Amazon is the latest tech company to enter the quantum-computing race, following the February announcement of its quantum chip, Ocelot. The company said the new chip can reduce the costs of implementing quantum error correction by up to 90%.
Quantum computers use quantum bits or qubits, unlike classical computers, which use binary bits. The tech company said that Ocelot uses cat qubits that have protection against errors.
Amazon enters the quantum computing race with new quantum chip
A step forward in quantum computing with #AWS. 🚀
Meet Ocelot, our first quantum computing chip tackling one of the field's biggest hurdles; error correction. With up to 90% lower correction overhead, we're bringing quantum systems closer to reality.
🔗 https://t.co/7WuTd8VX5Z pic.twitter.com/xlnxsjcdxw
— Amazon Web Services (@awscloud) February 27, 2025
Amazon Web Services unveiled its first-ever quantum computing chip called Ocelot, which the firm designed to test its quantum error correction architecture. The company revealed that the chip could reduce the additional qubits needed to implement quantum error correction by up to 90%
Amazon started as an e-commerce firm, but its business pivoted in 2006 with the launch of Amazon Web Services. Data shows that AWS is currently worth more than $100 billion, contributing to the company’s worth of over $2 trillion. The tech giant highlighted that it sees quantum as the next major growth area for its cloud services, joining fierce competition from familiar rivals in the field, Google and Microsoft.
“There’s a … strong business case for AWS or Amazon to get involved with quantum computing. Quantum computing is very much in line with that sort of business model where you would have off-premise quantum computing resources that can be made accessible through the cloud.”
–Oskar Painter, Director of Quantum Hardware for Amazon Web Services.
Managing partner at Deepwater Asset Management, Gene Munster, argued that building a part of AWS that can crack difficult problems is an opportunity for them to charge more. Data from ResearchAndMarkets estimated that quantum computing will hit $1.79 billion in 2025 and grow at a CAGR of 31.64% to reach $7.08 billion by 2030.
Amazon showcased the Ocelot quantum processor inside the AWS Center for Quantum Computing at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California. The company said the chip, designed and fabricated in-house, uses a scalable architecture that reduces error correction by up to 90%.
Amazon noted that quantum computing systems use quantum bits or qubits, which suppress certain forms of errors to reduce the resources required for quantum error correction. The firm also said Ocelot uses cat qubits, named after Schrodinger’s cat thought experiment. Amazon said that it proved this type of qubit technology could fit on a microchip with other components of quantum error correction.
Munster argued that quantum computing should be considered a new vertical within the AWS cloud business. He believes the technology will eventually be solved and monetized through one of the big cloud platforms.
Amazon joins Microsoft and Google in quantum computing
Head of quantum algorithms at AWS, Fernando Brandao, believes that Ocelot’s architecture, with its approach to error correction, positions the company to tackle the next phase of quantum computing to scale. Painter also said the company had to put quantum error correction needs first with Ocelot if they were to make practical quantum computers.
Microsoft revealed in February that its first quantum computing chip, Majorana 1, was built with topological superconductors, enabling the company to create a new state of matter called topological superconductivity. The firm said the new state of matter, which it has worked on for almost two decades, allows quantum systems to scale to one million qubits on a single chip.
Google also unveiled its quantum computing chip called Willow in December, which it acknowledged demonstrated two major achievements in quantum computing. The company said Willow could reduce the rate of errors when adding more qubits and perform a computation in under five minutes. The tech firm argued that the same computation would take Frontier 10 septillion years to solve, given it is considered the world’s fastest supercomputer and operated by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy.
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