Nord Quantique Achieves Breakthrough in Quantum Error Correction with SPAM Errors Reduced to Below 0.1%

SHERBROOKE, Quebec--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nord Quantique, a quantum computing company advancing efficient, scalable, and error corrected architectures, recently published a research paper demonstrating quantum error correction (QEC) of a single-mode grid state qubit with state preparation and measurement (SPAM) errors below 0.1%; a roughly 100-fold improvement over prior results in comparable GKP-based systems, and now on par with error rates routinely seen in leading superconducting transmon qubit platforms.

SPAM errors represent a fundamental challenge in quantum computing: even the most sophisticated error-correction protocols can be undermined by poorly prepared input states or unreliable readout. Nord Quantique's research directly addresses this bottleneck and is compatible with its existing high-performance autonomous error correction, achieving superior SPAM performance without any compromise in logical error rates.

This metric has long been the weak link in GKP-based systems, lagging behind other operational benchmarks and capping overall performance. Closing that gap removes a key obstacle and strengthens Nord Quantique’s path to scalable fault-tolerant quantum computing.

“This breakthrough advances our mission to realize fault-tolerant quantum computing by 2030,” said Julien Camirand Lemyre, CEO and Co-founder of Nord Quantique. “By addressing the fundamental challenge of SPAM errors in our bosonic architecture, we've demonstrated that our 1:1 physical-to-logical qubit approach reduces performance limitations on the path to fault tolerance quantum computing.”

The gains stem from a repeat-until-success protocol based on post-selected stabilization, which uses quantum error correction itself to improve preparation fidelity. Rather than relying on real-time corrections and the complex classical control systems they require, the approach prepares a state, verifies whether the preparation succeeded, and either keeps the result or discards it and repeats. This simplification improves both implementation and reliability while drawing on the same error-correction capabilities that underpin Nord Quantique's architecture.

This protocol is also adapted to prepare magic states, specialized quantum states required for the non-Clifford operations essential to universal quantum computation. High-fidelity magic state preparation is widely regarded as one of the most resource-intensive challenges across leading quantum architectures. Demonstrating it within Nord Quantique's grid-state architecture highlights a further advantage of performing error correction without additional overhead.

As the field moves toward larger, more capable quantum processors, this kind of integration will be central to making fault tolerance practical rather than merely theoretical, bringing utility-scale quantum computing closer to reality.

Access the full paper and findings here.

About Nord Quantique

Founded with the vision of reinventing computing from the qubit up, Nord Quantique advances quantum error correction and scalable architectures toward commercially viable, fault-tolerant quantum computers. By embedding quantum error correction directly into each qubit using superconducting bosonic codes, the company enables a 1:1 logical-to-physical qubit ratio. This unique approach delivers scalable performance, fast clock rates, and an efficient energy and physical footprint—unlocking a clear path to useful, error-corrected quantum computers.

Explore Nord Quantique’s technology and progress on our website.