The National Science Council in Taiwan has announced the latest results of the National Quantum Team. The IRTI team used a microwave IC design and TSMC’s older 28nm process node to create new low-temperature control chip modules that control qubits inside a quantum computer.
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Taiwan’s National Science Council joined forces with the Academia Sinica and the Ministry of Economic Affairs in 2021 to integrate industry, government, academia, and research and kick off a national quantum team. Today, they held a press conference to announce the technological progress of quantum computing.
IRTI is the team responsible for developing the required hardware for the quantum computer subsystem, within the quantum national team. Project host and leader of the Institute of Electronics and Optoelectronics Systems of ITRI, Xu Shixuan, explained at the meeting that quantum computers needed to feature freezers and countless instruments.
If external circuits are needed, there might be so many of these that they fill an entire room, especially with 1 qubit requiring 2 to 3 wires. If we want a word of 1 million qubits, there will be up to 3 million wires controlling instruments and cooling systems. That’s where this new temperature control chip comes into play.
The team used Taiwan’s expertise in microwave IC design and TSMC’s older 28nm process node to create low-temperature (4K, or an insane -269C) control chips and modules that will control the instrument as it becomes smaller and placed inside a low-temperature freezer. This will reduce the overall volume of equipment required by a huge 40%, simplify the wires, and provide it with commercial advantages elsewhere.
As this module gets smaller, it will radically reduce the signal transmission path of quantum computers, as well as reduce the noise interference. The new temperature control unit has been successfully docked and verified with the qubit by the Academia Sinica.
Xu Shixuan also said that the new temperature control module’s power consumption is over 50% less compared to data published by international manufacturers, which is more advantageous for the development of multi-qubit superconducting quantum computers. This new technology will be transferred to domestic manufacturers in the future, says CNA, and there have been material and system companies working with them, too.
It’s the first of its kind in China, and it is expected to have 2 qubits by the end of 2024, 8 by 2025, and 20 by 2026 to 2027. We’re not far away from the future of quantum computing, that’s for sure.
Wanda Parisien is a computing expert who navigates the vast landscape of hardware and software. With a focus on computer technology, software development, and industry trends, Wanda delivers informative content, tutorials, and analyses to keep readers updated on the latest in the world of computing.
