Quantum breakthroughs. Beyond the headlines.

First edition · November 2026 · Rankings updated monthly Data: QubitBenchmark release 2026-11.1
Leaders
Most accurate: Helios (Quantinuum) · not ranked last month Error-corrected qubits: Helios (Quantinuum) · not ranked last month Most qubits: Ytterbium atom array (Atom Computing) · not ranked last month Fastest: Nighthawk r2 (IBM) · not ranked last month Use it today: Nighthawk r2 (IBM) · not ranked last month

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Neutral atom

Atom Computing

Atom Computing builds gate-model quantum computers from neutral ytterbium atoms trapped in grids of laser light. It stores information in the atoms' nuclear spin, which keeps qubits stable for unusually long times, and it has shown arrays of more than 1,000 qubits. It works closely with Microsoft, which supplies the error-correction software that groups many physical qubits into more reliable 'logical' qubits. Its machines are sold for installation at customer sites; the first joint system, Magne, is being installed in Copenhagen for the Nordic initiative QuNorth.

private company (venture-backed; investors include Venrock, Third Point and EIFO) · Based in United States · Since 2018 · Facts checked 27 October 2026

Where it ranks this month

Best place in each race, from QubitBenchmark release 2026-11.1.

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Machines

MachinePhysical qubitsIntroducedHow to use it
Second-generation system (1,225-site array, 1,180 qubits loaded)11802023unclear
Magne (with Microsoft, for QuNorth)12252025on-premises (QuNorth, Copenhagen); being installed as of June 2026

Qubit counts as the company reports them. Our rankings use QubitBenchmark's checked results instead.

Promised vs delivered

What Atom Computing has said it would build, and what happened.

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MilestoneTargetStatusWhy we say so
1,000+ qubit second-generation gate-based system available2024UnclearWe found no source confirming general or customer availability of this system in 2024; the company only says it has developed systems with over 1,000 qubits. Source
Commercial logical-qubit machine (Atom hardware plus Microsoft software) available to order, delivered to customers (joint with Microsoft)delivery in 2025UnclearWe found no report of a 2025 customer delivery; as of June 2026 the first named system, Magne, was still 'currently being installed'. Source
Magne: Level 2 system with 50 logical qubits for QuNorth, Copenhagen (joint with Microsoft)ready for first tasks by the new year 2026/27Due this yearAtom Computing said on 3 June 2026 that Magne is 'currently being installed'; we found no report that it is operating as of 27 October 2026. Source
Utility-scale fault-tolerant system design (DARPA Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, Stage C verification)No date givenIn progressDARPA selected Atom Computing for QBI Stage C on 7 October 2026, in which government teams check whether its proposed design can be built and run as intended; no dates given. Source

Recent claims, and how far the evidence has got

  • Preprint Repeated quantum error correction with a toric code on neutral atoms (up to 90 cycles, with atom reloading); the larger code had a lower logical error rate over up to 8 rounds Source
  • Announced Selected by DARPA for Stage C (final verification stage) of the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, with Microsoft providing algorithm and error-correction support Source

In other organisations' rankings

Where Atom Computing appears in other published rankings and lists. They don't change ours.

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