Fifty years of quantum hardware
This chart traces quantum computing from its first theoretical ideas, through research and development, to the engineering of useful machines built to outperform classical computers on some problems. For clarity, many achievements, modalities and companies are left out.
Last Updated: October 21, 2026
Download the chart (PNG)Width is log₁₀ of the record qubit count, one scale for physical and FTQC.
Each stream shows the best device in its modality to date.
FTQC lane: logical qubits that compute better than the physical qubits beneath them.
Experimental logical qubits: earlier encodings, marked on the stream’s inner edge.
Rail: the best published 2Q gate fidelity, with a mark at each record.
Gate-model computers only; quantum annealers are excluded.
Time is compressed before 2014 and expanded after mid-2023.
Sources as of 21 October 2026.