Superconducting 6 QPUs available

Superconducting Quantum Computing

Superconducting qubits are electrical circuits cooled to millikelvin temperatures where quantum effects dominate. They are fabricated using standard semiconductor lithography, making them highly scalable. Qubits are formed from Josephson junctions — non-linear inductors that create discrete energy levels. IBM, Google, and Rigetti lead commercial deployment of this technology.

Operating Temp

~15 mK (millikelvin)

Gate Speed

10–700 ns per gate

Typical Fidelity

99.5–99.9% for 2-qubit gates

Scalability

High — 100s to 1000s of qubits demonstrated

Key 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.

Key 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.

Superconducting QPUs (6)

QPU	Qubits	2Q Fidelity	QV	Status	Best Price	Link
IBM Heron r2 IBM	156	99.50%	256	Active	From $1.60/sec	Details
IBM Nighthawk IBM	120	99.50%	512	Beta	From $1.60/sec	Details
IBM Eagle r3 IBM	127	99.50%	128	Active	From $0.00/sec	Details
Google Willow Google Quantum AI	105	99.88%	—	Active	Research access	Details
Rigetti Ankaa-3 Rigetti Computing	84	99.50%	128	Active	From $0.000750/shot	Details
IQM Garnet IQM Quantum Computers	20	99.50%	128	Active	From $0.001450/shot	Details

Use Cases

Quantum chemistry simulation Combinatorial optimization Quantum machine learning Error correction research Finance modeling

Frequently Asked Questions

What temperature do superconducting quantum computers operate at?

Superconducting QPUs require dilution refrigerators operating at approximately 15 millikelvin — colder than outer space. This is necessary to eliminate thermal noise and maintain quantum coherence in the Josephson junction-based qubits.

How fast are superconducting qubit gates?

Single-qubit gates take 10–60 nanoseconds, while two-qubit gates range from 50–700 nanoseconds depending on the specific QPU and gate type (CZ, CNOT, iSWAP). This makes superconducting qubits the fastest currently available commercially.

What is the quantum volume of superconducting QPUs?

Current commercial superconducting systems range from QV 128 (IBM Eagle) to QV 512+ (IBM Nighthawk). Google Willow does not use the QV metric but demonstrates exceptional error correction capabilities.

Which cloud platforms offer superconducting QPU access?

IBM Quantum provides direct access to IBM QPUs. Amazon Braket hosts Rigetti and IQM systems. Azure Quantum offers Rigetti access. qBraid provides access to IBM, Rigetti, and IQM systems in a unified interface.

What are the best use cases for superconducting quantum computers?

Superconducting QPUs excel at quantum chemistry simulation, combinatorial optimization, quantum machine learning, and error correction research. Their fast gates and growing qubit counts make them versatile for near-term quantum algorithms.

Compare With Other Technologies

Superconducting vs Trapped Ion

10–700 ns per gate gates vs 1 µs – 1 ms per gate

Compare IBM Heron r2 vs Quantinuum H2-1 →

Superconducting vs Neutral Atom

10–700 ns per gate gates vs 0.1 µs – 1 ms per gate

Compare IBM Heron r2 vs QuEra Aquila →

Superconducting vs Photonic

10–700 ns per gate gates vs Picoseconds for passive operations; detector timing ~ns

Compare IBM Heron r2 vs Xanadu Borealis →

Superconducting vs Topological

10–700 ns per gate gates vs Not yet characterized at scale

Compare IBM Heron r2 vs Microsoft Majorana 1 →