New benchmark, QuSquare, tests near-term quantum devices

Researchers from the Department of Physical Chemistry, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU and BCAM, Basque Center for Applied Mathematics in Bilbao, Spain have published a new benchmark suite called “QuSquare” designed to evaluate current quantum devices. Published in Quantum Science and Technology, Number 3, with DOI 10.1088/2058-9565/ae917c, QuSquare focuses on assessing the performance of quantum computers before they reach fault tolerance. The work addresses a key challenge in quantum computing: achieving fair, scalable, and consistent evaluations of these pre-fault-tolerant systems. Unlike many existing efforts focused on the distant promise of fault-tolerant quantum computation, QuSquare specifically targets pre-fault-tolerant devices, acknowledging the current limitations of near-term quantum technology. This focus allows for a more practical assessment of quantum processors and provides a pathway for tracking progress as the field matures. The developers detail their work in Quantum Science and Technology, outlining a suite designed to evaluate both system- and application-level performance. The creation of QuSquare responds to a critical gap in the field; the proliferation of diverse…