Quantum computing researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have established a cooperative research agreement (CRADA) with Rigetti Quantum Computing (RQC), a Berkeley, CA based startup company. Sandia and RQC will collaborate to test and evaluate RQC’s 8-qubit quantum information processor. This collaboration will produce detailed, high-fidelity information about errors and fault mechanisms in quantum processors, which is critical to developing the next generation of quantum processors. Sandia and RQC each bring unique capabilities to the table, without which this R&D would be impossible. SNL’s unique and world-leading capabilities in qubit characterization include development of the open-source software pyGSTi for gate-set tomography (one of the most powerful protocols for characterizing qubits), while RQC is in the process of deploying a unique 8-qubit quantum processor whose performance may exceed that of existing devices. This CRADA will advance the state-of-the-art in qubit performance by leveraging these complementary capabilities.
