Quantum Chips Just Took A Major Step Toward Practical Computing

UNSW Sydney startup Diraq has demonstrated that its silicon-based quantum chips can maintain world-class accuracy even in large-scale production, a breakthrough that moves quantum computing closer to practical use.

Partnering with European nanoelectronics institute imec, Diraq showed that chips fabricated in semiconductor foundries perform just as well as their lab-based prototypes, achieving over 99% fidelity in two-qubit operations. This level of precision is essential for building fault-tolerant quantum computers that can handle complex calculations beyond the reach of classical machines.

Professor Andrew Dzurak, founder and CEO of Diraq, emphasized the significance:“Until now, it wasn't clear that the high fidelity we achieved in the lab could be replicated in mass production. Our results prove that silicon qubits are fully compatible with established semiconductor manufacturing processes.”

The study, published in Nature on September 24, marks a critical step toward utility-scale quantum computers. These devices, which could store and manipulate millions of qubits, promise to solve problems far beyond the capabilities of today's high-performance supercomputers.

Silicon is emerging as a leading material for quantum processors due to its ability to integrate millions of qubits on a single chip while leveraging existing chipmaking infrastructure. This combination of scalability and fidelity makes silicon-based quantum computers more practical and cost-effective than other platforms.

Diraq previously demonstrated that single-qubit operations could reach 99.9% accuracy in lab conditions, but achieving similar results for two-qubit operations in production was essential to reach utility-scale quantum computing. The current findings confirm that Diraq's approach can meet these rigorous demands, opening the door to affordable, large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum machines.

Professor Dzurak added,“By using mature semiconductor technologies, we can now envision building quantum processors with millions of qubits, without compromising on precision. This milestone brings us one step closer to practical quantum computing for real-world applications.”

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