Top Quantum Achievements of 2025

And Some Sincere Thanks to Colleagues

In the summer of 2024, the United Nations proclaimed 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of quantum mechanics. This was a prescient designation with the quantum industry reaching a critical inflection point in 2025 as theoretical promise began leading to tangible commercial reality. While there was not yet any universally accepted “quantum commercial advantage”, improvements in qubit counts, gate fidelities, and error correction, along with quantum achievements outside of computing, this strong and snowballing momentum suggests commercial advantage is near. To be clear, I’m NOT suggesting we are on the cusp of breaking RSA encryption, but we are begining to see improved logistics and shortened timelines for developing new materials and medicines, among other advances. The following list highlights some of the important 2025 achievements.

1. IonQ Breaks the Four-Nines Barrier with 99.99% Gate Fidelity: In colaboration with its recently acquired Oxford Ionics team, IonQ achieved the world's highest two-qubit gate performance in October 2025, surpassing 99.99% fidelity and becoming the first and only quantum computing company to cross the "four-nines" benchmark. This landmark result, achieved using IonQ's proprietary Electronic Qubit Control (EQC) technology, provides a 10^10 (10 billion times) performance increase over the previous 99.9% gold standard on same-size devices. The breakthrough dramatically reduces the physical qubits needed for large-scale fault-tolerant systems and accelerates IonQ's roadmap to deliver 2 million qubits by 2030. The company already reported quantum advantage in drug discovery with 20x speed-ups and 12% performance improvements over classical computing in computer-aided engineering.

2. Alice & Bob Achieve Hour-Long Qubit Coherence: In September, Alice & Bob created cat qubits that resist bit-flip errors for more than one hour, a remarkable achievement. This represents a dramatic improvement over the previous record of 430 seconds (about seven minutes) and exceeds their 2030 roadmap requirement of 13 minutes by a factor of four. Using their latest Galvanic Cat design on the Helium 2 chip, the team achieved bit-flip times between 33 and 60 minutes with a mean photon number of 11, while maintaining quantum control with 94.2% Z-gate fidelity. This stability surpasses typical timescales for cosmic ray impacts, suggesting cat qubits may have inherent resistance to such environmental disruptions.

3. Quantinuum’s Helios achieves Record Accuracy: Quantinuum launched Helios in November 2025, described as the world's most accurate general-purpose commercial quantum computer. The system features 98 fully connected trapped-ion qubits with record-high gate fidelities of 99.921% for two-qubit operations. Helios introduced several firsts: a real-time control engine, the new Guppy Python-based programming language for seamless hybrid quantum-classical computing, and integration with NVIDIA GB200 GPUs via NVQLink for real-time error correction, providing the level of accuracy that will enable generative quantum AI. The platform demonstrated 48 error-corrected logical qubits at a 2:1 physical-to-logical ratio and successfully simulated high-temperature superconductivity and magnetism at unprecedented scales.

4. Q-CTRL Achieves First Commercial Quantum Advantage in Sensing: While not quantum computing, Q-CTRL announced in April 2025 the first true commercial quantum advantage in sensing for GPS-denied navigation, a landmark achievement recognized as one of TIME Magazine's Best Innovations of 2025. Their quantum-assured navigation system uses quantum magnetometers to detect tiny variations in Earth's magnetic field (Mag-Nav), serving as magnetic "landmarks" for navigation. Similarly but separately, they also used quantum gravimeters that read tiny spatial variations the Earth’s gravity field as another kind of geophysical “map” (Grav-Nav). In real-world ground, sea and airborne trials, the system outperformed high-end conventional inertial navigation systems by up to 50 times (later exceeding 100x).

5. Microsoft’s Majorana 1: Topological Quantum Computing Breakthrough: While not without some controversy, in February 2025, Microsoft unveiled Majorana 1, the world's first quantum processor powered by topological qubits. This groundbreaking architecture achieved a 1,000-fold reduction in error rates compared to conventional approaches. The topological approach uses novel four-dimensional geometric codes requiring very few physical qubits per logical qubit, potentially revolutionizing the path to scalable quantum computers. In addition, working with Atom Computing, Microsoft demonstrated 28 logical qubits encoded onto 112 physical atoms and successfully created and entangled 24 logical qubits—the highest number of entangled logical qubits on record.

6. Google’s Quantum Echoes Algorithm - First Verifiable Quantum Advantage: Also not without some controversy, Google claimed the first quantum supremacy milestone with its Sycamore machine in 2019 and has subsequently achieved another historic milestone with its Willow quantum chip by demonstrating the first-ever verifiable quantum advantage using the Quantum Echoes algorithm. Running on Willow's 105 superconducting qubits, the algorithm performed 13,000 times faster than the world's fastest classical supercomputers on the out-of-order time correlator (OTOC) task. This wasn't merely a complexity benchmark—it modeled real physical experiments, studying molecules with up to 28 atoms and validating results against traditional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The achievement marked the transition from theoretical quantum computing to practical scientific applications, with results published in Nature in October 2025.

7. Caltech’s 6,100-Qubit Array: In September 2025, Caltech researchers created the largest qubit array ever assembled: 6,100 neutral-atom qubits trapped in a grid by optical tweezers. The achievement marked a huge leap from previous arrays containing only hundreds of qubits. Remarkably, this massive scale didn't compromise quality—the team maintained superposition for about 13 seconds (nearly 10 times longer than previous similar arrays) while manipulating individual qubits with 99.98% accuracy. The system demonstrated the ability to shuttle atoms hundreds of micrometers across the array while maintaining superposition, a key feature enabling more efficient error correction. Published in Nature, this work proves that quantum computing can achieve both quantity and quality simultaneously.

8. Oxford’s Quantum Gate Teleportation: Oxford University researchers achieved the first successful deterministic quantum gate teleportation between two separate quantum modules in February 2025, published in Nature. The team teleported a controlled-Z gate across two meters of optical fiber linking two trapped-ion quantum computers, achieving 86% fidelity. Unlike previous quantum teleportation demonstrations that focused on transferring quantum states, this breakthrough creates interactions between distant systems, effectively "wiring together" distinct quantum processors into a single, fully-connected quantum computer. The team successfully demonstrated Grover's algorithm across the distributed system with a 71% success rate, marking the first implementation of a distributed quantum algorithm comprising several non-local, two-qubit gates. This advance provides a scalable path toward building large-scale quantum systems and a future quantum internet.

9. Record Setting Quantum Funding: While not an individual company achievement, the quantum industry raised $3.8 billion in private funding through September and this total is projected to exceed $4.5 billion by year end. This represents a strong increase over the ~$2.5 billion raised in 2024. The 2025 funding landscape was characterized by substantially larger individual deals compared to 2024. Notable 2025 rounds included IonQ’s $360 million equity offering in March, QuEra Computing’s $230 million round backed by SoftBank Vision Fund and Google Quantum AI in February, and Quantum Machines’ $170 million Series C. In September 2025, NVIDIA participated in three major rounds: Quantinuum ($600 million), PsiQuantum (over $1 billion), and QuEra Computing, with these deals valuing PsiQuantum at $7 billion and Quantinuum at $10 billion.​

   Additional significant 2025 raises included Classiq’s $110 million Series C in May, Alice & Bob’s $104 million Series B in January, IQM’s €200 million Series B in April, Nu Quantum’s $60 million Series A in December and Quantum Art’s $100 million Series A in December.

This is a short list highlighting some major 2025 achievements, but many other companies advanced the quantum ball down the field as well. I expect we’ll see more exciting milestones and achievements in quantum computing, sensing, timing and networking in 2026 and I look forward to continuing to provide updates.

Thank You’s

As I reflect on the amazing achievements of 2025, I want to also take this opportunity to offer some sincere thank you’s. First to the growing list of readers, followers and subscribers from 39 states and 64 countries. I started the Quantum Leap more for personal edification, but am humbled and awed by the level of following that has been achieved with thousands of you reading, “liking” and commenting on the various posts. Supporting me in these efforts have been some amazing colleagues, with a list too long to mention everyone, but here are some non-exhaustive highlights:

• Dr. Bob Sutor: Bob is one of the most knowledgeable folks in quantum today. His book, “Dancing with Qubits, 2nd Edition” is a must-read for anyone interested in better understanding quantum computing (I highly recommend you purchase this book, available here or wherever you buy books.) Among his many quantum endeavors, he also publishes a daily compendium of quantum headlines, providing a very efficient way to stay current in this rapidly advancing field. I suggest you sign up here. He has also recently begun a quantum podcast that is cogent and informative which I also highly recommend and which you can find here. Bob has been an inspiration and his materials are a go-to resource for much of what I write about.

• Brian Lenahan: Brian is a tireless advocate of practical quantum information. He brings his deep AI background to the quantum industry with a focus on practical commercial consideration. I’ve had the pleasure of breaking bread with Brian, who’s a first class citizen as well as a great source of quantum information. You can learn more about, and should follow Brian here at his Quantum Strategy Institute website.

• Hilary Kaye and Mike Kilroy: Hilary is the founder of HKA Marketing Communications, and Mike is EVP. HKA focuses exclusively on the quantum industry, representing some of the key players in the space. Through them, I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Redmond to see Microsoft’s Majorana 1 release as well as Broomfield to see the unveiling of Quantinuum’s H2, among other industry events. Formative events like those have provided a much deeper understanding of the industry for me. I am also grateful to them for including me in their Quantum Expert Forum. You can learn more about Hilary, Mike and HKA here.

• Yuval Boger: I originally met Yuval when he was with Classiq, and as the host of the Qubit Guy’s Podcast (now known as the Superposition Guy’s Podcast, which you can listen to here or wherever you stream podcasts). He interviewed me on that podcast, which helped tremendously with my standing in the industry. Yuval has an exceptionally diverse background and vast knowledge about quantum, largely through the many guests he interviews but also in his role as Chief Commercial Officer of QuEra.

• Brian Seigelwax: Brian and I share over 700 LinkedIn connections, which provides the first clue as to his importance in the quantum industry and to me. He’s one of the few industry pundits I know that actually rolls up his sleeves and codes on the existing cloud-based quantum computing platforms, providing real world feedback and insights. There is so much hype in quantum so Brian is a great reality sanity check. His “The Quantum Dragon” posts definitely win the “most creative graphics” award, and his no-nonsense, pithy style is refreshing and entertaining. I recommend you subscribe to The Quantum Dragon here.

• Dr. Scott Davis: Last but not least, Scott is the co-founder and CEO of Vescent Technologies, and has become something of a personal quantum tutor for me. Any time I have a quantum question, Scott grabs a dry-erase marker and white-boards the explanation for me. Scott has the rare combination of brilliance, an extroverted personality and a keen business acumen. I led a first external capital raise for Vescent last year, and joined the management team, which has provided me with more substantial understanding of the real-world use of quantum technologies. I’m deeply grateful to Scott for agreeing to bring me on board at Vescent and for all of the quantum teachings. You can learn more about Scott and Vescent here.

That’s a wrap for the Quantum Leap for 2025. I look forward to continuing the journey together in 2026.

Sources:

“IonQ Achieves Landmark Result, Setting New World Record in Quantum Computing Performance”, IonQ.com, October 21, 2025.

Swayne, Matt, “Quantinuum Announces Commercial Launch of Helios - a Quantum Computer with Accuracy to Enable Generative Quantum AI,” Quantum Insider, November 5, 2025.

“GPS-free Quantum Navigation,” q-ctrl.com, accessed December 22, 2025.

Coppola, Niccolo, “Alice & Bob Shares Preliminary Results Vastly Surpassing Previous Bit-Flip Time Record,” alice-bob.com, September 25, 2025.

Nayak, Chetan, “Microsoft unveils Majorana 1, the world’s first quantum processor powered by topological qubits,” azure.microsoft.com, February 19, 2025.

Neven, Harmut and Smelyanskiy, Vadim, “Our Quantum Echoes algorithm is a big step toward real-world applications for quantum computing,” blog.google, October 22, 2025.

FMTAD, “Quantum computer 6,100 qubits - Historical 2025 Breakthrough,” freemindtronic.com, October 25, 2025.

Vigliarolo, Brandon, “Oxford researchers pull off quantum first with distributed gate teleportation,” The Register, February 12, 2025.