Quantinuum, Oracle partner to bring 98-qubit Helios to OCI cloud

Oracle is the first hyperscaler to deploy a commercial quantum computer inside its own data center, giving OCI customers direct access to Quantinuum's 98-qubit Helios system.

Oracle is deploying Quantinuum's 98-qubit Helios quantum computer inside Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, making it the first hyperscaler to host a commercial quantum system on-premises for hybrid AI and HPC workloads.

"We believe the next phase of enterprise computing will be shaped by bringing quantum, AI, and high-performance computing together," Dr. Rajeeb Hazra, president and CEO of Quantinuum, said.

Helios, commercially launched in November 2025, is Quantinuum's third-generation trapped-ion system with an average two-qubit gate fidelity of 99.921 percent, exceeding the widely cited "three 9s" threshold. The system has been used in demonstrations involving 48 logical qubits and draws approximately 60 kW of power — less than 1 percent of the 16-39 MW consumed by leading supercomputers, according to a 2026 study cited by the companies.

The multi-year deal, with financial terms not disclosed, positions Oracle to compete with Microsoft's Azure Quantum and Google's Quantum AI division in the race to commercialize quantum computing through cloud platforms. Oracle plans to preview its OCI quantum service in the coming months, combining Quantinuum's development stack with open-source hybrid-programming frameworks.

Helios will run within a US-based Oracle AI data center, integrating with existing OCI compute, networking, storage, identity, and data services under the same governance and access controls customers already use. This means developers can move from simulation to execution on real quantum hardware without procuring or operating dedicated infrastructure.

The partnership targets computationally intensive problems across materials discovery, drug development, logistics, energy, and financial modeling — areas where classical architectures are hitting limits. Mahesh Thiagarajan, executive vice president of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, said the goal is to give developers "a practical and secure way to explore how quantum computing could complement their existing AI and HPC workloads."

99.921% Gate Fidelity Sets Helios Apart

The Ellison Institute of Technology's Johannes Blaschke, head of scientific computing for GBI, said having both GPUs and QPUs available within OCI would provide "an all-in-one platform" that simplifies operation of novel hardware. IDC's global quantum research lead Heather West noted that deploying quantum systems within private cloud environments reduces adoption barriers by integrating into familiar infrastructure and development tools.

For Quantinuum, the Oracle deal extends its enterprise reach beyond existing engagements in pharmaceuticals, material science, financial services, and government. The company employs approximately 800 people globally, with over 70 percent of its technology team holding PhDs or Master's degrees. Recent insider records showed net buying of 161,032 shares with zero sold, according to StockTitan data.

Oracle's On-Prem Model Differs From Rivals

The partnership confirms hybrid quantum-classical workflows at hyperscale — a model Microsoft has pursued through Azure Quantum and Google through its Quantum AI division. But Oracle's approach differs by deploying the quantum hardware physically inside its own data center rather than offering remote access to systems hosted elsewhere.

The deal follows a series of recent Quantinuum milestones, including a July agreement with Rolls-Royce, Riverlane, and the University of Edinburgh to explore Helios for industrial design and simulation workflows, and a joint white paper with SoftBank on scaling quantum chemistry and graph analytics applications.

Quantinuum shares have shown mixed reactions to prior quantum-related announcements, with 24-hour moves ranging from -6.32 percent to +3.96 percent across five events tracked by StockTitan. The planned OCI service preview in the coming months will be the key execution milestone to watch.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.