Riverlane CEO Asks: ‘What Will We Do With Error-Corrected Quantum Computers?’

Insider Brief

• At Quantum World Congress 2024, Steve Brierley, CEO of Riverlane, underlined the importance of quantum error correction in unlocking the full potential of quantum computing, which is currently limited by high error rates.
• Riverlane developed the first quantum error correction (QC) chip, DD1, which achieves a “logical error rate of one in a trillion” by processing error data efficiently, allowing thousands of physical qubits to function as a single reliable logical qubit.
• Brierley outlined Riverlane’s goal to reach “million quantum operations” (MegaQuOp) by 2026, enabling quantum computers to perform 10,000 times more error-free operations than current systems and revolutionize industries like healthcare and manufacturing.

In a keynote at the Quantum World Congress 2024, Steve Brierley, founder and CEO of Riverlane, presented the quantum future we are rapidly approaching. He didn’t just speak about abstract potentials but talked about the tangible advances and exciting technologies that Riverlane is actively developing. Central to his message was the concept of quantum error correction — a crucial breakthrough that could unlock the full power of quantum computers.

“Quantum error correction is what makes quantum computers vastly more powerful,” Brierley declared early in his speech, outlining a key challenge in the field: error rates. Despite the incredible promise of quantum computing, current systems are noisy, error-prone, and far from realizing their true potential. As Brierley noted: “The best quantum computers in the world can perform on the order of 100 to 1,000 operations before errors overwhelm the computer.”

To address this, Riverlane is leading with its novel work in quantum error correction. This innovation allows quantum computers to handle far more complex operations without succumbing to errors. As Brierley put it: “Quantum error correction is a technology that sits on top of the qubits… we add redundancy so that if any one of the qubits fails, you can still recover.” This ability to recover from errors brings us one step closer to quantum computing’s ultimate goal: solving problems that are currently beyond the reach of classical systems.

A cornerstone of Riverlane’s innovation is the release of the world’s first quantum error correction (QC) chip, DD1. 

“In 2023, we released the world’s first QC chip,” Brierley proudly announced. Operating at megahertz speed, this chip not only processes the vast amount of error data generated by quantum computers but does so efficiently. It implements a highly advanced decoding algorithm, achieving a “logical error rate of one in a trillion.” This significant milestone means Riverlane can now take thousands of physical qubits and condense them into a single logical qubit with unprecedented reliability.

But this is only the beginning. Brierley detailed a clear roadmap to the future, underlining how crucial dedicated QC chips will be for the quantum revolution. 

“Just as GPUs were used to scale up AI workloads, QC chips will be needed to scale up quantum computers,” said Brierley. The ambition of Riverlane is undeniable: by 2026, they aim to support “million quantum operations,” a threshold Brierley described as the dawn of the “Mega quop era.”

Achieving this will allow quantum computers to transcend classical supercomputing. Brierley highlighted the staggering difference: “A MegaQuOp quantum computer can perform a million error-free operations, about 100 logical qubits, which is 10,000 times more than current quantum computers.” This jump in capability will revolutionize industries from healthcare to advanced manufacturing, and, as Brierley put it, solve problems “using a very small amount of energy in comparison to the huge supercomputers you would need to simulate this quantum computer.”

Ultimately, Brierley left the audience with an open-ended challenge: what will we do with these error-corrected quantum machines? Within just a few years, as Riverlane and its collaborators continue to push the boundaries, this extraordinary computational power will be available. 

“Within the next three to four years, this is going to be available,” he said, before asking: “So what are you going to do with it?”