Date: 26 November 2024
Source: The Quantum Insider / HPCwire
Paris-based quantum computing company Alice & Bob announced Felis 1.0, described as an industry-first logical qubit emulator designed to help developers prepare for the transition from today’s NISQ devices to fault-tolerant quantum computers.
Felis 1.0 allows users to design and test algorithms directly at the logical qubit level, instead of working only with noisy physical qubits. This bridges the gap between current hardware and the future systems that will run large-scale, error-corrected quantum applications.
What Does Felis 1.0 Do?
According to the announcement, Felis 1.0 provides:
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A logical qubit emulator built on top of Qiskit.
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Integration with the Classiq platform, enabling high-level quantum algorithm design that directly targets logical qubits.
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Tools to optimize algorithms for error-corrected architectures and to explore error-correction strategies before large-scale hardware exists.
By emulating logical qubits, developers can start designing software for the fault-tolerant future today, rather than waiting for perfect quantum hardware.
Why Is This a Big Deal?
Most current quantum development tools are focused on:
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NISQ-era hardware (limited qubits, high noise), or
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Very abstract algorithm design, without realistic error-correction details.
Felis 1.0 occupies a unique position: it gives engineers and researchers a playground where they can:
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Prototype realistic logical-level workloads,
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Evaluate resource needs and performance, and
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Prepare for the moment when fault-tolerant machines arrive.
This is crucial for industries that need a smooth migration path from classical HPC and NISQ experiments to production-grade quantum services.
