.webp){kind=small}
Technology Solution
Quantum Computing
Precise, real-time qubit manipulation and accelerated error correction.
Innovating in the Era of Quantum Computing
Altera is accelerating the scale-up and scale-out of quantum computing with hardware and software solutions that enable precise, real-time qubit manipulation and innovative error correction, speeding the move from lab prototypes to commercial platforms to power breakthroughs in research, optimization, and quantum-enabled AI.
Where FPGAs Fit in a Quantum System
In a superconducting system, Altera® FPGAs sit at every point where latency and determinism matter: shaping control pulses, classifying readout signals, and decoding errors in the host, whether that host is a dedicated quantum error correction (QEC) system or a classical high-performance computing (HPC) cluster.
.png?w=1300&v=fbf13d69-fce1-4188-a293-19cb2b2a15b2&itok=p0tAyTi0)
The Challenges, and Why FPGA
The Challenge
Low Latency for Qubit Control
Low latency is required for qubit readout, control, and QEC to be useful.
Why FPGA
Precise, Deterministic Qubit Control
Real-time, precise, deterministic pulses with high-bit resolution enable reliable, synchronized operations across an RF-based FPGA controller.
The Challenge
Fast Qubit Readout
Qubit readout data must be processed in real-time, with low latency and accurate state detection for immediate feedback.
Why FPGA
High-Speed Integrated RF and Transceiver I/O
Combining high-frequency RF and fast transceivers in one device processes high-bandwidth qubit data in real time with low latency and accurate state detection.
The Challenge
Evolving Quantum Architectures
Quantum hardware must interface with classical computing and evolve with emerging quantum architectures and error correction algorithms.
Why FPGA
Reconfigurable Hybrid Integration
FPGAs bridge quantum and HPC infrastructure, streaming data via FPGA-based SmartNICs and data processing units (DPUs), reconfigurable for evolving architecture and QEC algorithms.
The Challenge
Scaling to Thousands of Qubits
Control and readout channels must stay phase-aligned across many devices as qubit counts grow, without timing drift between nodes.
Why FPGA
Synchronized Multi-Node Scale-Out
Deterministic multi-device synchronization and streaming crossbars keep every channel phase-aligned, scaling from one board to full racks.
Why Altera
Fully Integrated RF Solutions
Direct RF-Series FPGAs include analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) and digital-to-analog converters (DACs), saving size, weight, and power with 5x higher RF performance vs. competing integrated devices.
High-Performance FPGA Fabric and RF
Agilex® 9 SoC FPGAs include high-performance ADCs and DACs delivering 2x higher FPGA fabric performance per watt vs. competing 7 nm FPGAs.
Accelerate Quantum Error Correction
Agilex FPGA-based SmartNICs and DPUs improve host system performance for better error detection/correction processing.
Open Quantum Ecosystem
Quantum Error Correction interface (QECi) and NVIDIA NVQLink support plus validated designs speed lab-to-production.
Validating the QECi design example on Altera Agilex hardware demonstrates how an open interface can help connect quantum control systems with real-time error-correction technology and gives developers an accessible way to begin evaluating the integration.
Get Started
Reference Designs
Quantum Error Correction Interface
A standard interface between the control system and the QEC stack in a quantum computer. The design is Riverlane's open-source implementation of the QECi physical layer validated on an Agilex FPGA's F-Tile.
Get the design on GitHub.
Tuning Agilex 9 Device’s ADC/DAC Channels
The design includes a GUI to tune ADCs and DACs for qubit control, readout, and telemetry using the FPGA's integrated 40-64 GSPS data converters.
Design download requires NDA access. Contact Altera.
Multi-Node Agilex 9-based ADC/DAC Timing Synchronization
This design communicates between ADC/DAC nodes for repeatable timing of control pulses and readout signals, allowing deterministic phase alignment of logical-qubit synchronization for fast feedback on qubit reset, calibration, and error mitigation.
Design download requires NDA access. Contact Altera.
Multi-Port Agilex 9-based Streaming Crossbar
This Agilex 9 device design offers 24 TX/RX parallel streaming AXI channels for high-throughput, low-latency data exchange between ports, enabling scalable data paths for concurrent qubit operations and real-time feedback loops.
Design download requires NDA access. Contact Altera.
Quantum Processing Unit Example Design
This Agilex 9 design combines qubit readout and control in a single FPGA, featuring pulse generation, readout state discrimination, and low-latency QEC feedback, all with globally synchronous scheduling.
Design download requires NDA access. Contact Altera.
IP Portfolio
Production-ready intellectual property (IP) for every layer of a quantum system, from error correction decoding through open control-plane interfaces to high-speed links into GPUs and HPC hosts, so teams integrate proven blocks instead of building interfaces from scratch.
Error Detection and Correction IP
High-Speed Interface IP
Software & Tools
The software and tools used to design, program, simulate, and debug Altera FPGAs for quantum control, readout, and error correction.
FPGA Software and Utilities
FPGA IP Software
FPGA Embedded Software
FPGA Simulator Software
Common Questions
Quantum computing uses quantum bits (qubits) to process information. Altera focuses on the hardware/software that supports quantum processors: precise qubit control, fast readout, and accelerating error correction.
FPGAs provide low-latency, deterministic reconfigurable hardware for precise qubit manipulation, readout, and real-time feedback. FPGAs’ parallel logic, DSP, and memory pipelines can also support high-throughput quantum error correction.
Altera FPGAs deliver real-time, precise, deterministic pulses with high-bit resolution to manipulate qubits. High-frequency RF and high-bandwidth transceivers process qubit data with low latency and accurate state detection for immediate feedback.
Altera FPGAs offer massively parallel data path pipelines (logic + DSP + memory), enabling real-time, deterministic functionality tuned to accelerate quantum error correction algorithms independently or to assist CPUs/GPUs/XPUs.
Altera recommends Agilex 9 SoC FPGA Direct RF-Series with integrated ADCs/DACs for qubit readout and control boards, plus Agilex 7 FPGA-based production-grade SmartNICs and DPUs for quantum error detection/correction acceleration.