Dec. 20, 2024 — Forschungszentrum Jülich has entered into an important development partnership with ARQUE Systems. As part of this collaboration, a patented quantum computer with a 5-qubit quantum processor will be integrated into the research platform JUNIQ (Jülich Unified Infrastructure for Quantum Computing) at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) next year. The semiconductor-based quantum computer is designed in such a way that it can be expanded to hundreds of qubits in the future.

Current quantum chips are highly sensitive to environmental factors, making the development of stable and error-free quantum computers challenging. Effective error correction requires millions of qubits, as thousands of physical qubits are needed to construct a few logical, error-tolerant units. Bridging the gap from the current state of around 1,000 qubits to one million remains a highly complex task.

ARQUE Systems addresses these challenges with semiconductor qubits based on transistor-like structures. Instead of traditional switches, these structures trap individual electrons, using their spin as quantum mechanical computing units. This technology leverages existing semiconductor manufacturing processes. To advance the development of scalable qubits and structures, ARQUE Systems is collaborating closely with the Helmholtz Nano Facility at Forschungszentrum Jülich and with Infineon Dresden.

A key advantage of semiconductor qubits is their compact size and the ability to integrate classical control electronics directly onto the semiconductor chip. Qubit units can be arranged in tiles of about 100 µm², enabling the construction of chips composed of millions of such tiles. However, this requires a means of connecting qubits between tiles.

ARQUE Systems solves this problem by enabling the movement of qubits on the chip. Electrons are transported along “shuttle paths,” akin to a conveyor belt, across several micrometers without losing the quantum information encoded in their spin. This approach underpins ARQUE’s unique and patented processor architecture, which was detailed in the journal Nature Communications. This technology paves the way for future chips to host several million qubits within a single square centimeter, while integrating the necessary infrastructure such as supply lines and control electronics.

Source: Forschungszentrum Jülich