• Canadian quantum annealing developer D-Wave has launched the first prototype of its Advantage2 quantum annealing computer with over 500 qubits. The system will be accessible via its Leap Cloud Service. The launch of the final 7,000-qubit Advantage2 computer—D-Wave’s sixth-generation system—is slated to take place during 2023/2024. 

• The released prototype will utilize D-Wave’s new Zephyr qubit topology with 20 couplers to connect qubits together—compared to the previous Pegasus topology with 15 couplers—enabling higher qubit connectivity and improved noise (error) reduction. The prototype release will allow users to explore the technology and provide feedback, which will be incorporated into the final Advantage2 system.

<ul><li> Analyst QuickTake: The prototype release comes unplanned owing to faster progress in the company’s development efforts. Apart from its progressing annealing technology, D-Wave also announced its attempt at building a scalable and error-corrected gate-model quantum computer , in its quantum roadmap Clarity released in October 2021. This made D-Wave the first company to explore both technologies. However, the company seems to lay low on its progress on the gate-based system, which will spark expectations when it does arrive. The company is also expected to go public via a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) deal by the end of this month.</ul>