The Diplomat author Mercy Kuo regularly engages subject-matter experts, policy practitioners, and strategic thinkers across the globe for their diverse insights into U.S. Asia policy. This conversation with Matt Kinsella – the CEO of Infleqtion, a leading U.S. quantum technology company – is the 531st in “The Trans-Pacific View Insight Series.”

Briefly describe U.S. advancements in quantum computing technology.

The United States is moving from experimental quantum systems toward logical, fault-tolerant computing. The key measure is no longer the number of physical qubits, but whether those qubits can be organized into reliable logical qubits and used for meaningful applications.

Infleqtion is at the forefront of that shift. Our neutral-atom platform has demonstrated 12 logical qubits with error detection and loss correction, a 99.73 percent two-qubit gate fidelity, and arrays of up to 1,600 neutral-atom sites. With Nvidia, we published a materials-science demonstration in which logical encoding reduced error approximately sixfold compared with physical-qubit execution.

Our roadmap achieves 30 logical qubits later this year, 100 by 2028, and 1,000 by 2030. We see approximately 100 high-quality logical qubits as the threshold for outperforming classical systems on selected valuable problems.

Hardware alone will not get us there. As our CTO, Pranav Gokhale, has emphasized, hardware-aware software can force-multiply quantum performance. Infleqtion is developing the complete stack – from atoms, photonics, and control systems to error correction, Superstaq compilation, resource estimation, and integration with GPU-accelerated computing. That full-system approach is how quantum computing becomes useful.

In what ways is the U.S. collaborating with partners in the Asia Pacific in developing quantum computing technology?

The United States is building a trusted quantum ecosystem with Asia-Pacific partners through joint research, technology development, workforce training, and access to advanced systems.

Japan provides a strong example. Japan’s Science and Technology Agency selected Infleqtion as the first foreign company – and the only foreign quantum-computing partner – to participate in its Quantum Moonshot program. In a consortium led by Professor Kenji Ohmori of the Institute for Molecular Science, we are contributing neutral-atom technology, photonics expertise, and systems engineering to the development of a large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer based on atomic qubits.

This is more than a research exchange. It combines an American commercial platform with Japanese leadership in ultrafast atomic control and aligns both countries around a shared technical objective. To this end, Infleqtion has delivered neutral-atom systems, helping researchers build the practical experience required to operate and develop applications for advanced quantum machines.

In Australia, Infleqtion has established an Asia-Pacific presence at Swinburne University of Technology and worked with the Australian Army and Australian industry on trustworthy quantum computation. One collaboration with Australian quantum company Diraq explored quantum physically unclonable functions intended to help verify the identity and integrity of remotely accessed quantum computers.

We are also engaging Australian leaders on the future use of quantum computing in energy and infrastructure. This application-led approach is essential: allied programs should begin with consequential problems and jointly determine the hardware, software, and classical resources required to address them.

These partnerships expand the talent, facilities, test environments, and applications available to the United States. Our alliances are not simply diplomatic relationships; they are a practical technology advantage.

Analyze the scope and scale of the U.S.-China quantum computing competition.

The U.S.-China quantum competition is not a single race. It spans computing architecture, logical reliability, software, photonics, manufacturing, talent, supply chains, data-center integration, and applications.

China can concentrate substantial state resources behind selected national programs. The United States operates through a more distributed system of companies, universities, federal laboratories, private capital, and international partners. That diversity supports several technical pathways while creating strong pressure to demonstrate practical results.

Infleqtion represents the strength of the American model. We are advancing a vertically integrated neutral-atom platform while expanding from research milestones into deployed systems and application centers. Our technology is operational in national institutions, and our teams are working with government and industry on energy, materials, AI, and scientific discovery.

We have delivered a 100-physical-qubit system to the U.K. National Quantum Computing Centre, announced a fault-tolerant system for Illinois, opened a Chicago Quantum Innovation Center, and expanded our U.K. engineering and manufacturing presence. These are signs of an industry developing the infrastructure to scale – not merely producing individual experiments.

The competition will be decided by sustained execution: who can build dependable logical systems, reduce resource overhead, manufacture them, connect them to classical supercomputers, and solve consequential problems. The United States has a powerful innovation network, and Infleqtion is rapidly converting that advantage into operating capability.

Examine China’s quantum computing technology developments.

China has demonstrated credible progress in superconducting and photonic quantum computing, supported by centralized programs that coordinate across universities, national laboratories, and state-linked companies. In particular, the University of Science and Technology of China’s Zuchongzhi 3.0 superconducting processor and Jiuzhang 4.0 photonic system have now achieved world-leading results.

These are technically impressive demonstrations, but more consequential questions concern logical error rates, programmable circuit depth, application performance, system availability, and the resources required to outperform the best classical alternative. Of note, China’s leading results in neutral atom quantum computing have lagged developments here in the U.S., though there have been recent accelerations in China’s efforts over the past year. 

China is also building domestic control electronics, cloud platforms, software, and industrial capacity. Its 2026-2030 planning framework treats quantum technology as a strategic emerging field, so the United States should expect continued progress.

The appropriate response is disciplined acceleration. We should measure China’s achievements accurately while investing in the capabilities that determine practical advantage: logical qubits, efficient error correction, hardware-aware software, advanced manufacturing, and application deployment. Those are the areas where Infleqtion is concentrating its computing roadmap.

Assess how quantum computing technology is integrated into U.S. national security and defense systems and its implications for the U.S.-China tech race.

Large-scale quantum computers are not yet embedded in operational defense systems. Current integration is occurring through research programs, independent technical validation, hybrid computing infrastructure, and development of mission-relevant applications.

An exemplar is DARPA’s HARQ program exploring heterogeneous systems that combine different quantum processors with classical resources. To meet that demand, Infleqtion is developing Multistaq, a software layer designed to compile and coordinate workloads across multiple qubit technologies.

Infleqtion is also supporting three Department of Energy Genesis Mission projects involving AI-optimized quantum circuits for nuclear applications, fusion research, and deployable atomic sensing. Our planned Illinois system will connect a neutral-atom QPU with Nvidia GPU infrastructure, providing a test environment for quantum-classical workflows and real-time error correction. The associated Chicago center is initially focused on energy-grid and nuclear optimization problems with direct implications for national resilience.

Quantum sensing and timing are closer to field deployment than fault-tolerant computing. Infleqtion’s work in GPS-independent navigation, spectrum awareness, precision timing, gravity sensing, and space systems gives the company operating experience with government missions while strengthening the shared photonics, controls, software, and manufacturing base behind our computers.

For the U.S.-China competition, the objective should be clear: move quantum computing from scientific potential to trusted national infrastructure. Infleqtion is helping the United States do that by combining technical progress, deployed systems, application development, and allied partnerships on one scalable neutral-atom platform.