Commercial Quantum Computing with Trapped Ions

Trapped ions were the first physical platform to demonstrate quantum logic gate operation, but the traditional approach to ion trapping experiments requires ultra-high vacuum chambers, many complex laser systems in the UV wavelength range, and sophisticated radio frequency and microwave electronics to control the experiments. The experimental setups typically require daily maintenance to keep it running and the operations of the experiments are largely manual, far from the notion of a commercial, fully autonomous computer system. Over the last five years or so, there have been tremendous amounts of engineering efforts devoted to developing entirely new approaches to ion trapping experiments that paved a path to reliable and automated system operation. In the first part of the talk, I will discuss a host of disruptive experimental techniques developed by our extended collaborators that led to reliable quantum computing with ion traps, such as compact vacuum chambers, stable optical design principles, and advanced synthesis techniques for precision radio frequency signals. Such technological advances have enabled the prospect of a commercial quantum computer based on trapped ion qubits. In the second part of the talk, I will describe the commercial quantum computer systems developed and operational at IonQ today, and a projection for improving the computational performance in the coming years.