A team led by Chinese physicist Pan Jianwei used artificial intelligence (AI) to help create an atom-based quantum computing component that dwarfs previous systems in size, raising hopes that neutral-atom machines could one day operate with tens of thousands of qubits. The team arranged 2,024 rubidium atoms — each functioning as a qubit — into precise two- and three-dimensional arrays. The feat, reportedly marks a tenfold increase over the largest previous atom arrays and addresses one of the field’s most stubborn bottlenecks: how to scale beyond a few hundred qubits without prohibitive delays. Until now, researchers typically moved atoms into place one at a time, making large-scale arrays impractical. Pan’s team, working with the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, replaced this slow step with a real-time AI control system that shifts every atom in the array simultaneously. The setup uses a high-speed spatial light modulator to shape laser beams into traps that corral the atoms. The AI system calculates where each atom needs to go and directs the lasers to move them into perfect positions in just 60 milliseconds — 60,000th of a second, or about the same time it takes a hummingbird to flap its wings 5 times — regardless of whether the array contains hundreds or thousands of atoms. In principle, the method could scale to arrays with tens of thousands of atoms without slowing down. If successful, scaling neutral-atom arrays to that size could allow them to run algorithms that are currently beyond the reach of classical computers and existing quantum prototypes. Applications could range from simulating complex molecules for drug discovery to solving optimization problems in logistics and materials science. The AI-guided control method, coupled with high-precision lasers, essentially removes the scaling penalty that has long plagued neutral-atom designs.