computer science

Rigetti Computing

Rigetti Computing is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Rigetti Computing rather than just read about it. In short: Rigetti Computing, Inc. is an American developer of superconducting quantum integrated circuits used for quantum computers. Rigetti, which is based in Berkeley, California, also develops a cloud platform called Forest that enables programmers to execute quantum algorithms.

Key takeaways

Rigetti Computing belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Rigetti Computing to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Rigetti Computing from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Rigetti Computing, Inc. is an American developer of superconducting quantum integrated circuits used for quantum computers. Rigetti, which is based in Berkeley, California, also develops a cloud platform called Forest that enables programmers to execute quantum algorithms.

History Rigetti Computing was founded in 2013 by Chad Rigetti, a physicist with a background in quantum computers from IBM who studied under Michel Devoret. Chad Rigetti has authored more than 140 publications in the fields of quantum mechanics and quantum computing. Rigetti Computing received funding from startup incubator Y Combinator in 2014 as a so-called "spaceshot" company. Later that year, Rigetti also participated in The Alchemist Accelerator, a venture capital programme. By February 2016, Rigetti created its first quantum processor, a three-qubit chip made using aluminum circuits on a silicon wafer. That same year, Rigetti raised Series A funding of US$24 million in a round led by Andreessen Horowitz. In November, the company secured Series B funding of $40 million in a round led by investment firm Vy Capital, along with additional funding from Andreessen Horowitz and other investors. Y Combinator also participated in both rounds. By Spring of 2017, Rigetti had advanced to testing eight-qubit quantum computers. In June, the company announced the release of Forest 1.0, a quantum computing platform designed to enable developers to create quantum algorithms. This was a major milestone. In October 2021, Rigetti announced plans to go public via a SPAC merger, with estimated valuation of around US$1.5 billion. This deal was expected to raise an additional US$458 million, bringing the total funding to US$658 million. The fund will be used to accelerate the company's growth, including scaling its quantum processors from 80 qubits to 1,000 qubits by 2024, and to 4,000 by 2026. The SPAC deal closed on 2 March 2022, and Rigetti began trading on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol RGTI. In December 2022, Subodh Kulkarni became president and CEO of the company. In July 2023 Rigetti launched a single-chip 84 qubit quantum processor that it believes can scale to larger systems. In October 2025, Rigetti was one of several quantum-computing companies reported to be involved in discussions with the Trump administration to secure federal funding in exchange for equity stakes. In May 2026, Rigetti will receive up to $100 million in planned funding under the CHIPS and Science Act to address key technical challenges to develop and scale next generation superconducting quantum computing technologies and architectures, such as miniaturizing and integrating novel readout electronics and next generation cryostat architectures.

Products and technology Rigetti Computing is a full-stack quantum computing company, a term that indicates that the company designs and fabricates quantum chips, integrates them with a controlling architecture, and develops software for programmers to use to build algorithms for the chips.

Forest cloud computing platform The company hosts a cloud computing platform called Forest, which gives developers access to quantum processors so they can write quantum algorithms for testing purposes. The computing platform is based on a custom instruction language the company developed called Quil, which stands for Quantum Instruction Language. Quil facilitates hybrid quantum/classical computing, and programs can be built and executed using open source Python tools. As of June 2017, the platform allows coders to write quantum algorithms for a simulation of a quantum chip with 36 qubits.

Fab-1 The company operates a rapid prototyping fabrication ("fab") lab called Fab-1, designed to quickly create integrated circuits. Lab engineers design and generate experimental designs for 3D-integrated quantum circuits for qubit-based quantum hardware.

Recognition The company was recognized in 2016 by X-Prize founder Peter Diamandis as being one of the three leaders in the quantum computing space, along with IBM and Google. MIT Technology Review named the company one of the 50 smartest companies of 2017.

Locations Rigetti Computing is headquartered in Berkeley, California, where it hosts developmental systems and cooling equipment. The company also operates its Fab-1 manufacturing facility in nearby Fremont, California.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Rigetti Computing

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Rigetti Computing claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Rigetti Computing before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Rigetti Computing ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Rigetti Computing

In research: Rigetti Computing appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Rigetti Computing in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Rigetti Computing is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2013 establishments in California, American companies established in 2013, Companies based in Berkeley, California, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Rigetti Computing outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Rigetti Computing in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Rigetti Computing means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Rigetti Computing out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Rigetti Computing in simple terms?

Why does Rigetti Computing matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Rigetti Computing?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Rigetti Computing.