Neutral atoms are a quantum-computing hardware platform pursued alongside superconducting circuits, trapped ions, and photons. The platform belongs to a shifting landscape of technologies aimed at progressing from proof-of-concept devices toward fault-tolerant machines and, ultimately, useful quantum computation. section 1.3.2
Figure 1.2 The major milestones of quantum hardware development. The first two, showing the use of quantum mechanics to perform a computation and having a quantum computer solve an artificial problem that a classical computer cannot, have already been achieved. The next milestone, building a fault-tolerant quantum computer that can run long computations, is the current focus. The final goal is to build a quantum computer that can solve practical problems that a classical computer cannot.
Hardware milestones place neutral atoms within the broader progression from demonstrating quantum computation to building fault-tolerant and practically useful systems. section 1.3.2
