IBM Eagle r3 vs QuEra Aquila Specs, Pricing & Performance [2026]
Quick Verdict
IBM Eagle r3 uses Superconducting while QuEra Aquila uses Neutral Atom technology. Both QPUs have comparable 2Q gate fidelity (~99.50%). QuEra Aquila offers more physical qubits (256 qubits).
Specification Comparison
| Metric | IBM Eagle r3 | QuEra Aquila |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Qubits | 127 | 256 ✓ |
| Technology | Superconducting | Neutral Atom |
| 2Q Gate Fidelity | 99.50% | 99.50% |
| 1Q Gate Fidelity | 99.97% ✓ | — |
| Readout Fidelity | 99.80% ✓ | 99.00% |
| Quantum Volume | 128 ✓ | — |
| CLOPS | 2,500 ✓ | 10 |
| T1 (Relaxation) | 250 µs | 5 ms ✓ |
| T2 (Dephasing) | 150 µs | 1.5 ms ✓ |
| 1Q Gate Time | 60 ns ✓ | — |
| 2Q Gate Time | 660 ns ✓ | 500 µs |
| Connectivity | Heavy Hex (deg 3) | Custom |
| Max Circuit Depth | 4,000 ✓ | 100 |
| Max Shots | 100,000 ✓ | 1,000 |
| Dynamic Circuits | Yes | No |
| Error Mitigation | Available | 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: IBM Eagle r3: $0.00 vs QuEra Aquila: $10.30
Superconducting IBM Eagle r3
| Platform | Price | Status |
|---|---|---|
| IBM Quantum | $0.9600/sec | Available |
| Best IBM Quantum | Free tier | Available |
| qBraid | $0.9600/sec | Available |
Neutral Atom QuEra Aquila
| Platform | Price | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Best Amazon Braket | $0.0100/shot | Available |
| qBraid | $0.0100/shot | Available |
Superconducting vs Neutral Atom: Technology Tradeoffs
- Advantage
- Fast gate speeds (tens to hundreds of nanoseconds), mature fabrication technology using standard semiconductor processes, and strong industry investment make this the most commercially advanced platform.
- Challenge
- Requires dilution refrigerators operating near absolute zero (~15 mK), leading to large physical footprints and high infrastructure costs. Qubits are sensitive to noise, limiting coherence times to microseconds-to-milliseconds range.
- Gate Speed
- 10–700 ns per gate
- Fidelity
- 99.5–99.9% for 2-qubit gates
- 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 (256 qubits) allows encoding larger problem instances.
Higher CLOPS (2,500) means faster circuit execution for high-repetition workloads.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between IBM Eagle r3 and QuEra Aquila?
IBM Eagle r3 uses Superconducting while QuEra Aquila uses Neutral Atom technology. Both QPUs have comparable 2Q gate fidelity (~99.50%). QuEra Aquila offers more physical qubits (256 qubits). These QPUs use fundamentally different qubit technologies: Superconducting vs Neutral Atom.
Which is better for quantum chemistry, IBM Eagle r3 or QuEra Aquila?
For quantum chemistry simulations (VQE, UCCSD), IBM Eagle r3 is preferred due to its higher 2Q gate fidelity (99.50% vs 99.50%). Higher gate fidelity directly reduces circuit error rates in chemistry algorithms.
How do the prices compare between IBM Eagle r3 and QuEra Aquila?
IBM Eagle r3 is available from Free tier on IBM Quantum. 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, IBM Eagle r3 or QuEra Aquila?
IBM Eagle r3 uses Heavy Hex connectivity (degree 3) while QuEra Aquila uses Custom connectivity (degree N/A).
What are the coherence times for IBM Eagle r3 vs QuEra Aquila?
IBM Eagle r3: T1=250 µs, T2=150 µs. QuEra Aquila: T1=5 ms, T2=1.5 ms. QuEra Aquila has longer coherence times, which generally allows for deeper circuits before errors accumulate.
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