A groundbreaking company, PsiQuantum, proudly announced a major breakthrough in quantum computing. This advancement involves successfully overcoming a critical challenge in the field: devising an efficient method to mass-produce quantum chips, thus paving the way for the development of commercially feasible quantum machines. Quantum technology possesses the capability to execute complex computations that even the most advanced artificial intelligence systems, equipped with Nvidia chips, would struggle to tackle. This technology has the potential to unlock a myriad of scientific and commercial applications, including bolstering cybersecurity, aiding in drug discovery, and advancing materials research.
For nearly two decades, PsiQuantum’s founders have been dedicated to finding a solution to the intricate problem of manufacturing quantum computing chips in large quantities. Their innovative approach involves leveraging photonics, a semiconductor manufacturing technology widely utilized in the communications industry. Through close collaboration with chip factories, PsiQuantum has successfully engineered its cutting-edge chipset, named Omega, which is now primed for mass production, as revealed by PsiQuantum’s Chief Executive Officer, Jeremy O’Brien, in an interview with Reuters.
Describing this achievement as the pinnacle of maturity, O’Brien emphasized that bringing a quantum chip into mass production is a significant milestone. PsiQuantum has joined forces with GlobalFoundries to fabricate these chips at the latter’s state-of-the-art facility in Albany, New York. Pete Shadbolt, PsiQuantum’s Chief Scientific Officer, disclosed that the company’s method, utilizing foot-wide wafers on GlobalFoundries’ 45-nanometer process, has attained manufacturing yields on par with standard semiconductors.
Shadbolt further elaborated that PsiQuantum is currently producing millions of quantum chips at GlobalFoundries. The company’s groundbreaking work on the mass-manufacture of Omega quantum chips has been detailed in a publication in the esteemed scientific journal Nature. Based in Palo Alto, California, PsiQuantum’s quantum computing technology harnesses light particles, or photons, to perform intricate quantum calculations. O’Brien and Shadbolt highlighted the advantages of this light-based approach, such as reduced complexity in cooling quantum devices.
Looking towards the future, O’Brien projected that PsiQuantum aims to introduce a commercial quantum computer within the next six years. He also mentioned that the company anticipates establishing a facility capable of conducting commercial applications by approximately 2027. Notably, other tech giants such as Microsoft and Google are also making strides in quantum computing. Microsoft recently unveiled a quantum chip, while Google’s breakthrough announcement hints at the arrival of commercial applications within the next five years. In 2023, PsiQuantum boasted a valuation of $3.15 billion.
*(By Max A. Cherney and Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)*
