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  "slug": "lifecycle-of-a-fault-tolerant-quantum-computer",
  "title": "Lifecycle of a Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computer",
  "authors": [
    "Rowan Brad Quni-Gudzinas"
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  "abstract": "The operational lifetime of a fault-tolerant quantum computer is fundamentally a race between the inevitable, continuous degradation of its physical hardware and the escalating resource cost of the classical computation required for the error correction to compensate. This dynamic process defines a finite window of viability for any given quantum device. The initial quality of the processor’s qubits, defined by its system-environment coupling strength at manufacture (γ₀), does not determine whether this race will occur, but rather sets the starting line and influences the pace. Ultimately, every quantum computer is on a trajectory toward eventual obsolescence, either through physical failure when its error rate exceeds the fault-tolerance threshold, or through resource exhaustion as the cost of its own maintenance becomes computationally unsustainable.",
  "abstract_markdown": "The operational lifetime of a fault-tolerant quantum computer is fundamentally a race between the inevitable, continuous degradation of its physical hardware and the escalating resource cost of the classical computation required for the error correction to compensate. This dynamic process defines a finite window of viability for any given quantum device. The initial quality of the processor’s qubits, defined by its system-environment coupling strength at manufacture (\\(\\gamma_0\\)), does not determine whether this race will occur, but rather sets the starting line and influences the pace. Ultimately, every quantum computer is on a trajectory toward eventual obsolescence, either through physical failure when its error rate exceeds the fault-tolerance threshold, or through resource exhaustion as the cost of its own maintenance becomes computationally unsustainable.",
  "date": "2025-12-01",
  "first_published": "2025-12-01",
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