Quantum Breakthrough: Sandia and Quantinuum Certified 98-Qubit Helios with Record Accuracy
On June 17, Sandia National Laboratories (part of the U.S. Department of Energy) together with quantum systems developer Quantinuum presented peer-reviewed test results of the 98-qubit quantum processor Helios. This is a landmark event for the industry, as it marks the first time a commercial quantum computer has undergone such deep independent verification.
Key Metrics and Architecture
Helios is built on barium ions with a QCCD (Quantum Charge-Coupled Device) architecture, providing full connectivity between all qubits. The average accuracy of single-qubit operations reached 99.9975%, and two-qubit operations — 99.921%. For comparison, even a slight decrease in these metrics makes quantum computing practically useless for serious tasks.
In tests on random Clifford circuits and the random circuit sampling (RCS) benchmark, the system demonstrated results "far beyond" the capabilities of classical supercomputers. This means Helios is capable of solving tasks fundamentally inaccessible to traditional computing.
Independent Certification and Error Control
Sandia National Laboratories used several benchmarking methods, including its own protocol for mid-circuit measurements. Such operations are critically important for future quantum error correction — the main barrier to fault-tolerant systems.
"The most important aspect of modern quantum computers is not speed, but reliability," noted study co-author Robin Blume-Kohout from Sandia. Indeed, errors arise from dozens of factors: from laser instability to chaotic movement of individual atoms. Verification of each component is the only path to scaling.
Commercial Status and Partnership
Quantinuum launched Helios into commercial operation back in November 2025. The system is available through a cloud service and in an on-premises deployment format. Early users include Amgen, BMW Group, JPMorganChase, and SoftBank Corp. The partnership between Sandia and Quantinuum has lasted four years and was extended in May 2026.
My Analysis
Achieving accuracy above 99.99% on single-qubit operations is not just numbers. It is the threshold beyond which quantum computing begins to pose a real threat to modern cryptographic standards. Helios can already be used for portfolio optimization and chemical reaction modeling, but the main question is when such systems will be able to break RSA or ECDSA. So far, that is far off, but progress is accelerating exponentially. The crypto community should closely monitor Quantinuum's development.