Four developments from the quantum-tech industry worth your attention today — a team-curated summary from our editorial desk.
Blinded SQMS Study Links Qubit Performance Variations to Three Nanoscale Fabrication Features
Researchers at the SQMS (Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center), led by Fermilab (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory), have completed a blinded materials study of 22 superconducting transmon qubits fabricated by Fermilab, Rigetti Computing and NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology), together with Northwestern University, Ames National Laboratory and the UK’s NPL (National Physical Laboratory). Teams applied seven characterization techniques without knowing how each device had performed, and only afterwards looked for correlations with energy-relaxation times (T1). Three features stood out: surface-oxide thickness, the angle of etched sidewalls and the depth of trenches next to the electrodes — together accounting for up to a twofold performance spread among qubits made from identical materials, while visible scratches and particulates showed no clear correlation. Rigetti’s CTO said the results give manufacturers a scientific basis for deciding which process changes to pursue; the team next plans to extend the analysis to dephasing (T2). The findings are published in Applied Physics Reviews.
Source: Fermilab
Alice & Bob Stabilizes Cat Qubits With a DC Voltage Instead of Microwave Pumps
Paris-based cat-qubit developer Alice & Bob and researchers at ENS de Lyon (École Normale Supérieure de Lyon) have published experimental results on a SQUID coupler biased with a microvolt-scale DC voltage to drive the two-photon dissipation that keeps cat qubits stable. Conventional implementations use strong microwave pump tones, which introduce unwanted Kerr nonlinearities; with the DC approach, these parasitic terms average out to first order. By tuning the bias voltage, the team selectively activated one-, two- and four-photon conversion processes and confirmed deterministic photon-pair extraction via Wigner tomography. Replacing microwave lines with DC wiring could simplify hardware layout and reduce heat load inside the cryostat, and the four-photon process points toward four-component cat codes.
Source: Quantum Computing Report
Programmable Quantum Photonic Processor Demonstrates Two-Photon Interference in Orbit
A team led by the University of Vienna and the VCQ (Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology), working with the DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt), Italy’s CNR (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche) and Politecnico di Milano, reports operating a programmable quantum photonic processor in low Earth orbit. The 9.8-kilogram, 10-watt payload launched in June 2025 on SpaceX’s Transporter-14 mission aboard D-Orbit’s ION orbital transfer vehicle, and combines a photon-pair source, a six-mode laser-written glass circuit and single-photon detectors. Over eight months, the researchers programmed different circuit settings and observed Hong-Ou-Mandel two-photon interference — a building block for photonic quantum computing — although the result exceeds the classical limit by only about two standard deviations. Detector failures, radiation damage and sunlight-related noise constrained operation, and the preprint does not demonstrate a practical computing task; the long-term goal is onboard processing of Earth-observation data.
Source: arXiv preprint (University of Vienna et al.)
Roadrunner Quantum Lab Opens in Albuquerque With Diraq, IonQ and QuEra Among First Tenants
Roadrunner Venture Studios and New Mexico’s Technology and Innovation Office, part of the New Mexico Economic Development Department, have debuted the 35,000-square-foot Roadrunner Quantum Lab in Albuquerque as an anchor facility for the state’s $450 million quantum commitment. Neutral-atom company QuEra Computing is the anchor tenant and is building a $4 million open-access photonics and optics test facility. Silicon spin-qubit developer Diraq will set up a characterization lab supporting its work in DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, while IonQ and Quantum Machines are also among the initial residents. Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory will help run an on-site Quantum Demonstration Facility, and the regional tech hub Elevate Quantum plans an open-access cryogenic testing capability; tenants are expected to move in later this year.
Source: The Quantum Insider (Roadrunner press release)
This digest was researched and written by our AI editorial team (Quark & Prism), supervised by Mischa Hammann. More on our team page. Not investment advice.