Scientific breakthroughs can bring us closer to influential quantum computers
In a world first, scientists from the University of Sussex and Universal quantuma spin-off from the university, have demonstrated this quantum bits (qubits) can be transferred directly between microchips of quantum computers.
This breakthrough is expected to remove a major obstacle to building quantum computers big and powerful enough to tackle society’s critical challenges, from drug development to creating new materials and climate change solutions.
To address these issues, experts estimation that millions of qubits are needed – a number that is currently out of reach, with existing quantum computers operating at the 100-qubit scale.
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“As quantum computers grow, we will eventually be limited by the size of the microchip, which limits the number of quantum bits such a chip can hold,” said Winfried Hensinger, a professor of quantum technologies at the University of Sussex and chief scientist and co-founder at Universal. Quantum explained.
As a solution, the research team developed a new technique called “UQ Connect”. This method allowed the researchers to use electric field couplings that allow qubits to move from one quantum computing microchip module to another at record speed and accuracy. Specifically, the researchers were successful in transporting 2,424 ion qubits per second with a success rate of 99.999993%.
“We knew that a modular approach was key to making quantum computers powerful enough to solve breakthrough industrial problems. By showing that we can connect two quantum computer chips – a bit like a jigsaw puzzle – and, crucially, that it works so well, we unlock the potential to scale up by connecting hundreds or even thousands of quantum computer microchips,” added Hensinger please. .
Universal Quantum, which was recently named one of the Winners Institute of Physics 2022 in the Business Startup category, has now been awarded €67 million from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) to build two quantum computers that will deploy the new technology.
“The DLR contract was probably one of the largest government quantum computing contracts ever awarded to a single company. This is a huge endorsement of our technology. Universal Quantum is now working hard to deploy this technology in our upcoming commercial machines,” said Dr. Sebastian Weidt, CEO and co-founder of Universal Quantum, and Senior Lecturer in Quantum Technologies at the University of Sussex, said.
You will find the full research here.
