AWS recently announced Ocelot, a new quantum computing chip. The chip, developed by the AWS Center for Quantum Computing at Caltech, uses a scalable architecture that, according to the company, can reduce error correction by up to 90% and accelerate the development of real-world quantum computing applications.
AWS designed Ocelot with built-in error correction and the innovative ‘cat qubit’ (named after Schrödinger’s cat thought experiment), which reduces specific errors and resource needs for quantum error correction. It’s the first time cat qubit technology has been combined with additional error correction components on a scalable microchip, using techniques from the microelectronics industry.
Quantum Computing and AI on X amplify the significance of error correction and tweeted:
Even if a quantum computer is advertised as having 100 qubits, only about 20 qubits are often effectively usable for computation. This is why error correction is a crucial technology.
Qubits are quantum-mechanical systems that involve atomic particles and can take various forms. Topological qubits are based on materials’ topological properties, specifically Majorana particles. Photonic qubits rely on the quantum properties of light, such as polarization and phase. AWS provides a quantum computing research platform called Braket, which is built on trapped ion qubits. Additionally, AWS has developed cat qubits mentioned earlier that represent the oscillation states of bosons (photons), including amplitude and phase changes.
In a News report on Ocelot, Oskar Painter, AWS director of Quantum Hardware, said:
With the recent advancements in quantum research, it is no longer a matter of if but when practical, fault-tolerant quantum computers will be available for real-world applications. Ocelot is an essential step on that journey. In the future, quantum chips built according to the Ocelot architecture could cost as little as one-fifth of current approaches due to the drastically reduced number of resources required for error correction. Concretely, this will accelerate our timeline to a practical quantum computer by up to five years.
Similarly, with Microsoft’s recent introduction of Majorana 1, the prediction states:
Majorana 1 is a quantum chip powered by a new Topological Core architecture. It expects to realize quantum computers capable of solving meaningful, industrial-scale problems in years, not decades.
Yet, with developments in Quantum Computing through the releases of Ocelot and Majorana 1, there will be challenges. In a LinkedIn post on Ocelot, Javier Galindo commented:
Every major technological leap brings both opportunities and risks. Quantum computing is no exception. While celebrating these breakthroughs, are we paying enough attention to the security implications? Current cryptographic methods—RSA, ECC, and others—won’t withstand quantum attacks. It’s fascinating to see how industries are preparing for this shift. How are organizations balancing quantum advancements with the need for quantum-resistant security?
Lastly, the company states that Ocelot is still a prototype and committed to investing in quantum research and refining its approach.
