Strategic Plan for Neutral Atom Quantum Computation

New paper on the arXiv

July 23, 2026
evolution of neutral atom quantum computation
evolution of neutral atom quantum computation

We present a strategic plan for neutral atom quantum computation, bringing together hardware development and theory advancements to achieve the goal of practical quantum advantage. The concept of practical quantum advantage is defined, along with how to verify claims of advantage, and approaches to designing quantum algorithms that deliver practical advantage. Future directions for neutral quantum processor hardware are described: scaling-up system size, Qubit encodings and atomic platforms, going further below threshold with neutral-atom logical-qubit performance, continuous reloading of qubits, and fast readout. We also explore opportunities for scalable integrated photonic control technologies. Alongside hardware advancements, new developments in quantum error correction and compilation of quantum circuits are proposed. Finally, we examine the opportunity of networking multiple neutral atom quantum processors together to perform distributed quantum computing and overcome possible limitations of a single system.