#quantummotion

The First Fully Integrated Silicon-Based Quantum Computer

A London-based startup called Quantum Motion has created what is described as the world’s first fully integrated quantum computer based on silicon chip manufacturing technology used in conventional computers and smartphones. This quantum computer is located at the UK National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC), providing scalable quantum computing capabilities, which experts have hailed as the “silicon moment” in quantum computing.

CMOS Technology and Its Role in Quantum Computing

This computer relies on current silicon manufacturing processes, specifically using CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) technology, the same standard technology used in semiconductor chip production. This approach represents a significant leap in computing, as it allows quantum computers to be manufactured at scale, unlike traditional methods, which are complex and difficult to scale.

The Future of Quantum Computing at Home

The 300 mm CMOS chips used in this computer are widely manufacturable, paving the way for the possibility of home-accessible quantum computing in the future. This advancement is expected to accelerate scientific research and enhance computing capabilities across various fields, such as artificial intelligence, material simulations, and complex data analysis.

Leadership Statement on Scalability

James Palis Demok, CEO of Quantum Motion, stated that the announcement of this commercially manufacturable system demonstrates that building a robust and practical quantum computer using globally scalable technologies is now possible, with the potential for mass production.

System Launch and Core Structure

The fully integrated silicon-based quantum computer was launched on September 15 and consists of three standard racks (19 inches per rack). This development was carried out in collaboration with the UK government, which aims to enhance the availability of scalable quantum computing devices in the near future.

Data Center-Oriented Design

The system is designed for data center compatibility, featuring a dilution refrigerator and integrated control electronics. In addition, the company developed cryoelectronics to connect qubits with control circuits, which operate at extremely low temperatures, enabling significant scalability of quantum operations, according to the company.

Quantum Processing Unit and Developer Support

The system relies on a silicon-based Quantum Processing Unit (QPU), featuring a user interface and control stack that supports current programming frameworks such as Qiskit and Cirq. This provides significant convenience for developers, allowing them to build and run quantum operations without leaving their familiar environments.

Performance Data and Future Prospects

So far, no actual performance data or preliminary benchmarks are available, and the system’s error mitigation approach has not yet been disclosed. Nevertheless, the prospects look promising, with considerable interest in how this system addresses common challenges faced by other quantum computing platforms.

Standard Hardware-Like Design

This system represents the closest quantum computer to today’s standard hardware, despite its large size. It operates independently of the main system, facilitating integration into conventional data centers. Thanks to its modular design, Quantum Motion indicates that the system can be upgraded to a larger QPU without altering the physical infrastructure, enhancing its flexibility and future scalability.

Quantum Computing Capabilities and Prospects

Quantum computing is still in its early stages, yet it has the potential to surpass even the fastest current supercomputers, enabling complex calculations and simulations that may seem unattainable with conventional technology. Quantum Motion’s achievement is considered a significant step toward bringing quantum computing closer to everyday use, and it brings humanity closer to the dream of a fully integrated quantum computer on a single chip.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

Quantum Motion’s breakthrough in quantum computing represents an exciting step in technological potential, particularly with its modular design, which may in the future allow for complex simulations of large-scale projects and prediction of material behavior or thermal performance of buildings before implementation. These capabilities could open new horizons for architects and engineers, enabling faster and more accurate analysis of massive designs compared to traditional software.

However, there are several serious caveats. First, the technology is still in its early stages, and it may take a long time before it becomes accessible and effective for everyday engineering use. Second, the high cost and operational complexity of these systems may limit their adoption by small and medium architectural offices, making them primarily accessible to research centers or major projects. Additionally, the lack of precise performance data or error mitigation mechanisms currently limits full reliance on this technology in real-world projects.

On the other hand, architects may consider experimentally exploring these systems to enhance their ability to simulate materials and future buildings, or to conduct tests on highly complex designs before actual implementation. Such analytical uses can serve as a first step toward integrating quantum computing into the engineering design environment, without relying entirely on it for final decision-making.

https://archup.net/how-to-use-quantum-computing-in-the-construction-industry/ Prepared by the ArchUp Editorial Team

Don’t miss the chance to explore more from Architecture in fields like Buildings and Cities on the ArchUp website.

Quantum Motion introduces the first silicon quantum computer, marking a "Silicon Moment" for the science.

UK-based Quantum Motion created the first full-stack quantum computer built utilising a silicon CMOS chip fabrication technique, a major milestone in the race for scalable quantum computing. Implementing the system at the UK National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) in Harwell is a major step towards mass-producing powerful quantum processors using the same technology as smartphones and PCs.

The delivery is the first silicon spin-qubit computer used in the NQCC's Quantum Computing Testbed Programme, which evaluates quantum hardware platforms. Quantum Motion CEO James Palles-Dimmock called the achievement “quantum computing’s silicon moment,” saying it proves that the world’s most scalable technology can build a dependable quantum computer.

Leveraging Silicon's Power and Simplicity

Quantum Motion's use of ubiquitous silicon technology, the foundation of the digital revolution, is innovative. Quantum processing units (QPUs) are mass-produced on 300mm silicon CMOS wafers at commercial foundries, leveraging semiconductor supply chains. This method, which aims to lower qubit costs and enable large-scale production, contrasts with other quantum hardware producers' customised, low-throughput approaches.

Scaling is a major quantum computing challenge. For accurate calculations, a single logical qubit may need thousands of physical qubits for powerful error correction. Without a scalable architecture, a strong quantum computer may grow to stadium proportions. Quantum Motion's silicon-based technique aims to maintain the chip the size of a postage stamp, similarly to how silicon integrated circuits allowed billions of transistors to fit into modern microchips.

A Full-Stack, Datacenter-Ready Solution

The current installation provides a “full-stack” solution with the QPU, cryogenic control electronics, and dilution refrigerator in three 19-inch server racks. The modular design allows future, more powerful QPUs to be added without affecting the physical envelope, making it easier to incorporate into existing data centres by allowing auxiliary equipment to be put independently.

Note that the system's control stack and user interface operate with Cirq and Qiskit, industry software frameworks. This interoperability allows developers to migrate quantum algorithms without hardware-specific tools, removing a key software barrier. The company's president and CCO, Hugo Saleh, said the “customer, user, and developer first approach” is vital to introducing commercially usable quantum computers this decade.

Fault-Tolerant Future Scalable Architecture

The Quantum Motion QPU uses scalable tile-based technology. This concept creates a dense, repeatable array that can be printed on a chip by combining computing, readout, and control components. Tiling can increase the system to millions of qubits per QPU, which is needed for fault-tolerant, utility-scale quantum computing.

The startup employs AI-driven machine learning to automatically calibrate and tune cryoelectronic, which combines qubits at deep cryogenic temperatures with traditional control circuits, to increase operating efficiency. These efforts align with the SiQEC (silicon quantum error correction) initiative and DARPA's Quantum Business Incubator (QBI) to achieve fault-tolerant quantum computing.

Boosting UK Quantum Ecosystem

The installation of the NQCC marked a turning point in the UK's quantum strategy. Dr. Michael Cuthbert, Director of the UK NQCC, said the centre is keen to test and validate the system to assess how practical applications would translate to its silicon architecture.

384-Qubit Silicon Dot Chip

In creating scalable quantum computers, the 384-Qubit Silicon Dot Chip revolutionised quantum computing technology. The Quantum Motion team of Thomas H. Swift, Alberto Gomez-Saiz, and Virginia N. Ciriano-Tejel created this chip to address scaling quantum systems' device consistency across large qubit arrays and complex I/O management control systems.

See the 384-Qubit Silicon Dot Chip's full description here:

Core Technology: Silicon QD spin qubits Quantum information is produced from spin qubits in silicon quantum dots on this device. Spin qubits in silicon are promising due to their control and readout accuracy. The method's inherent interoperability with well-established semiconductor production methods, especially standard CMOS technology, is another feature.

Due to this interoperability, the project may employ semiconductor infrastructure, lowering manufacturing costs and making large-scale manufacturing more possible. Quantum dots contain electrons.

This study's monolithic integration of 384 silicon dots, each of which might be a qubit, into a 22-nanometer silicon transistor device is a major advance. The on-chip digital and analogue electrical control circuits and quantum devices (silicon dots) are built on the same silicon substrate. Monolithic integration is necessary for scalability since it solves qubit-related issues like power consumption and signal delays. For the chip, 22-nanometer fully-depleted silicon-on-insulator (FDSOI) CMOS technology was used. Measurements are made on epi-silicon P-type transistors. These transistors' "farm" offers digitally controlled multiplexed access to certain components.

In order to maintain quantum state stability, the devices operate at very low cryogenic temperatures. Despite the cryostat's 20 mK base temperature, on-chip power dissipation elevated the sample temperature to 600 mK during measurements. Devices with a wider working temperature range of roughly 4 Kelvin minimise thermal noise and increase quantum state stability. Accurate control and characterisation at deep cryogenic temperatures requires on-chip CMOS thermometers.

Qubit Variability and I/O Management for Scaling Two key quantum processor scaling difficulties are addressed in the study:

For managing input/output between room-temperature devices and quantum processors, current approaches address lines that scale linearly with qubits. Costs, heat load, dependability, and unsustainable system complexity rise for large-scale systems. This 384-qubit chip's monolithic integration of quantum dots with on-chip classical circuitry simplifies power consumption, signal delays, and external connections.

As qubits increase, it becomes tougher to assure constant performance and reduce qubit discrepancies. This chip's architecture integrates rapid, automated characterisation methods to analyse variability and identify its manufacturing origin.

Main Characteristics and Results

Description and Key Findings Using automated, high-speed experiments, scientists meticulously described silicon quantum dots' electrical properties. Characterising data fast will speed up the fabrication of scalable quantum computers. Relevant conclusions:

The quantum dots' electrical properties were directly correlated with their physical dimensions, particularly their front gate lengths (PCL) and channel widths (RXW). PCL ≤ 28 nm had a higher percentage (~30%) of ‘excellent’ dots compared to longer gate lengths (e.g., <10% for PCL = 40 nm), highlighting the importance of gate length for quantum dot formation.

Variability and Device Size: As quantum dots shrank, the standard deviation of crucial parameters increased, highlighting the challenges of nanoscale production, especially when aiming for shortest gate lengths.

Cryogenic short-channel effects: DIBL increases and absolute threshold voltage (|Vth|) decreases with shorter gate lengths. When the gate length is shortened, short-channel effects cause the drain potential to affect the channel barrier potential.

The researchers demonstrated that the location of quantum dots on the semiconductor does not affect their performance, a crucial requirement for large-scale quantum processors.

Averaging 16.1 mV/dec, the subthreshold swing did not affect device attributes.

Charge Noise Investigation: The median S0 value of 6.5 µeV/√Hz was higher than typical quantum platforms, with a range of 0.1 to 4 µeV/√Hz in the literature. In p-type devices, the median γ value is about 1.25, and charge noise follows a 1/f frequency dependence. Charge noise must be addressed to advance qubit growth in this 22FDX technique. Investigation is needed to determine the production process causes of noise and variability. Also see A 2D Quantum Simulator Captures Real-Time ‘String Breaking’

Relevance and Prospects

Quantum Time-Freeze: Transforming Transient Quantum State Management. Scientists managed quantum states by prolonging light-induced quantum states 1,000 times. This revelation, previously thought possible only in trillionths of a second, affects quantum data storage and ultra-efficient devices.

The Mystery of Quantum Properties

Many materials have quantum properties that could enable groundbreaking technology. These distinctive characteristics are often “hidden in the material’s natural state,” requiring cleverness to uncover them. Popular methods include hitting the material with extremely brief light pulses that progressively change atomic and electrical interactions to reveal these properties. These light-induced states vanish in trillionths of a second, making them difficult to study or employ. Some longer-lived states have been recorded, but their stability processes and production methods remain unknown. A Thousand-Fold Stability Increase

Harvard University and Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) researchers in Switzerland made a major breakthrough. By carefully controlling electronic state symmetry in copper oxide, they created a quantum state that lasted several nanoseconds, a thousand times longer than typical. This unprecedented stability was achieved and seen using the powerful SwissFEL X-ray laser. Technology like optoelectronic devices and quantum data storage benefit from its durability, which also illuminates electronic symmetry. The “Fruit Fly” of Quantum Materials

This finding centres on the “cuprate ladder” complex Sr14Cu24O41. Copper and oxygen atom ladder and chain units make up this almost one-dimensional substance. Its simplified, one-dimensional form makes it ideal for understanding complex physical events in higher-dimensional systems. Harvard University experimental condensed matter physicist Matteo Mitrano said, “This substance is like our fruit fly. We can study general quantum occurrences on this idealised platform. Electronic Trapping: New Method

It is often trapped in an energy well to achieve a long-lived, non-equilibrium state, although this might produce unwanted structural phase shifts. Mitrano and his group used electronic techniques to lock the material in a non-equilibrium state to avoid structural changes. Using the material's electrical properties was their inventive answer. Sr14Cu24O41 has dense electrical charge in chain units but empty ladders. Due to electronic state symmetry, these two units do not transfer charge at equilibrium. Researchers disrupted this symmetry with a properly crafted laser pulse, allowing charges to quantum tunnel from chains to ladders. This is like “turning on and off a valve.” When laser excitation is turned off, this "tunnel" between ladders and chains shuts down, stopping communication and locking the system in a new, long-lasting state that can be monitored and investigated. This procedure is a major departure from structural alteration methods. Capturing Quantum Motion with SwissFEL

These transient quantum processes were detected and described using ultra-bright SwissFEL femtosecond X-ray pulses. Complex time-resolved Resonant Inelastic X-ray scattering is used at the SwissFEL Furka endstation. This method reveals features that standard probes hide, providing a unique picture of magnetic, electric, and orbital excitations and their temporal evolution. Elia Razzoli, Furka endstation group head, said, “It can specifically target those atoms that determine the physical properties of the system.” Dissecting light-induced electrical mobility that caused the metastable condition requires this ability. Hari Padma, a Harvard postdoctoral fellow and main author, said, “With this technique, we could observe how the electrons moved at their intrinsic ultrafast timescale and thus reveal electronic metastability This first user group trial at the new Furka endstation showed its amazing capabilities. Enabling Future Quantum Technologies

This study advances the management of quantum materials far beyond equilibrium, affecting future technologies. The study stabilises light-induced non-equilibrium states, opening up new possibilities for programmable materials. Uses may include: Quantum communication and photonic computing require ultrafast optoelectronic devices like transducers that convert electrical impulses into light and vice versa. Nonvolatile information storage: This allows data to be encoded in light-produced and regulated quantum states, creating a new quantum data storage paradigm.