Trapped Ion 6 QPUs available

Trapped Ion Quantum Computing

Trapped-ion quantum computers use individual ionized atoms (typically ytterbium or barium) suspended in electromagnetic fields as qubits. Quantum information is encoded in the electronic states of the ions. Laser pulses or microwave fields implement gate operations. Ions naturally interact with each other through Coulomb repulsion, enabling all-to-all connectivity without physical wiring.

Operating Temp

Room temperature (laser-cooled ions ~mK)

Gate Speed

1 µs – 1 ms per gate

Typical Fidelity

99.7–99.99% for 2-qubit gates

Scalability

Moderate — 50–100 qubits in single traps

Key Advantage

Exceptional gate fidelities (99.9%+), long coherence times (seconds to hours), and native all-to-all qubit connectivity eliminate the need for SWAP routing that limits other architectures.

Key Challenge

Gate operations are slow (microseconds to milliseconds), limiting circuit throughput. Scaling to many ions in a single trap is difficult due to spectral crowding; modular trap architectures are being developed to address this.

Trapped Ion QPUs (6)

QPU	Qubits	2Q Fidelity	QV	Status	Best Price	Link
IonQ Forte Enterprise 1 IonQ	36	99.70%	65,536	Active	From $0.000970/AQT	Details
IonQ Forte 1 IonQ	36	99.70%	65,536	Active	From $0.000970/AQT	Details
IonQ Aria 1 IonQ	25	99.60%	32,768	Active	From $0.000970/AQT	Details
Quantinuum H2-1 Quantinuum	56	99.91%	65,536	Active	From $5.50/HQC	Details
Quantinuum H1-1 Quantinuum	20	99.80%	524,288	Active	From $120.00/HQC	Details
AQT PINE Alpine Quantum Technologies	24	99.50%	128	Active	From $0.0100/shot	Details

Use Cases

Quantum chemistry Cryptography and quantum security Optimization problems Quantum error correction High-precision simulation

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do trapped-ion computers have better fidelity than superconducting?

Ions are identical atomic-scale qubits with natural isolation from their environment. Unlike fabricated superconducting circuits which have material imperfections, every ytterbium or barium ion is exactly the same. This uniformity, combined with laser-controlled operations, enables 99.9%+ gate fidelities.

What does all-to-all connectivity mean for trapped-ion QPUs?

All trapped ions in a single trap can directly interact with any other ion through shared phonon modes (vibrational energy of the trap). This eliminates the need for SWAP gates that other architectures require to move quantum information between non-adjacent qubits, reducing circuit depth significantly.

How slow are trapped-ion gates compared to superconducting?

Two-qubit gates on trapped-ion systems take 0.1–1 milliseconds, compared to 50–700 nanoseconds for superconducting. This is 100–10,000x slower. However, higher fidelity and all-to-all connectivity often compensate, yielding better results for equivalent algorithmic tasks.

What is the IonQ AQT (Algorithmic Qubit) metric?

AQT (Algorithmic Qubit) is IonQ's pricing unit. It equals shots × (n_2q_gates + 0.1 × n_1q_gates). The cost is $0.00097 per AQT on Azure Quantum and IonQ direct. This metric captures both circuit complexity and execution volume.

Can trapped-ion QPUs support mid-circuit measurement?

Yes — IonQ Forte and Quantinuum H-series systems support mid-circuit measurement, enabling adaptive quantum circuits with classical feedback. This is essential for quantum error correction protocols and more complex quantum algorithms.

Compare With Other Technologies

Trapped Ion vs Superconducting

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

Compare IonQ Forte Enterprise 1 vs IBM Heron r2 →

Trapped Ion vs Neutral Atom

1 µs – 1 ms per gate gates vs 0.1 µs – 1 ms per gate

Compare IonQ Forte Enterprise 1 vs QuEra Aquila →

Trapped Ion vs Photonic

1 µs – 1 ms per gate gates vs Picoseconds for passive operations; detector timing ~ns

Compare IonQ Forte Enterprise 1 vs Xanadu Borealis →

Trapped Ion vs Topological

1 µs – 1 ms per gate gates vs Not yet characterized at scale

Compare IonQ Forte Enterprise 1 vs Microsoft Majorana 1 →