Million-qubit Quantum Computers
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Recently, scientists have engineered what is expected to be the purest silicon ever, paving the way for building million-qubit quantum computers in the future. This foundation could lead to a significant breakthrough in the advancement of quantum computers.
Let`s dive into the news. ??
What is a Quantum Computer? ??
Quantum computing blends computer science, physics, and math to tackle tough problems faster than regular computers. It involves making better computer hardware and creating useful programs.
Quantum computers are speedy because they use special quantum effects like superposition and interference. They're great for tasks like machine learning, optimisation, and simulating chemicals. In the future, they could help with things like financial planning or studying chemicals in ways regular computers can't handle
What is a Qubit? ??
A qubit is a supercharged version of the bits used in regular computers. While bits are 1s and 0s represented by electrical or optical pulses, qubits are tiny particles like electrons or photons. Making and controlling qubits is challenging and requires a lot of scientific and engineering work.
Companies like IBM and Google cool superconducting circuits to very cold temperatures, while others, like IonQ, trap individual atoms on a silicon chip in special vacuum chambers. Qubits have special quantum properties, like superposition and entanglement, which make them much more powerful than regular bits when they're all connected together.
Here`s the big news...
Scientists have developed an improved form of silicon that might help create better "silicon-spin qubits" for future quantum computers. In a recent study published in Nature Communications Materials, scientists proposed a new approach to building qubits for quantum computers using ultra-pure silicon.
While quantum computers could be much faster than today's best supercomputers, they'd need about a million qubits to reach that level. Currently, the largest quantum computer has around 1,000 qubits.
Unlike traditional qubits made from superconducting metals, silicon-based qubits offer advantages like longer coherence times, lower cost, operation at higher temperatures, and smaller size.
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However, impurities in conventional silicon can cause reliability issues during computations. To address this, researchers focused on silicon-28 (Si-28), the purest form of silicon, by removing impurities found in natural silicon.
This innovation could significantly reduce failures and enable qubits to be fabricated on a small scale, comparable to the size of a pinhead. The study addressed challenges posed by isotopes like Si-29, which can disrupt quantum processes.
By developing methods to engineer silicon without Si-29 and Si-30 atoms, the researchers achieved a critical milestone in creating silicon-based quantum computers. Lead author Richard Curry emphasised the transformative potential of this technology, likening it to a crucial building block for future quantum computing.
The scalability of silicon-based qubits is promising, with the possibility of leveraging existing chip fabrication techniques to manufacture components. This could accelerate the development of quantum computers with millions of qubits, surpassing the capabilities of current supercomputers.
Project co-supervisor David Jamieson highlighted the goal of sustaining quantum coherence for multiple qubits simultaneously, aiming to demonstrate the superior computational power of quantum computers even with a modest number of qubits.