What does it mean to have a distributed quantum computer? Because if these distributed quantum computers are connected by classical communication channels (e.g. the internet), then it has been proven that this cannot provide any quantum speedup over just a single quantum computer.
So to actually get a quantum speedup, these quantum computers will need to be connected with quantum channels, which are possible IRC with fiber optic links (eg. by using the quantum state of the photons). But that is not the case.
A distributed quantum computer is one that is entangled over a photonic link either by satellite or terrestrial connection.
You are correct to say that these are not in broad distribution today, but we are building for the future where we do have ubiquitous quantum repeaters and interconnects. We are working with manufacturers, universities, government labs, and NGOs to do early research in this space and centering these operations in Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico.
In the meantime, it is also important to build the infrastructure for distributed hybrid applications and incentives that enforce cooperation in the presence of adversarial nodes.
For a short review of papers that are relevant to this area of research, see below:
Experimental demonstration that qubits can be cloned at will, if encrypted with a single-use decryption key
https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.10695
Is this basically saying: assuming we have working Qbit computers, and we hook them up to a network, this is the system to do your work across the network?
This is saying, we have working qubit computers today, and you can request the time that hasn't already been reserved on them by using the network.
When combining the qubit computers with classical computers will get you a better result, the network will automatically handle that reformulation of the problem and handoff to the appropriate processors.
In the future, when we have better entanglement technology, it will also handle horizontal scaling across quantum processors.
What does it mean to have a distributed quantum computer? Because if these distributed quantum computers are connected by classical communication channels (e.g. the internet), then it has been proven that this cannot provide any quantum speedup over just a single quantum computer.
See Jozsa & Linden 2003: https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0201143
So to actually get a quantum speedup, these quantum computers will need to be connected with quantum channels, which are possible IRC with fiber optic links (eg. by using the quantum state of the photons). But that is not the case.
A distributed quantum computer is one that is entangled over a photonic link either by satellite or terrestrial connection.
You are correct to say that these are not in broad distribution today, but we are building for the future where we do have ubiquitous quantum repeaters and interconnects. We are working with manufacturers, universities, government labs, and NGOs to do early research in this space and centering these operations in Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico.
In the meantime, it is also important to build the infrastructure for distributed hybrid applications and incentives that enforce cooperation in the presence of adversarial nodes.
For a short review of papers that are relevant to this area of research, see below:
Experimental demonstration that qubits can be cloned at will, if encrypted with a single-use decryption key https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.10695
Long-distance coherent quantum communications in deployed telecom networks https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08801-w
Entanglement of nanophotonic quantum memory nodes in a telecom network https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07252-z
Continuous operation of a coherent 3,000-qubit system https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09596-6
Quantum Entanglement between Optical and Microwave Photonic Qubits https://journals.aps.org/prx/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevX.14.03...
Hmm that's pretty cool. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for engaging!
I love this! Building for the future is the best way to bring the future to us!
Totally agreed!
Is this basically saying: assuming we have working Qbit computers, and we hook them up to a network, this is the system to do your work across the network?
This is saying, we have working qubit computers today, and you can request the time that hasn't already been reserved on them by using the network.
When combining the qubit computers with classical computers will get you a better result, the network will automatically handle that reformulation of the problem and handoff to the appropriate processors.
In the future, when we have better entanglement technology, it will also handle horizontal scaling across quantum processors.
Hey Colton, it's Bhargav -- I love the description!
Best Regards.
Thanks for commenting Bhargav! Hope you get a chance to use said open-source distributed quantum compute network