Rigetti Computing Launches 84-Qubit Ankaa™-3 System;

Ankaa-3 features a comprehensive hardware redesign that enables superior performance. Improvements across the technology stack include a new cryogenic hardware design, an overhaul of the qubit circuit layout, precise qubit frequency targeting with alternating-bias assisted annealing, and a flexible gate architecture with precise controls. Ankaa-3 did it A 99.5% average two-qubit gate fidelity.

BERKELEY, Calif., Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Rigetti Computing, Inc. (Nasdaq: RGTI) (“Rigetti” or the “Company”), a pioneer in full-stack classical quantum computing, today announced its public launch its 84-qubit Ankaa-3 system. Ankaa-3 is Rigetti’s latest flagship quantum computer with a comprehensive hardware redesign that enables superior performance. Rigetti is also celebrating key milestones in two-qubit gate fidelity with Ankaa-3: successfully halving error rates in 2024 to achieve mean iSWAP gate fidelity of 99.0% and demonstrating fSim- Gates with medium fidelity of 99.5%.

Ankaa-3 is now available to its partners via the Rigetti Quantum Cloud Services (QCS) platform^®) and will come to Amazon Braket and Microsoft Azure in the first quarter of 2025. Users can operate these higher fidelity universal iSWAP gates for a wide range of algorithmic research with an average gate time of 72 nanoseconds. The faster (56 nanoseconds on average) and more specialized fSim gates are useful for certain algorithms such as random circuit sampling, as recently demonstrated on Google’s Willow system.

The Ankaa-3 system continues to feature Rigetti’s scalable, industry-leading chip architecture with 3D signaling while incorporating important improvements in key technologies. Leveraging the company’s full-stack expertise and in-house quantum foundry capabilities, Ankaa-3 demonstrates Rigetti’s ability to deliver increasingly powerful quantum computers.

The company’s focus on improving qubit fidelity has led to improvements across the technology stack:

• All-New Cryogenic Hardware Design – Reducing the amount of metal in the coldest phase of the refrigerator increases efficiency and reduces the cost per qubit. Superior thermalization and magnetic/environmental shielding also improve system performance. This new design allows scaling to thousands of qubits.
• Improved Qubit Chip – Rigetti redesigned his qubit chip, resulting in improved coherence. Working with the Superconducting Quantum Materials & Systems Center (SQMS) led by Fermilab, Rigetti implemented a metal deposition method for higher-T qubit circuits₁ Baseline – which indicates the lifetime of a qubit. In addition, the circuit layout has been optimized to minimize qubit losses and take advantage of the new process with higher coherence.
• Fabrication of Josephson junctions using Alternating-Bias Assisted Annealing (ABAA) – The Ankaa-3 chip features the features of Rigetti’s Ankaa-class chip architecture with a square lattice of qubits and tunable couplers. The Josephson contacts of the 84-qubit chip are manufactured using Rigetti’s novel ABAA technology. ABAA enables precise qubit frequency targeting, enabling better execution of two-qubit gates and increasing yield, both of which contribute to higher fidelity.
• Precise control and flexible gate architecture – Rigetti has invested heavily in the control technologies underlying its QPUs. Chip-wide optimization of qubit and tunable coupler frequencies results in fewer unwanted qubit-qubit interactions, and real-time in-hardware pulse precompensation produces gates with lower incoherent errors. Rigetti has also developed a robust calibration process for highly expressive square root iSWAP-like gates while solving some of the compilation challenges associated with their practical use, resulting in an nQA-oriented gate set with significantly lower error rates.

“With approximately $225 million in cash, cash equivalents and investments available for sale and no debt, we are extremely confident in our ability to achieve our roadmap and performance targets. “The remarkable performance of Ankaa-3 strengthens our leadership position in the field of superconducting quantum computers – which we believe is the best modality for high-performance quantum computing due to its many advantages, including fast gate speeds and well-established manufacturing processes,” says Dr. Subodh Kulkarni, CEO of Rigetti.

“Our teams across the technology stack are working incredibly hard to introduce new, innovative ways to increase the performance of our system. As we continue the journey toward fault tolerance, we are designing computer systems with capabilities never seen before,” said David Rivas, CTO of Rigetti. “At Rigetti, we strive to work closely with our partners to find ways to put these systems into practice.”

Rigetti plans to introduce the next generation of its modular system architecture in 2025 while further increasing accuracy. By mid-2025, the company expects to release a 36-qubit system based on four 9-qubit chips tiled together, with a targeted reduction in error rates of 2x compared to current levels. By the end of 2025, the company expects to release a system with over 100 qubits, with a targeted reduction in error rates of 2x compared to current levels.

About Rigetti
Rigetti is a pioneer in full-stack quantum computing. The company has been operating quantum computing via the cloud since 2017, serving global enterprise, government and research customers through its Rigetti Quantum Cloud Services platform. In 2021, Rigetti began selling local quantum computing systems with qubit numbers between 24 and 84 qubits, supporting national laboratories and quantum computing centers. Launched in 2023, Rigetti’s Novera™ 9-qubit QPU supports a broader research and development community with a high-performance local QPU designed to interface with a customer’s existing cryogenics and control systems. The company’s proprietary quantum classical infrastructure provides powerful integration with public and private clouds for practical quantum computing. Rigetti has developed the industry’s first multi-chip quantum processor for scalable quantum computing systems. The company designs and manufactures its chips internally at Fab-1, the industry’s first dedicated and integrated quantum device manufacturing facility. Find out more at www.rigetti.com.

Rigetti Computing Media Contact:
[email protected]

Cautionary Notes Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this release may be considered “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including expectations regarding the release of a 36-qubit system based on four 9-qubit chips tiled together by mid-2025 targeted reduction in error rates of two times from current levels and release of a system with over 100 qubits with a targeted reduction of error rates of two times from current levels by the end of 2025; our ability to achieve our roadmap and performance goals and to design computer systems with unprecedented capabilities and to find ways to put these systems into practice and meet expectations for superconductivity as a promising method for higher performance quantum computing. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events and are identified by terms such as “commit,” “may,” “should,” “could,” “could,” “plan,” “possible,” “intend,” “seek,” “expect.” “, “intend”, “will”, “estimate”, “believe”, “predict”, “potential”, “pursue”, “aim”, “goal”, “outlook”, “anticipate”, “assume” , “demonstrate,” “target,” or “further,” or the negatives of these terms or variations thereof, or similar terminology. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions that, although considered reasonable by Rigetti and its management, are inherently uncertain. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: the Company’s ability to achieve milestones and technological advancements, including with respect to its technology roadmap , to explore quantum computing and develop practical applications; the Company’s ability to successfully and timely obtain government contracts and the availability of government funding; the potential of quantum computing; the Company’s ability to increase its QPU sales; the success of the Company’s partnerships and collaborations; the Company’s ability to accelerate the development of multiple generations of quantum processors; the outcome of any legal proceedings brought against the Company or others; the ability to maintain relationships with customers and suppliers and to attract and retain management and key employees; changes in applicable laws or regulations; the possibility that the Company may be adversely affected by other economic, business or competitive factors; the Company’s cost and profitability estimates; the development of the markets in which the company competes; the Company’s ability to implement its strategic initiatives and expansion plans and to continue to innovate its existing services; the expected use of proceeds from the Company’s past and future financings or other capital; the Company’s cash sufficiency; adverse conditions in the Company’s industry, the global economy or the global supply chain, including fluctuations and uncertainties in financial and credit markets, rising inflation and interest rates, disruptions in the banking system, increased costs, international trade relations, political unrest, natural disasters, war, and terrorist attacks ; the Company’s ability to comply with the continuing listing standards of the Nasdaq Capital Market; and other risks and uncertainties set forth in the “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” sections in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and Quarterly Report on Form 10. Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, and other documents the Company may file with the SEC from time to time. This material identifies and addresses other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. The Company gives no assurance that it will achieve its expectations.

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