Quantum computing is getting there. After years of slow but steady development to create a useful quantum computer that can outperform classical machines, we’re still squarely in the so-called “noisy intermediate-scale quantum era.

Cool for cats Boffins, working for Microsoft and Atom Computing have emerged from their smoke-filled shared lab, claiming a significant breakthrough in their quest to develop fault-tolerant quantum computers that outperform classical systems.

In September, Microsoft made an unusual combination of announcements. It demonstrated progress with quantum error correction, something that will be needed for the technology to move much beyond the interesting demo phase,

The largest number of logical qubits has been linked through quantum entanglement, which is a key step towards quantum computers that can detect and correct errors

A partnership between Microsoft and Atom Computing has leveraged high-performance computing to successfully process 24 logical qubits, or quantum bits, marking a milestone in the quest to bring fault-tolerant quantum computing to life.

Microsoft and Atom Computing have announced what they claim is a significant step forward in reliable quantum computing, unveiling a commercial quantum machine built with 24 entangled logical qubits.

Atom Computing, the startup with which Microsoft has partnered on the new quantum computer, is backed by more than $100 million in funding. It will supply qubits and related technologies for the system. Microsoft, in turn, is supplying a so-called qubit virtualization module that will perform tasks such as correcting data processing errors.