Scientists claim to have reached “the critical inflection point” of quantum computing, after having developed technology that makes silicon-based quantum processors more viable.
Silicon provides a stable environment for qubits, especially when using a mixture of materials called silicon germanium (SiGe).
In the early December study on arXiv, scientists at Equal1 explained that SiGe combines the stability of silicon with germanium’s ability to improve electronic performance, making it suitable for quantum applications.
As praised by , the company developed what representatives call “the most complex quantum controller chip developed to date”.
This can operate at ultra-low temperatures and paves the way for millions of qubits on a single chip – meaning it can handle a large number of quantum bits of information simultaneously, keeping them stable and accurate for calculations.
In contrast, today’s most powerful quantum chips only house qubits in the order of thousands and are built with superconductors, all of which require cooling to close to absolute zero in order to carry out quantum calculations.
Combined, new technologies definitely pave the way for “the next phase of quantum computing and demonstrate that the fastest way to scale is to leverage existing silicon infrastructure” – said Equal1 representatives in a .
Reached the “turning point”
The new chip demonstrated a single-qubit gate fidelity of 99.4% with an operating speed of 84 nanoseconds and a two-qubit gate fidelity of 98.4% with a speed of 72 nanoseconds.
A high precisionor fidelity, of quantum gates minimizes errors in calculations, while the faster gate speeds reduce the risk of qubits losing their quantum properties during operations.
These factors determine the accuracy of quantum calculations and the ability of qubits to maintain their quantum states long enough to complete complex operations.
To ensure reliable quantum operations, Equal1’s device uses “spin qubits”. Spin qubits encode information on an electron’s spin state.
In their study, the scientists state that spin qubits are particularly suitable for integration with silicon, as this element silicon provides a stable environment for electron spins. This reduces the risk of qubits losing their delicate quantum properties due to interference from their surroundings.
Equal1 has also developed a quantum controller chip that uses a multi-tile architecture; This design divides a chip into multiple tiles that can function semi-independently. This architecture is fundamental for scaling quantum systems because it allows control functions to be distributed across the chip, avoiding bottlenecks that can occur when relying on a single processing unit.
SiGe chips can be produced using the same processes and factories that are already used to manufacture traditional computer chips, making them potentially cheaper and easier to scale.
“Today marks a critical inflection point for the quantum computing industry. Equal1 has always believed that silicon is the vehicle for scaling quantum computers, and today, with these world-leading qubit and control chip results, we have taken an important step toward that vision,” said Equal1 Chief Scientific Officer, Elena Blokhinacited by Live Science.
