Gate-based quantum computers have recently become widespread, and accessible to all via the cloud. However, in this NISQ computing era, systems are limited in size and capacity in such a way that currently available devices can invariably be simulated with laptops or clusters. With the goal of pushing the edge of computation and enabling discovery via quantum resources, QuEra has recently introduced a new concept of quantum computers: machines that are large enough and quantum enough to present a real challenge for classical simulation, albeit being not universal in its programmability. In this talk, we will introduce these neutral-atom analog quantum computers, the concept of Field Programmable Qubit Arrays (FPQA), Aquila – the first publicly-available FPQA on the cloud – and its range of applicability and use cases in research and industry. We will close with an outlook of where the technology will be going and why it is really posed to change the landscape of quantum computing forever.

Pedro Lopez, Quantum Physicist, QuEra