• Watch IonQ’s Quantum World Congress 2025 Keynote On Demand. • From Flash Cells to Qubits: How IonQ is Drawing Inspiration from Classical Flash Memory to Advance Quantum Error Correction At IonQ, we are busy both delivering value to our commercial customers today and researching and developing the next-generation quantum computers of the future. • Much of our research thrust is focused on the hardware and software required for error correction, which is expected to unlock even more value for customers. • In collaboration with Gilles Zémor of Bordeaux University, IonQ’s quantum error correction team has proposed a novel approach to error-corrected quantum memory, inspired by classical flash memory (as detailed in thisresearch paper). • This research is part of a robust set of techniques that our quantum error correction team is exploring to reduce the overhead of quantum error correction in the long term. • This novel approach draws from classical flash memory, exploring a new paradigm called “stacked quantum memory” paired with quantum Gabidulin codes - a type of error-correcting code - to drive advancements in scalability and error correction.
Article Summaries:
- IonQ is advancing quantum error correction by borrowing concepts from classical flash memory. In partnership with Gilles Zémor of Bordeaux University, the company proposes a “stacked quantum memory” architecture that uses quantum Gabidulin codes-an error‑correcting scheme adapted from network coding-to improve scalability and reduce overhead. The approach mimics multi‑level flash cells, which store multiple bits per cell, and applies lessons on dense storage and error resilience to qubits. By integrating these ideas, IonQ aims to build more robust quantum architectures that can support larger, fault‑tolerant systems while maintaining commercial‑grade performance.
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