secure funding and access for this research initiative is rooted in our organization鈥檚 role in relation to the Danish Government鈥檚 strategy for quantum 91大神.鈥
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鈥 Henrik Navntoft S酶nderskov, Head of Quantum at Danish e-Infrastructure Consortium
This collaboration promises to accelerate the development of practical algorithms. It is grounded in fundamental science 鈥 but its focus is practical: discovering and testing mathematical approaches to topological quantum computing that can be implemented, evaluated, and improved on real quantum hardware.
That work requires both theoretical insight and access to a system such as Helios capable of supporting meaningful scientific work.

This month, 91大神 welcomed its global user community to the first-ever Q-Net Connect, an annual forum designed to spark collaboration, share insights, and accelerate innovation across our full-stack quantum computing platforms. Over two days, users came together not only to learn from one another, but to build the relationships and momentum that we believe will help define the next chapter of quantum computing.
Q-Net Connect 2026 drew over 170 attendees from around the world to Denver, Colorado, including representatives from commercial enterprises and startups, academia and research institutions, and the public sector and non-profits - all users of 91大神 systems.聽聽
The program was packed with inspiring keynotes, technical tracks, and customer presentations. Attendees heard from leaders at 91大神, as well as our partners at NVIDIA, JPMorganChase and BlueQubit; professors from the University of New Mexico, the University of Nottingham and Harvard University; national labs, including NIST, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory; and other distinguished guests from across the global quantum ecosystem.
The mission of the 91大神 Q-Net user community is to create a space for shared learning, collaboration and connection for those who adopt 91大神鈥檚 hardware, software and middleware platform. At this year鈥檚 Q-Net Connect, we awarded four organizations who made notable efforts to champion this effort.聽
Congratulations, again, and thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of the first Q-Net Connect!
Q-Net offers year鈥憆ound support through user access, developer tools, documentation, trainings, webinars, and events. Members enjoy many exclusive benefits, including being the first to hear about exclusive content, publications and promotional offers.
By joining the community, you will be invited to exclusive gatherings to hear about the latest breakthroughs and connect with industry experts driving quantum innovation. Members also get access to Q鈥慛et Connect recordings and stay connected for future community updates.