Quantum computing milestones of 2026 so far: a dated list (updated October)

[EasternAnvil]

Quantum computing news moves quickly, and it is easy to lose track of what happened when. This thread is a dated list of the notable quantum computing developments of 2026 so far, with a source for every item. It focuses on technical results, roadmaps, government programmes and major company moves, and leaves out share prices and stock market listings. Items are in date order and will be added to as the year goes on

Each entry is a short factual summary of what was announced or published. Announcements are not the same as independent verification, so claims from companies are described as claims. Where a result relied on error detection rather than full error correction, or where the source is secondary, that is noted

January to March

7 January: D-Wave agreed to buy Quantum Circuits Inc for 550 million dollars, adding gate based superconducting hardware to its annealing business. The deal completed on 20 January.

D-Wave Finalizes Acquisition of Quantum Circuitsthequantuminsider.com

10 March: DARPA opened a new Stage A call for its Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, saying 11 companies were in Stage B and 2 in Stage C.

Quantum Benchmarking Initiative expands quest to separate hype from reality | DARPAwww.darpa.mil

17 March: The UK government pledged 2 billion pounds for quantum, including 1 billion pounds to buy large scale quantum computers through a new programme called ProQure.

UK Pledges £2 Billion For Quantum Innovationthequantuminsider.com

24 March: Google Quantum AI set up a neutral atom hardware team in Boulder, Colorado, led by JILA Fellow Adam Kaufman, its first major move beyond superconducting qubits. Google Quantum AI Engages JILA Fellow Adam Kaufman to Lead New Neutral Atom Quantum Computing Effort
28 March: Google opened an early access programme inviting research proposals to run on its Willow processor. Google Opens Early Access to 'Willow' Quantum Processor, Invites Experimental Proposals

April to June

7 April: Rigetti made its 108 qubit Cepheus-1-108Q system generally available, built from twelve 9 qubit chiplets, with a median two qubit gate fidelity of 99.1 percent. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/04/07/3269628/0/en/Rigetti-Announces-General-Availability-of-108-Qubit-System.html
21 May: Pasqal reported logical qubits outperforming physical qubits when solving differential equations, using a small error detecting code. Pasqal Demonstrates Logical Qubits Outperform Physical Qubits Solving Differential Equations - An Industry First for Neutral-Atom Quantum Computing - Pasqal
21 May: Reports said the US Department of Commerce planned around 2 billion dollars of awards to quantum companies, including about 1 billion dollars for IBM. Reports: US to Award $2 Billion to Quantum Companies, Take Equity Stakes
2 June: IBM committed more than 10 billion dollars to quantum over five years, reaffirmed its Starling fault tolerant system for 2029 and announced a quantum wafer foundry called Anderon. IBM Commits More Than $10 Billion to Quantum Computing, Funding Its Roadmap from Today
2 June: Microsoft reported its Majorana 2 topological chip, with parity lifetimes over 20 seconds, and said it is targeting a scalable quantum computer by 2029. This follows heavy debate over its 2025 claims. Microsoft Reports Advances in Majorana 2 Following Debate Over Last Year's Topological Claims
3 June: Oxford Quantum Circuits raised 260 million pounds in a Series C round, described as Europe's largest private quantum computing raise. Oxford Quantum Circuits lands "coming-of-age" £260M funding round
10 June: Alice and Bob unveiled Helium, its first complete system, with 18 cat qubits. France agreed on 17 June to buy one for its TGCC computing centre. Alice & Bob Unveils First Quantum System, Helium - Alice & Bob
18 June: Sandia National Laboratories and Quantinuum published peer reviewed benchmarks of the 98 qubit Helios in Nature, reporting 99.921 percent two qubit fidelity. Researchers Publish Peer-Reviewed Results on Quantinuum's Helios Quantum Computer
25 June: QuEra published a roadmap for a system with more than 1,000 logical qubits in 2028 to 2029. QuEra Unveils Gigaquop-Class Fault-Tolerant Roadmap and Invites Organizations to Co-Design Quantum Applications

July to September

10 July: Google published a method in Nature that uses reinforcement learning to recalibrate Willow while it computes, cutting logical error rates by about 20 percent. Google Study Shows Quantum Computer Can Learn From Its Own Errors While It Computes
22 July: PsiQuantum signed a 125 million dollar agreement with DARPA under the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, as one of two companies in Stage C. PsiQuantum Signs $125 Million Agreement with DARPA
30 July: IBM and the University of Chicago announced a verified quantum advantage demonstration on error corrected logical circuits, using 70 logical qubits. IBM and The University of Chicago Demonstrate Quantum Advantage, Establishing Trusted Quantum Computation on Logical Circuits
31 July: IonQ completed its purchase of SkyWater Technology, a US chip foundry. IonQ | IonQ Completes Acquisition of SkyWater Technology
8 September: Quantinuum and PsiQuantum each announced 100 million dollar US government research awards. PsiQuantum Finalizes $100 Million Award with the U.S. Department of Commerce
8 September: Quantinuum demonstrated a compact error correcting code, called C4-Helix, on Helios. Decoding was done offline rather than in real time, according to secondary coverage. Quantinuum Helix: Compact QEC Code Computes on Helios
22 September: Microsoft opened a quantum research centre at the University of Maryland and gave DARPA on site access to its Majorana 2 system for independent evaluation. Microsoft Gives DARPA Access to Majorana System, Opens Maryland Quantum Research Center
24 September: Infleqtion entangled 30 logical qubits using 80 physical qubits on its Sqale neutral atom machine. The result relies on error detection rather than full correction. Infleqtion Achieves 30 Entangled Logical Qubits on Its Sqale Quantum Computer
28 September: NIST published a revised plan for FN-DSA, the Falcon based signature standard due as FIPS 206, and asked for feedback. No draft standard has been released yet. https://groups.google.com/a/list.nist.gov/g/pqc-forum/c/7z-y5qp-W2Y

A few themes stand out. Logical qubits have moved from rare lab results to regular announcements, though the details vary a lot between error detection and full correction. Governments in the UK, US and France have moved from funding research to buying machines. Several companies now point to 2028 or 2029 for their first fault tolerant systems, which makes the next two years worth watching closely

If you spot something missing, reply with the date, a one line summary and a link to the original source. Company announcements, peer reviewed papers and official programmes are preferred over opinion pieces

Last updated: 4 October 2026