High-performance quantum memories are an essential component for regulating temporal events in quantum networks. As a component in quantum repeaters, they have the potential to support the distribution of entanglement beyond the physical limitations of fiber loss. This will enable key applications such as quantum key distribution, network-enhanced quantum sensing, and distributed quantum computing. Here, we present a quantum memory engineered to meet real-world deployment and scaling challenges. The memory technology utilizes a warm rubidium vapor as the storage medium, and operates at room temperature, without the need for vacuum and/or cryogenic support. We demonstrate performance specifications of high-fidelity retrieval (95%) and low operation error $({10}^{-2})$ at a storage time of $160\mu \mathrm{s}$ for single-photon level quantum memory operations. We further show a substantially improved storage time (with classical-level light) of up to 1 ms by suppressing atomic diffusions. The device is housed in an enclosure with a standard 2U rackmount form factor, and can robustly operate on a day scale in a noisy environment. This result marks a step toward implementing quantum networks in the field.

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• Coherent control
• Collective effects in atomic physics
• Light-matter interaction
• Quantum fluctuations & noise
• Quantum information with atoms & light
• Quantum memories
• Quantum networks
• Quantum repeaters