QuEra Aquila vs Xanadu Borealis Specs, Pricing & Performance [2026]
Quick Verdict
QuEra Aquila uses Neutral Atom while Xanadu Borealis uses Photonic technology. QuEra Aquila offers more physical qubits (256 qubits).
Specification Comparison
| Metric | QuEra Aquila | Xanadu Borealis |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Qubits | 256 ✓ | 216 |
| Technology | Neutral Atom | Photonic |
| 2Q Gate Fidelity | 99.50% ✓ | — |
| 1Q Gate Fidelity | — | — |
| Readout Fidelity | 99.00% ✓ | 98.00% |
| Quantum Volume | — | — |
| CLOPS | 10 ✓ | — |
| T1 (Relaxation) | 5 ms ✓ | — |
| T2 (Dephasing) | 1.5 ms ✓ | — |
| 1Q Gate Time | — | — |
| 2Q Gate Time | 500 µs ✓ | — |
| Connectivity | Custom | Linear (deg 2) |
| Max Circuit Depth | 100 ✓ | 10 |
| Max Shots | 1,000 | 100,000 ✓ |
| Dynamic Circuits | No | No |
| Error Mitigation | No | No |
| Cloud Platforms | 2 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: QuEra Aquila: $10.30 vs Xanadu Borealis: $0.5000
Neutral Atom QuEra Aquila
| Platform | Price | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Best Amazon Braket | $0.0100/shot | Available |
| qBraid | $0.0100/shot | Available |
Photonic Xanadu Borealis
| Platform | Price | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Best Xanadu Cloud | $0.5000/task | Available |
| qBraid | $0.5000/task | Available |
Neutral Atom vs Photonic: 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
- Operates at room temperature (no cryogenics required), photons travel at the speed of light with minimal decoherence, and photonic hardware is compatible with existing fiber-optic telecommunications infrastructure for quantum networking.
- Challenge
- Deterministic photon-photon interactions are extremely difficult to engineer, making universal fault-tolerant quantum computation challenging. High photon loss rates and detector inefficiencies limit circuit depth. Current GBS machines are specialized rather than general-purpose.
- Gate Speed
- Picoseconds for passive operations; detector timing ~ns
- Fidelity
- Variable; loss-dominated; ~98% for single-photon detectors
Use Case Recommendations
More qubits (256 qubits) allows encoding larger problem instances.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between QuEra Aquila and Xanadu Borealis?
QuEra Aquila uses Neutral Atom while Xanadu Borealis uses Photonic technology. QuEra Aquila offers more physical qubits (256 qubits). These QPUs use fundamentally different qubit technologies: Neutral Atom vs Photonic.
Which is better for quantum chemistry, QuEra Aquila or Xanadu Borealis?
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 QuEra Aquila and Xanadu Borealis?
QuEra Aquila is available from $0.0100/shot on Amazon Braket. Xanadu Borealis is available from $0.5000/task on Xanadu Cloud. 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, QuEra Aquila or Xanadu Borealis?
QuEra Aquila uses Custom connectivity (degree N/A) while Xanadu Borealis uses Linear connectivity (degree 2).
What are the coherence times for QuEra Aquila vs Xanadu Borealis?
QuEra Aquila: T1=5 ms, T2=1.5 ms.
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