# Riverlane

Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/companies/riverlane
Riverlane builds the classical side of quantum error correction: decoder hardware and software that spot qubit errors and correct them in real time. The University of Cambridge spin-out, founded in 2016, works with over 20 hardware makers and national labs.

## In brief

- Deltaflow decoders run with Infleqtion, OQC, Rigetti and Oak Ridge; over 20 makers and labs work with it.
- Dec 2025: adaptive hardware decoder, under 1 µs per round, cuts qubit overhead by up to 75% (Nature Comms).
- Mar 2026 roadmap: a million error-free operations before 2030, a trillion from about 2033.

## Facts

- Founded: 2016
- Headquarters: GB
- Status: private
- Raised: $75M
- Website: https://www.riverlane.com
- Frontiers: [Quantum](https://technooptimist.io/quantum.md) (Fridges, control & fabs)

## Programs

- [Deltaflow](https://technooptimist.io/quantum/deltaflow.md) (Quantum): Pilot; next: Deltaflow 3 with streaming logic (Q4 2026). Deployed with partner machines; Deltaflow 3 with 'streaming logic' is due late 2026.

## Technical approach

- **Decoding: Reading the error checks**: Error-correcting codes measure check qubits every round; a decoder infers from that stream which qubits actually went wrong.
- **Hardware: Decoders on FPGAs**: Deltaflow runs on FPGA chips so each round is decoded in under a microsecond, keeping pace with the qubits instead of falling behind.
- **Adaptive: Decoders that learn the noise**: The Local Clustering Decoder adapts to leakage, qubits slipping out of their 0/1 states, reaching target accuracy with far smaller codes.
- **Open tools: Deltakit**: An open-source kit lets teams simulate and test error-correction schemes before running them live on hardware.

## Open problems

- **Keeping up with the qubits** (active research): If decoding is slower than check rounds arrive, unprocessed data piles up and the computation stalls; latency must stay under about a microsecond.
- **Correcting during logic, not just storage** (active research): Fixing errors while logical qubits interact needs continuous 'streaming' decoding, planned for Deltaflow 3 in late 2026.

## Latest updates

- **12 Mar 2026**: Riverlane roadmap targets a million error-free quantum operations before 2030 and a trillion from 2033. Riverlane published a roadmap and whitepaper arguing its error-correction technology can bring useful quantum computing 3–5 years sooner. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/riverlane-roadmap-targets-a-million-error-free-quantum-operations-89367046.md) · [original source](https://thequantuminsider.com/2026/03/12/riverlane-publishes-quantum-error-correction-roadmap-to-speed-utility-scale-quantum-by-3-5-years/))
- **19 Dec 2025**: Riverlane's adaptive hardware decoder corrects errors in under 1 µs per round, cutting qubit overhead by up to 75%. In a peer-reviewed Nature Communications paper, Riverlane described its Local Clustering Decoder, an FPGA decoder for the surface code that works in under a microsecond per round and adapts to leakage, where qubits slip out of their 0/1… ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/riverlane-s-adaptive-hardware-decoder-corrects-errors-in-under-1-s-per-9639e7fd.md) · [original source](https://quantumcomputingreport.com/riverlane-unveils-first-adaptive-hardware-decoder-to-deliver-real-time-quantum-error-correction/))
- **6 Aug 2024**: Riverlane raises $75 million Series C for real-time quantum error correction. Riverlane raised $75 million led by Planet First Partners, taking its total above $122 million. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/riverlane-raises-75-million-series-c-for-real-time-quantum-error-37680eb5.md) · [original source](https://tech.eu/2024/08/06/riverlane-raises-75m-series-c-for-quantum-error-correction-technology/))

## Funding

| Date | Round | Amount | Post-money | Leads |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 6 Aug 2024 | Series C | $75M |   | Planet First Partners |
| 2023 | Series B |   |   | Molten Ventures |

## Partners, customers and investors

- Planet First Partners (investor): Led the $75 million Series C (2024).
- Infleqtion (partner): Uses Riverlane's Deltaflow error-correction stack.
- Oxford Quantum Circuits (partner): Uses Riverlane's Deltaflow error-correction stack.
- Rigetti Computing (partner): Uses Riverlane's Deltaflow error-correction stack.
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (partner): Uses Riverlane's Deltaflow error-correction stack.
- Alice & Bob (partner): Named as a Riverlane partner at the 2024 Series C.
- QuEra Computing (partner): Named as a Riverlane partner at the 2024 Series C.

## People

- Steve Brierley, Founder & CEO
- Earl Campbell, VP Quantum Science

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