Suppressing errors is the central challenge for useful quantum computing¹, requiring quantum error correction (QEC)^2–6for large-scale processing. However, the overhead in the realization of error-corrected ‘logical’ qubits, in which information is encoded across many physical qubits for redundancy^2–4, poses substantial challenges to large-scale logical quantum computing. Here we report the realization of a programmable quantum processor based on encoded logical qubits operating with up to 280 physical qubits. Using logical-level control and a zoned architecture in reconfigurable neutral-atom arrays⁷, our system combines high two-qubit gate fidelities⁸, arbitrary connectivity^7,9, as well as fully programmable single-qubit rotations and mid-circuit readout^10–15. Operating this logical processor with various types of encoding, we demonstrate improvement of a two-qubit logic gate by scaling surface-code⁶distance fromd = 3 tod = 7, preparation of colour-code qubits with break-even fidelities⁵, fault-tolerant creation of logical Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger (GHZ) states and feedforward entanglement teleportation, as well as operation of 40 colour-code qubits. Finally, using 3D [[8,3,2]] code blocks^16,17, we realize computationally complex sampling circuits¹⁸with up to 48 logical qubits entangled with hypercube connectivity¹⁹with 228 logical two-qubit gates and 48 logical CCZ gates²⁰. We find that this logical encoding substantially improves algorithmic performance with error detection, outperforming physical-qubit fidelities at both cross-entropy benchmarking and quantum simulations of fast scrambling^21,22. These results herald the advent of early error-corrected quantum computation and chart a path towards large-scale logical processors.

Synthesizing topological order: Topologically ordered matter exhibits long-range quantum entanglement. However, measuring this entanglement in real materials is extremely tricky. Now, two groups take a different approach and turn to synthetic systems to engineer the topological order of the so-called toric code type (see the Perspective by Bartlett). Satzinger et al . used a quantum processor to study the ground state and excitations of the toric code. Semeghini et al . detected signatures of a toric code–type quantum spin liquid in a two-dimensional array of Rydberg atoms held in optical tweezers. —JS

The ability to engineer parallel, programmable operations between desired qubits within a quantum processor is key for building scalable quantum information systems^1,2. In most state-of-the-art approaches, qubits interact locally, constrained by the connectivity associated with their fixed spatial layout. Here we demonstrate a quantum processor with dynamic, non-local connectivity, in which entangled qubits are coherently transported in a highly parallel manner across two spatial dimensions, between layers of single- and two-qubit operations. Our approach makes use of neutral atom arrays trapped and transported by optical tweezers; hyperfine states are used for robust quantum information storage, and excitation into Rydberg states is used for entanglement generation^3–5. We use this architecture to realize programmable generation of entangled graph states, such as cluster states and a seven-qubit Steane code state^6,7. Furthermore, we shuttle entangled ancilla arrays to realize a surface code state with thirteen data and six ancillary qubits⁸and a toric code state on a torus with sixteen data and eight ancillary qubits⁹. Finally, we use this architecture to realize a hybrid analogue–digital evolution²and use it for measuring entanglement entropy in quantum simulations^10–12, experimentally observing non-monotonic entanglement dynamics associated with quantum many-body scars^13,14. Realizing a long-standing goal, these results provide a route towards scalable quantum processing and enable applications ranging from simulation to metrology.