Pasqal Fresnel vs Rigetti Ankaa-3 Specs, Pricing & Performance [2026]
Quick Verdict
Pasqal Fresnel uses Neutral Atom while Rigetti Ankaa-3 uses Superconducting technology. Both QPUs have comparable 2Q gate fidelity (~99.50%). Pasqal Fresnel offers more physical qubits (100 qubits).
Specification Comparison
| Metric | Pasqal Fresnel | Rigetti Ankaa-3 |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Qubits | 100 ✓ | 84 |
| Technology | Neutral Atom | Superconducting |
| 2Q Gate Fidelity | 99.50% | 99.50% |
| 1Q Gate Fidelity | 99.80% | 99.90% ✓ |
| Readout Fidelity | 98.50% | 98.50% |
| Quantum Volume | — | 128 ✓ |
| CLOPS | 20 | 15,000 ✓ |
| T1 (Relaxation) | 4 ms ✓ | 80 µs |
| T2 (Dephasing) | 1 ms ✓ | 60 µs |
| 1Q Gate Time | 1 µs | 40 ns ✓ |
| 2Q Gate Time | 300 µs | 80 ns ✓ |
| Connectivity | Custom | Grid (deg 4) |
| Max Circuit Depth | 200 | 2,000 ✓ |
| Max Shots | 2,000 | 100,000 ✓ |
| Dynamic Circuits | No | No |
| Error Mitigation | No | Available |
| Cloud Platforms | 2 platforms | 5 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: Pasqal Fresnel: $0.1000 vs Rigetti Ankaa-3: $1.00
Neutral Atom Pasqal Fresnel
| Platform | Price | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Azure Quantum | $0.0250/shot | Available |
| Best Azure Quantum | $0.00/shot | Available |
Superconducting Rigetti Ankaa-3
| Platform | Price | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Braket | $0.000900/shot | Available |
| Azure Quantum | $0.000970/shot | Available |
| Best Rigetti QCS | $0.000750/shot | Available |
| qBraid | $0.000900/shot | Available |
| Strangeworks | $0.000900/shot | Available |
Neutral Atom vs Superconducting: Technology Tradeoffs
- 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
- 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
Use Case Recommendations
More qubits (100 qubits) allows encoding larger problem instances.
Higher CLOPS (15,000) means faster circuit execution for high-repetition workloads.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Pasqal Fresnel and Rigetti Ankaa-3?
Pasqal Fresnel uses Neutral Atom while Rigetti Ankaa-3 uses Superconducting technology. Both QPUs have comparable 2Q gate fidelity (~99.50%). Pasqal Fresnel offers more physical qubits (100 qubits). These QPUs use fundamentally different qubit technologies: Neutral Atom vs Superconducting.
Which is better for quantum chemistry, Pasqal Fresnel or Rigetti Ankaa-3?
For quantum chemistry simulations (VQE, UCCSD), Pasqal Fresnel 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 Pasqal Fresnel and Rigetti Ankaa-3?
Pasqal Fresnel is available from $0.00/shot on Azure Quantum. Rigetti Ankaa-3 is available from $0.000750/shot on Rigetti QCS. 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, Pasqal Fresnel or Rigetti Ankaa-3?
Pasqal Fresnel uses Custom connectivity (degree N/A) while Rigetti Ankaa-3 uses Grid connectivity (degree 4).
What are the coherence times for Pasqal Fresnel vs Rigetti Ankaa-3?
Pasqal Fresnel: T1=4 ms, T2=1 ms. Rigetti Ankaa-3: T1=80 µs, T2=60 µs. Pasqal Fresnel has longer coherence times, which generally allows for deeper circuits before errors accumulate.
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