D-Wave Advantage2 vs QuEra Aquila Specs, Pricing & Performance [2026]
Quick Verdict
D-Wave Advantage2 uses Annealing while QuEra Aquila uses Neutral Atom technology. D-Wave Advantage2 offers more physical qubits (4,400 qubits).
Specification Comparison
| Metric | D-Wave Advantage2 | QuEra Aquila |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Qubits | 4,400 ✓ | 256 |
| Technology | Annealing | Neutral Atom |
| 2Q Gate Fidelity | — | 99.50% ✓ |
| 1Q Gate Fidelity | — | — |
| Readout Fidelity | — | 99.00% ✓ |
| Quantum Volume | — | — |
| CLOPS | — | 10 ✓ |
| T1 (Relaxation) | — | 5 ms ✓ |
| T2 (Dephasing) | — | 1.5 ms ✓ |
| 1Q Gate Time | — | — |
| 2Q Gate Time | — | 500 µs ✓ |
| Connectivity | Zephyr (deg 20) | Custom |
| Max Circuit Depth | — | 100 ✓ |
| Max Shots | — | 1,000 ✓ |
| Dynamic Circuits | No | No |
| Error Mitigation | No | No |
| Cloud Platforms | 3 platforms | 2 platforms |
Green bold values with a checkmark indicate the better result for each metric.
Pricing Comparison
Example: 10-qubit, 50-depth circuit, 1,000 shots — estimated cost on cheapest platform: D-Wave Advantage2: $0.3000 vs QuEra Aquila: $10.30
Annealing D-Wave Advantage2
| Platform | Price | Status |
|---|---|---|
| D-Wave Leap | $2,000.00/min | Available |
| Best Amazon Braket | $0.3000/task | Available |
| qBraid | $0.3000/task | Available |
Neutral Atom QuEra Aquila
| Platform | Price | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Best Amazon Braket | $0.0100/shot | Available |
| qBraid | $0.0100/shot | Available |
Annealing vs Neutral Atom: Technology Tradeoffs
- Advantage
- Very large qubit counts (5000+ physical qubits), fast sampling times (~microseconds per anneal), and a well-developed software ecosystem (D-Wave Ocean SDK) optimized for combinatorial optimization problems in logistics, finance, and scheduling.
- Challenge
- Limited connectivity between qubits requires problem embedding that can consume many physical qubits to represent a single logical variable. Not universal — cannot run arbitrary quantum algorithms. Quantum advantage over classical optimization solvers has not been conclusively demonstrated.
- Gate Speed
- 20 µs per anneal (full problem solve)
- Fidelity
- Not applicable — stochastic sampling approach
- Advantage
- Large qubit counts (100–10,000+ atoms in reconfigurable arrays), programmable connectivity via atom repositioning, and operation at room temperature (atoms laser-cooled to µK). Naturally suited to analog quantum simulation.
- Challenge
- Gate fidelities are lower than trapped-ion systems, coherence times are shorter, and mid-circuit measurement and classical feedback are still maturing. Rydberg blockade errors limit 2-qubit gate fidelity.
- Gate Speed
- 0.1 µs – 1 ms per gate
- Fidelity
- 98–99.5% for 2-qubit gates
Use Case Recommendations
More qubits (4,400 qubits) allows encoding larger problem instances.
Higher CLOPS (10) means faster circuit execution for high-repetition workloads.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between D-Wave Advantage2 and QuEra Aquila?
D-Wave Advantage2 uses Annealing while QuEra Aquila uses Neutral Atom technology. D-Wave Advantage2 offers more physical qubits (4,400 qubits). These QPUs use fundamentally different qubit technologies: Annealing vs Neutral Atom.
Which is better for quantum chemistry, D-Wave Advantage2 or QuEra Aquila?
For quantum chemistry, gate fidelity is the most critical metric. Compare the 2Q gate fidelity figures in the spec table above to determine which QPU is better suited for your chemistry workload.
How do the prices compare between D-Wave Advantage2 and QuEra Aquila?
D-Wave Advantage2 is available from $0.3000/task on Amazon Braket. QuEra Aquila is available from $0.0100/shot on Amazon Braket. Note that pricing models differ — per-shot pricing is directly comparable while AQT and HQC models depend on circuit structure.
Which QPU has better connectivity, D-Wave Advantage2 or QuEra Aquila?
D-Wave Advantage2 uses Zephyr connectivity (degree 20) while QuEra Aquila uses Custom connectivity (degree N/A).
What are the coherence times for D-Wave Advantage2 vs QuEra Aquila?
QuEra Aquila: T1=5 ms, T2=1.5 ms.
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