Information processing technology based on the basic principle of quantum mechanics shows great potential applications in computing, sensing and other fields, and is far superior to classical technology. With the advance of experimental technology, quantum control technology develops rapidly. Compared with other quantum information processing platforms, the superconducting system based on solid materials has the advantages of accurate quantum controllability, excellent quantum coherence and the potential for large-scale integration. Therefore, superconducting quantum system is one of the most promising platforms for quantum information processing. The existing superconducting circuits, which can integrate about one hundred qubits, have already demonstrated the advantages of quantum systems, but further development is limited by system noise. In order to break through this bottleneck, quantum error correction technology, which is developed from the classical error correction technology, has attracted extensive attention. Here, we mainly summarize the research progress of quantum error correction in superconducting quantum systems including the basic principles of superconducting quantum systems, the quantum error correction codes, the related control techniques and the recent applications. At the end of the article, we summarize seven key problems in this field.
Information processing technology based on the basic principle of quantum mechanics shows great potential applications in computing, sensing and other fields, and is far superior to classical technology. With the advance of experimental technology, quantum control technology develops rapidly. Compared with other quantum information processing platforms, the superconducting system based on solid materials has the advantages of accurate quantum controllability, excellent quantum coherence and the potential for large-scale integration. Therefore, superconducting quantum system is one of the most promising platforms for quantum information processing. The existing superconducting circuits, which can integrate about one hundred qubits, have already demonstrated the advantages of quantum systems, but further development is limited by system noise. In order to break through this bottleneck, quantum error correction technology, which is developed from the classical error correction technology, has attracted extensive attention. Here, we mainly summarize the research progress of quantum error correction in superconducting quantum systems including the basic principles of superconducting quantum systems, the quantum error correction codes, the related control techniques and the recent applications. At the end of the article, we summarize seven key problems in this field.
Quantum information is vulnerable to environmental noise and experimental imperfections, hindering the reliability of practical quantum information processors. Therefore, quantum error correction (QEC) that can protect quantum information against noise is vital for universal and scalable quantum computation. Among many different experimental platforms, superconducting quantum circuits and bosonic encodings in superconducting microwave modes are appealing for their unprecedented potential in QEC. During the last few years, bosonic QEC is demonstrated to reach the break-even point, i.e. the lifetime of a logical qubit is enhanced to exceed that of any individual components composing the experimental system. Beyond that, universal gate sets and fault-tolerant operations on the bosonic codes are also realized, pushing quantum information processing towards the QEC era. In this article, we review the recent progress of the bosonic codes, including the Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill codes, cat codes, and binomial codes, and discuss the opportunities of bosonic codes in various quantum applications, ranging from fault-tolerant quantum computation to quantum metrology. We also summarize the challenges associated with the bosonic codes and provide an outlook for the potential research directions in the long terms.
Superconducting qubits are a leading platform for quantum computation, yet decoherence and scalability challenges continue to limit progress toward fault-tolerant systems. This review synthesizes research on architectures, noise sources, and error correction to clarify performance trade-offs and guide development. The transition from Transmon to Fluxonium has dramatically improved qubit performance, achieving millisecond-scale coherence times. However, this success reveals a fundamental limit of coherence now being primarily restricted by the physical properties of the materials, specifically dielectric losses occurring at the Josephson junction leads and within the surrounding materials. As overcoming these material limits becomes increasingly difficult, system-level engineering determines whether high-coherence qubits can scale.Scaling quantum systems is difficult because current cooling and control systems create too much heat and this forces a shift to integrated digital superconducting circuits and cryogenic light-based links. While these hardware challenges restrict scaling, experiments in error correction show that logical qubits can already outperform physical ones. For example, a distance-7 surface code improved logical qubit lifetime by 2.4×. Achieving practical fault tolerance, however, requires moving beyond simple error models. Future systems must combine techniques like Dynamical Decoupling and Machine Learning-based Optimal Control with dynamic classical control capable of handling complex, correlated faults such as Multi-Bit Burst Errors. Progress in materials, cryogenic system integration for control, and adaptive error management must advance together to realize scalable, high-fidelity quantum hardware.
Superconducting circuits based on Josephson junctions are regarded as one of the most promising technologies for the implementation of scalable quantum computers. This review presents the basic principles of superconducting qubits and shows the progress of quantum computing and quantum simulation based on superconducting qubits in recent years. The experimental realization of gate operations, readout, error correction codes, as well as some quantum algorithms are summarized, followed by an introduction of quantum simulation. And then some important applications in fields including condensed matter physics, quantum annealing, and quantum chemistry are discussed.
Quantum error correction (QEC) has emerged as a cornerstone in the quest for scalable and fault-tolerant quantum technologies. While quantum systems promise exponential advantages over classical computation, their extreme susceptibility to noise and decoherence presents a formidable challenge. This review critically examines the trajectory of QEC from its theoretical foundations to recent experimental realizations. Foundational codes, including Shor’s and Steane’s constructions, laid the groundwork for the stabilizer formalism and the development of topological and bosonic codes. Over the past decade, experimental demonstrations have validated these concepts, with logical qubits surpassing the lifetimes of physical qubits on platforms such as superconducting circuits, trapped ions, and photonics. Emerging approaches, including low-density parity-check codes, hybrid mitigation–correction strategies, and artificial intelligence–driven decoders, further illustrate the field’s dynamism. By synthesizing theoretical progress, empirical validation, and cross-platform innovations, this review highlights both achievements and persistent challenges particularly the overhead of physical qubits, the speed of real-time decoding, and integration into full-stack architectures. The analysis concludes that while scalable fault-tolerant quantum computing remains a work in progress, recent breakthroughs mark a decisive transition from abstraction to practicality, establishing QEC as a central pillar in the development of quantum computation, communication, and sensing.
The research on superconducting quantum circuits has expanded greatly, from applications of magnetic field sensors using superconducting quantum interference devices to the development of quantum computers based on superconducting quantum bits (qubits).Superconducting quantum circuits have been progressing rapidly, and as examples of applying these circuits to quantum sensing, this article introduces electron spin resonance spectrometers having high sensitivity and high spatial resolution and an ultrasmall high-sensitivity thermometer operating at extremely low temperatures.As an application to quantum computing, this article also introduces a bosonic qubit that executes quantum error correction using the many degrees of freedom within a superconducting resonator.
Quantum computers are based on the theory of quantum mechanics, and their powerful parallel data processing capability is expected to solve many mathematical problems that too are difficult to be handled by classical computers. Especially with the increase of data processing volume, the quantum advantage is more obvious. Among the many physical systems for quantum computers, superconducting quantum circuit and semiconductor quantum dot computers show amazing potential due to their compatibility with traditional integrated circuit process technology and ultrashort gating time of nanoseconds. Superconducting qubits consisting of Josephson junctions and superconducting coplanar capacitors are easily integrated into a large scale for their simple circuit structure and conventional semiconductor process compatibility. Semiconductor qubits made from isotopically purified silicon (Si)-based materials greatly suppress nuclear spin noise, and decoherence times of ultralong milliseconds can be achieved. In this article, we systematically describe the challenges faced by superconducting qubits and semiconductor qubits in hot issues such as error correction and decoherence and look into the future development of superconducting quantum computers and Si-based semiconductor quantum computers.