  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 $\mu s$ 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 an important step toward implementing quantum networks in the
field.
