UK Startup Makes First Quantum Computer Leveraging Standard Chips

A startup based in the United Kingdom recently made history when it debuted a quantum computer that uses standard silicon chips at the UK National Quantum Computing Center (NQCC). The recent deployment represents a significant step in quantum computing development and could democratize the nascent technology by eliminating the need for specialized and costly chips. 

Developed by Quantum Motion, this system is the startup’s first silicon-based full-stack quantum computer, eschewing conventional quantum computing development by using standard silicon chip technology over specialized chips. The new quantum computing system employs the same silicon chips used in laptops and mobile phones, making it the first quantum computer in history to be developed using the chip fabrication process used to develop traditional computers. 

Developers leveraged cryoelectronics to facilitate super-low temperatures and qubit-control circuit connections, increasing the scalability of quantum processors by a wide margin. Quantum Motion CEO James Palles-Dimmock said that quantum computing has reached its “silicon moment,” noting that the startup’s efforts had proved that we can use the “most scalable technology” in the world to build functional and robust quantum computers. 

Quantum Motion’s new quantum computer combines the startup’s Quantum Processing Unit (QPU) with a control stack and user interface with industry-standard framework support. The system is surprisingly compact, requiring just three 19-inch server racks’ worth of space to store its integrated control electronics and dilution refrigerator. This means it can be integrated into conventional data centers with ease, and its modular design will allow for successive QPU upgrades without increasing the quantum computer’s physical footprint. Ancillary equipment will function separately from this main unit. 

NQCC Director Michael Cuthbert explains that the NQCC is examining a diverse array of platforms from several major companies globally to ramp up quantum computing capabilities in the UK. As such, he says, Quantum Motion’s new silicon-based quantum computer is a major find for the organization and will help it accelerate its quantum computing research efforts. Cuthbert adds that the team at NQCC is quite eager to begin testing and validating the new quantum computer to determine the real-world applications of its novel silicon architecture. 

This breakthrough could put Quantum Motion on track to deliver working quantum computers within this decade, which would be a pretty big deal considering how long the technology has been stuck in labs. 

The company’s approach is clever because it uses the same manufacturing processes that already pump out billions of smartphone and computer chips, potentially making quantum computers way more affordable and practical. CEO and President Hugo Saleh said that their system can eventually handle millions of qubits without needing a bigger physical footprint, which means quantum computing might finally be ready to move out of specialized research facilities and into the real world. 

With many other companies like D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) working to bring quantum computing to the mainstream, the future of the technology is looking brighter day by day. 

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/QBTS 

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