Thirty years ago, the discoveries of Shor’s algorithm and quantum error correction pointed to a striking conclusion: the quantum nature of reality offers vastly greater computational power than anything achievable with today’s machines. To access that power, and to fully understand the physical world, we must build a quantum computer.

Quantum computing is expected to impact a wide range of scientific and technological applications. Among these is the potential for large fault-tolerant computers to break public-key cryptosystems that underpin modern digital security, an important inflection that will require transitioning to new forms of secure cryptography.

Our message is simple: utility-scale quantum computers are within reach. At Oratomic, we are aiming to build the world's first fault-tolerant quantum computer. The path is clearer than ever, and the sprint has begun.

Recent years have seen the emergence of neutral atoms as a powerful new qubit platform. This approach traps and controls individual atoms using precisely controlled laser beams, with many of the pioneering researchers now at Oratomic.

At the same time, quantum error correction has become the central challenge in building large-scale quantum computers. Quantum states are inherently fragile and are easily disrupted by their environment, yet computation requires precisely manipulating them. Error correction resolves this tension by protecting information while allowing computation to proceed.

The key idea is redundancy. Logical qubits are encoded into many physical qubits so that errors can be detected and corrected along the way. For decades, the dominant approach has been the surface code, which is well matched to hardware arranged on a fixed two-dimensional grid. However, this convenience comes at a cost. The surface code has a low encoding rate, which is the ratio of logical to physical qubits. In practice, it can require hundreds of physical qubits to reliably encode a single logical qubit using the surface code.

Theorists in recent years, some now at Oratomic, have discovered a new regime of quantum error correction: high-rate codes that dramatically reduce overhead, requiring as few as 3 or 4 physical qubits per logical qubit. This changes the landscape of quantum computing, bringing large-scale applications within reach.

There is a catch. High-rate codes require long-range connectivity between qubits, beyond what fixed 2D architectures can support. This is where neutral atoms excel. Unlike solid-state qubits fixed in place, neutral atoms can be rearranged and connected over long distances using light. This makes them uniquely suited to realize high-rate error correction in practice.

These insights form the founding thesis of Oratomic. By combining neutral atom hardware with high-rate quantum codes, we aim to build a utility-scale quantum computer within this decade. Our theoretical resource estimates reveal that Shor’s algorithm can be realized with 10,000 atoms. Further advances are required to reach this scale experimentally, but previous work by Oratomic team members has already demonstrated coherent arrays of over 6000 atomic qubits and logical circuits on hundreds of atoms.

It is perhaps no surprise that applications to cryptography may be among the early uses of quantum computing. The earliest classical computers were developed during World War II to break encrypted messages. Only later did they transform science, industry, and eventually give rise to the internet and artificial intelligence.

The risks to public-key cryptography are real and will require a coordinated transition to post-quantum cryptography. Neutral atom quantum computing has already become widespread over the past few years, so we believe transparency plays a critical role in preparedness. Although substantial engineering challenges remain, our paper provides a theoretical existence proof that an appropriately designed neutral atom architecture could become cryptographically relevant. By sharing these results openly, we hope to give institutions time to adapt for the transition to quantum-resistant encryption.

Quantum computers offer a fundamentally new way of understanding and interacting with the physical world. Beyond cryptography, the promise of quantum computing remains largely untapped, from scientific discovery to new approaches in artificial intelligence. Until now, progress has been driven primarily by theory. With the emergence of neutral atom platforms, experimental exploration of quantum algorithms becomes possible. At Oratomic, we are working to bring the full impact of quantum computing to life.