A chip to withstand the cold of space has emerged: why does it matter?

New York-based quantum computing startup SEEQC has announced a digital chip that can operate at temperatures below the cold of space, Reuters reported. This will allow it to be used with quantum processors located in cryogenic chambers.

Quantum computers use the properties of quantum physics to solve problems that are impossible or very difficult to solve in conventional computers. However, quantum bits or qubits, which are the main building blocks of quantum computers, are highly sensitive to external influences and can easily lose their state. Therefore, they must be cooled to temperatures close to absolute zero (about -273 °C).

In order to manage and control the operation of the qubits, it is also necessary to have a classical computer chip that can communicate with the quantum processor. However, most current conventional chips cannot operate at such low temperatures and must be placed outside the cryogenic chamber. This creates barriers to signal transmission and increases power consumption and noise.

Startup SEEQC has solved this problem – its new chips will allow fast and reliable information exchange between classical and quantum computing. In addition, the development of startup engineers can execute complex algorithms to control and optimize the operation of qubits without the need to send data to an external computer. The processor is also smaller and consumes less power.

And although SEEQC claims to have created the world’s first chip capable of operating in the same cryogenic environment as qubits, the startup has many competitors. For example, IBM, Google, Microsoft, Intel and Amazon have their own programs and platforms for quantum computing. There are other startups such as IonQ, Rigetti Computing and D-Wave Systems that offer their own quantum processors and cloud services.

However, the development of SEEQC differs from others in that it uses an approach called Digital Quantum Computing. This means that the engineers of the project combine classical and quantum computing on a single chip using superconductivity technology. This reduces the complexity and cost of building and running quantum computers.

Startup SEEQC also has its own Chip Foundry & Fabrication Lab in New York, where it can test and optimize its chips for different types of qubits. In addition, the company’s experts collaborate with various partners around the world to develop and demonstrate applications based on its chips.

SEEQC is leading a UK government funded project called QCAT (Quantum Computing for Advanced Technologies). The aim of this project is to build a full-fledged quantum computer based on the SEEQC digital chip and demonstrate its application in various fields such as machine learning, optimization and medical research.

Previously Focus He wrote that scientists will connect a quantum computer to a supercomputer: what they want to achieve.