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The first fault-tolerant quantum computers will be publicly available before the end of this decade. QuEra's Libra — a megaquop-class system with 256 logical qubits at a 10⁻⁶ logical error rate — launches on Amazon Braket in 2028, making it the first fault-tolerant quantum computer to reach the public cloud. A gigaquop-class successor with 1,000+ logical qubits is targeted for 2028/29.
This timeline arrived faster than much of the field expected. Here's why it's credible.
What makes a quantum computer "fault-tolerant"?
A fault-tolerant quantum computer runs computations on error-corrected logical qubits, detecting and correcting errors in real time as circuits execute. The practical test is depth: NISQ-era machines can run thousands of operations before noise wins; a fault-tolerant megaquop machine can run about a million reliable logical operations, enough for commercially relevant quantum simulation.
Why believe a 2028 date?
Three reasons:
The science is published, not projected. Every element of Libra's architecture rests on peer-reviewed research from QuEra and its Harvard and MIT collaborators: the first logical quantum processor (48 logical qubits, Nature 2023), below-threshold error correction, an end-to-end fault-tolerant architecture with up to 96 logical qubits, the first logical magic state distillation, continuous operation of a coherent 3,000-qubit system, and two-qubit gate fidelities of 99.77%. QuEra's roadmap policy is explicit: it only includes systems whose building blocks are scientifically demonstrated.
The delivery track record exists. QuEra has operated Aquila on Amazon Braket since November 2022 with roughly 99% uptime, and delivered Gemini — its first gate-based, on-premises system — to Japan. Building, shipping, and operating quantum computers in production is already proven.
The machine is under construction. Libra is being built today, backed by an expanded strategic partnership with AWS.
What can you do before 2028?
You don't have to wait. Gemini-class systems operate now as quantum error correction testbeds, letting researchers benchmark decoders, syndrome extraction, and logical circuit designs on real neutral-atom hardware. QuEra's Bloqade software ecosystem includes QEC simulators and digital twins of future fault-tolerant machines, so teams can prototype logical-scale programs today and be ready when the hardware arrives. Enterprises and governments are also engaging in application co-design partnerships to identify where early fault-tolerant systems will deliver value first.
What should you watch for between now and then?
Track logical-qubit milestones rather than raw physical qubit counts: logical error rates, the number of logical qubits operating simultaneously, and demonstrations of continuous operation. Those are the metrics that determine when useful, fault-tolerant computation actually arrives.
