Quantum computing one step closer to commercialisation

A significant milestone has been achieved towards building a room-temperature quantum computing chip, or qubit processor. This is a key step towards making quantum computing processing power commercially available.

Archer Materials Limited has officially announced its CQ technology was successful in its most recent test and that this is a significant step forward for its aim of building a working chip prototype.

Conductivity measurements on single qubit components were carried out by Archer staff using conductive atomic force microscopy that was configured using powerful instrumentation systems, and housed in a semiconductor prototype foundry cleanroom.

Archer CEO Dr Mohammad Choucair says, "We have successfully performed our first measurement on a single qubit component which is the most important component, making a significant period moving forward in the development of Archer's CQ quantum computing chip technology.

"Building and operating the CQ chip requires measurements to be successfully performed at the very limits of what can be achieved technologically in the world today. Directly proving room-temperature conductivity of the CQ chip qubit component solidifies our global competitive advantage and advances our development towards a working chip prototype.

In 2016, Choucair made the proposal of what the company has now achieved, and stated that this was a crucial step in confirming the commercial viability of the CQ chip technology.

The individual qubits are a key component for a working quantum computing qubit processor, and therefore the measurements progress of Archer, and the team's ability to further control quantum information residing on individual qubits is a great improvement.

Choucair says, "The technology significance of the work is inherently tied to the commercial viability of the CQ technology. The room temperature conductivity potentially enables direct access to the quantum information stored in the qubits by means of electrical current signals on-board portable devices, which require conducting materials to operate, for both control and readout.

He says, "The intrinsic materials feature of conductivity in our qubit material down to the single qubit level represents a significant commercial advantage over competing qubit proposals that rely on insulating materials, such as diamond-based materials or photonic qubit architectures, that are difficult to integrate onboard portable devices.

According to Archer, the CQ chip is a disruptive quantum computing technology, and in the current stage of development, maintains a competitive advance that is difficult to shake.

The company states it intends to develop the CQ chip to be directly sold and intellectual property rights to the chip technology licensed. The focus is to achieve quantum control of a single qubit, which is essential for quantum information processing.

Archer is currently performing quantum measurements and materials characterisation at different laboratory facilities to achieve quantum control, and key measurements will be released to ASX.