On June 17, Sandia National Laboratories, one of the sixteen national laboratories under the U.S. Department of Energy, and quantum computer developer Quantinuum published a peer-reviewed paper on the 98-qubit quantum computer Helios.
The average fidelity for single-qubit and two-qubit operations was reported at 99.9975% and 99.921%, respectively. Researchers also tested Helios on random Clifford circuits and in the random circuit sampling (RCS) benchmark. According to their findings, RCS demonstrated performance "far beyond" the capabilities of classical simulation.
Helios is described as a commercial quantum processor by Quantinuum based on barium ions. It is built on a QCCD architecture and supports full connectivity, allowing any qubit to interact with any other qubit.
Sandia National Laboratories reported that it evaluated and certified Helios's performance metrics. The laboratory employed several benchmarking methods, including its own technique for mid-circuit measurements, which are essential for quantum error correction.
"The most important aspect of modern quantum computers is not speed, but reliability," stated co-author Robin Blum-Kohout from Sandia.
He noted that errors can arise from numerous factors, including laser misalignment or the movement of individual atoms. Verifying system components is expected to aid in the development of fault-tolerant quantum computers.
The partnership between Sandia and Quantinuum has been ongoing for four years under a collaborative research and development agreement, which was extended in May 2026.
Quantinuum introduced Helios in November 2025, stating that the system is available through cloud services and as a local deployment. Early users include Amgen, BMW Group, JPMorgan Chase, and SoftBank Corp.
Additionally, it is worth noting that in December 2025, Singapore-based Horizon Quantum launched the first quantum computer for commercial use in the city-state.