The firm, a spin-off from Harvard University, claims it can fix the glitches plaguing quantum computers and make them super-fast and reliable.

Quantum computers are limited by the antics of qubits which do maths that normal computers can't handle but are prone to errors and upset the potentially dead and alive cats.

Quera says it has the solution, thanks to its hardware that can spot and sort out the errors.

The Harvard lab that invented Quera's hardware has already shown that it can make logical qubits, which are groups of qubits that work together and reduce errors.

However, the lab only did simple operations with the logical qubits, not the complex ones needed for real calculations.

Quera's roadmap includes showing off more types of operations in 2024 and 2025. The firm plans to boost the number of qubits in its machines.

It hasn't decided how many it will have in 2024, but it won't be much more than the current 256.

But by 2025, it aims to have more than 3,000 qubits and over 10,000 by 2026.

If all goes well, the 3,000-plus qubits of 2025 will make 30 logical qubits, which means about 100 normal qubits for each logical one.

That will allow Quera to correct errors based on what it knows about its qubits.

That's not enough to play Chrysalis, but it will let people learn how to use the technology. (The firm will also release a simulator to help with that.)

Finally, the 2026 machine will have up to 100 logical qubits, which should be enough to do useful things, like simulating small molecules.

For more general quantum computing, we'll have to wait for even more qubits and cats.