Quantinuum is introducing its next-generation quantum computer, Helios, which will come online this year and arrive as a full-stack platform that “sets a new standard for the industry.”
According to the company, “this stack is designed with the future in mind as Quantinuum advances toward universal, fully fault-tolerant quantum computing.”
The launch of Helios will come with an upgraded software stack with new features. Quantinuum is introducing two key additions to the stack, specifically:
- Guppy, a new, open-source programming language based on Python, one of the most popular general-use programming languages for classical computing; and
- Selene, a platform that partially emulates Helios, is used to perform program analysis and verification. Selene can be seen almost as a “digital sister” for Helios.
Moving forward, users will now leverage Guppy to run software applications on Helios and the company’s future systems. TKET will be used solely as a compiler tool chain and for the optimization of Guppy programs.
Nexus, which remains as the default pathway to access Quantinuum’s hardware, and third-party hardware, has been upgraded to support Guppy and provide access to Selene.
Nexus also supports Quantum Intermediate Representation (QIR), an industry standard, which enables developers to program with languages such as NVIDIA CUDA-Q, ensuring the stack stays accessible to the whole ecosystem.
With this new stack running on the next generation Helios system, several benefits will be delivered to the end user, including improved time-to-solution and reduced memory error for programs critical to quantum error correction and utility-scale algorithms.
In addition to this new system, Quantinuum is introducing Selene, a new open-source emulator, built to model realistic, entangled quantum behavior with exceptional detail and speed.
Unlike generic simulators, Selene captures advanced runtime behavior unique to Helios, including measurement-dependent control flow and hybrid quantum-classical logic. It runs Guppy programs out of the box, allowing developers to start building and testing immediately without waiting for machine time, the company said.
Selene supports multiple simulation backends, giving users state-of-the-art options for their specific needs, including backends optimized for matrix product state and tensor network simulations using NVIDIA GPUs and cuQuantum. This ensures maximum performance both on the quantum processor and in simulation.
These new features, and more, are available through Nexus. Nexus serves as the middle layer that connects every part of the stack, providing a cloud-native SaaS environment for full-stack workflows, including server-side Selene instances. Users can manage Guppy programs, analyze results, and collaborate with others, all within a single, streamlined platform.
The entire stack, including Nexus and Selene, supports the industry-standard Quantum Intermediate Representation (QIR) as input, allowing users to program in their preferred programming language. QIR provides a common format for accessing a range of quantum computing backends, and Quantinuum Helios will support the full Adaptive Profile QIR This means developers can generate programs for Helios using tools such as NVIDIA CUDA-Q, Microsoft Q#, and ORNL XACC.
For more information about this news, visit www.quantinuum.com.