Xanadu: what changed.
The recorded research and its supporting evidence.
This is a historical record. Read the current company research →1 evidence source added
Research reviewed 7 Oct 2026What changed
Xanadu announced a multiyear partnership with GlobalFoundries to transfer photonic-chip and single-photon-detector processes to a 300 mm manufacturing line.
Why it matters
The update adds a proposed route from laboratory components to repeatable fabrication. It extends the manufacturing context around Aurora without changing what the earlier experiment demonstrated.
What remains uncertain
The announcement reports no measured production yield or new integrated-system optical-loss result. It does not establish fault-tolerant operation or reopen Xanadu’s retired cloud service.
Full before-and-after comparison
- What the technology does
- Previously
Processes optical states using photonic chips, detectors and fiber links; Aurora tests how these components work together.
- Now
Processes optical states using photonic chips, detectors and fiber links; Aurora tests how these components work together. An October 6, 2026 multi-year partnership with GlobalFoundries targets industrial production of silicon-nitride photonics and superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors on a 300 mm line in Malta, New York.
- Who the research is useful for
- Previously
Researchers examining photonic architectures, optical loss and the engineering needed for fault tolerance.
- Now
Researchers examining photonic architectures, optical loss and the engineering needed for fault tolerance, including how component processes could move from prototypes to repeatable fabrication.
- Current access
- Previously
Hardware access not verified: Xanadu has retired its public Quantum Cloud. The reviewed sources do not establish an available Aurora execution service; existing cloud-client examples are historical.
- Now
Hardware access not verified: Xanadu has retired its public Quantum Cloud. The official client repository still states that the service is no longer available. The manufacturing announcement does not introduce an Aurora execution service.
- Sources retained (1)
- What the research demonstrates
- Previously
Aurora demonstrated linked photonic modules and real-time decoding in a scale model. The paper identifies optical loss as a remaining barrier to fault-tolerant performance.
- Now
Aurora demonstrated linked photonic modules and real-time decoding in a scale model; its paper identifies optical loss as a remaining barrier to fault-tolerant performance. The new foundry partnership is an announced manufacturing pathway, not a demonstration that the resulting components or a complete system meet fault-tolerance requirements.
- Sources added (1)
- Sources retained (1)
- What remains uncertain
- Previously
Aurora is not an operational universal fault-tolerant computer. Archived Strawberry Fields examples should not be read as current access instructions.
- Now
The partnership release reports neither measured production yield nor a new integrated-system optical-loss result. Planned process transfer and future demonstrators therefore do not establish an operational universal fault-tolerant computer. Archived software examples do not establish current hardware access.
- The next evidence question
- Previously
Can the next integrated system meet its loss budget and support sustained logical operations through a documented access program?
- Now
Can components fabricated through the new process demonstrate repeatable yield and sufficiently low loss, then meet the loss budget in an integrated logical-computing experiment?
- Evidence sources
- Sources removed (1)
- Research evidence: Scaling and networking a modular photonic quantum computer
- Previously
Xanadu researchers report a 35-chip Aurora scale model with 12 physical qubit modes per cycle and real-time repetition-code decoding. Optical losses remain above the requirements for fault tolerance.
- Source title
- Scaling and networking a modular photonic quantum computer
- Source publication date
- 22 Jan 2025
- Source type
- paper
- Marked independent
- Not recorded
- Now
The Aurora paper reports linked photonic chips and real-time repetition-code decoding in a scale model; component optical losses still prevent fault-tolerant operation.
- Source title
- Scaling and networking a modular photonic quantum computer
- Source publication date
- 22 Jan 2025
- Source type
- paper
- Marked independent
- No
- Sources retained (1)
- Research evidence: Xanadu Cloud Client — retirement notice
- Previously
The official repository states that Xanadu Quantum Cloud is no longer available. The repository was archived on January 16, 2026.
- Source title
- Xanadu Cloud Client — retirement notice
- Source publication date
- Not recorded
- Source type
- technical
- Marked independent
- Not recorded
- Now
The official repository still says Xanadu Quantum Cloud is no longer available and identifies itself as archived on January 16, 2026.
- Source title
- Xanadu Cloud Client — retirement notice
- Source publication date
- Not recorded
- Source type
- technical
- Marked independent
- No
- Sources retained (1)
- Research evidence: Strawberry Fields repository
- Previously
Provides photonic-circuit simulation resources, but the repository is archived. Historical execution examples do not establish a currently operating cloud service.
- Source title
- Strawberry Fields repository
- Source publication date
- Not recorded
- Source type
- technical
- Marked independent
- Not recorded
- Now
The repository is archived and describes photonic-circuit simulation software; its historical hardware-execution examples are not evidence that the retired cloud service has reopened.
- Source title
- Strawberry Fields repository
- Source publication date
- Not recorded
- Source type
- technical
- Marked independent
- No
- Sources retained (1)
Recorded dates use UTC and show when QubitWire saved the comparison. Review dates show the evidence check; neither is a new claim about when the underlying event happened. This view preserves the original research and assessment methodology.