Pasqal Demonstrates On-Chip Atom Trapping with Photonic Integrated Circuit Toward Fault-Tolerant Scale

Pasqal, a global leader in neutral-atom quantum computing, announced on August 10, 2026, what it believes to be a world-first demonstration of trapping individual atoms with laser light delivered and controlled by a photonic integrated circuit (PIC). Achieved in collaboration with its Aeponyx subsidiary, acquired less than 18 months earlier, the work produced four independently addressable optical traps that held four rubidium atoms within a prototype quantum processing setup. The result forms part of a broader development program to route, control, and deliver laser light with increasing on-chip integration in support of systems targeting more than 10,000 atoms and 100 logical qubits.

Photonic Integration of Optical Tweezers

Neutral-atom quantum computers rely on highly focused laser beams, known as optical tweezers, to trap and manipulate individual atoms that serve as qubits. Conventional implementations depend on large free-space optical benches whose complexity grows rapidly with qubit number. Pasqal addressed this constraint by moving critical optical functions onto a silicon-nitride photonic chip developed with Aeponyx’s expertise.

In the reported demonstration, a single PIC produced four independently addressable optical traps that successfully confined four rubidium atoms. Testing confirmed atom lifetimes of approximately 27.5 seconds, performance stated to be in line with the company’s existing bulk-optics platforms. The work validates integrated photonics as a viable building block for qubit control without degradation of trapping quality and sits within a larger development effort focused on routing, controlling, and delivering laser light with progressive on-chip integration.

Path to Compact Manufacturing Scale

By replacing free-space optics with chip-scale photonics, Pasqal estimates the optical footprint of future processors can be reduced by as much as 50 times. The company views this reduction as a practical route to large-scale manufacturing as the industry transitions from laboratory prototypes to production systems.