Periodic Reporting for period 2 - QCAUX (Optimised auxiliary electronics system for quantum computing research)
Período documentado: 2021-03-01 hasta 2022-04-30
QCAUX ACCELERATOR PROJECT
The QCAUX project will mature the QDevil beta electronics and validate them inside DRs. The mature QCAUX electronics control, monitor and characterise prototype quantum processors, and will completely outclass the inadequate and non-standard hardware that QC R&D has to use. QDevil and QCAUX will become the state of the art in electronics for QC experimentation inside DRs. Rapid commercialisation will be achieved by the full implementation of our Feasibility Study, beginning in Q2-2020: 1 – implement the technical and hardware changes into the four QCAUX devices: 2 – pilot and validate QCAUX to test and characterise multiple quantum processors in an operational DR. Piloting will be undertaken with several partners in Denmark, UK and USA. 3 – complete the Business Innovation Plan and Commercialisation Plan (BIP and CP) for implementation after the Accelerator is completed. QDevil has set out a series of Specific Objectives which cover technology maturation, validation, and commercial readiness activities.
EU SOCIETAL AND INDUSTRIAL OPPORTUNITY
The European sector for electronic instruments was worth €61.5bn in turnover in 2012 with a long-term growth rate of 3% per annum. It has withstood the impact of the Asian economies far better than many other sectors of the electronics engineering and manufacturing because it is deeply integrated into the world economy and because over 50% of its turnover comes from non-EU markets. Its products find wide application in many major industries downstream – as is the case with QCAUX and QC research end users . It needs very highly trained personnel and salaries are correspondingly high. The Strategic Research Agenda of Manufuture Platform is urging the entire European manufacturing industry to re-invent itself by moving away from low-cost products and towards a dynamic creation of knowledge based added-value patentable industrial products and processes. High value complex products manufactured with utmost quality like QCAUX are exactly the sort of innovation that aligns with the EU’s broader goals for manufacturing.
OUR SOLUTION
QCAUX is a system of four standardised, interoperable and interconnected auxiliary electronic devices for testing experimental and prototype quantum processors. QCAUX is a link between the operating classical computer at room temperature and the quantum processor under test when anchored inside the DR and cooled to millikelvin temperatures. It contains a digital-analogue converter for producing complex waveform signals, a breakout box for giving individual control over each of the signal channels, an RF filter which eliminates noise from the signal channels, and a sample holder into which a prototype processor is mounted. The present specification of each auxiliary device is given below.
The QCAUX project will mature the QDevil beta electronics and validate them inside DRs. The mature QCAUX electronics control, monitor and characterise prototype quantum processors, and will completely outclass the inadequate and non-standard hardware that QC R&D has to use. QDevil and QCAUX will become the state of the art in electronics for QC experimentation inside DRs. Rapid commercialisation will be achieved by the full implementation of our Feasibility Study, beginning in Q2-2020: 1 – implement the technical and hardware changes into the four QCAUX devices: 2 – pilot and validate QCAUX to test and characterise multiple quantum processors in an operational DR. Piloting will be undertaken with several partners in Denmark, UK and USA. 3 – complete the Business Innovation Plan and Commercialisation Plan (BIP and CP) for implementation after the Accelerator is completed. QDevil has set out a series of Specific Objectives which cover technology maturation, validation, and commercial readiness activities.
EU SOCIETAL AND INDUSTRIAL OPPORTUNITY
The European sector for electronic instruments was worth €61.5bn in turnover in 2012 with a long-term growth rate of 3% per annum. It has withstood the impact of the Asian economies far better than many other sectors of the electronics engineering and manufacturing because it is deeply integrated into the world economy and because over 50% of its turnover comes from non-EU markets. Its products find wide application in many major industries downstream – as is the case with QCAUX and QC research end users . It needs very highly trained personnel and salaries are correspondingly high. The Strategic Research Agenda of Manufuture Platform is urging the entire European manufacturing industry to re-invent itself by moving away from low-cost products and towards a dynamic creation of knowledge based added-value patentable industrial products and processes. High value complex products manufactured with utmost quality like QCAUX are exactly the sort of innovation that aligns with the EU’s broader goals for manufacturing.
OUR SOLUTION
QCAUX is a system of four standardised, interoperable and interconnected auxiliary electronic devices for testing experimental and prototype quantum processors. QCAUX is a link between the operating classical computer at room temperature and the quantum processor under test when anchored inside the DR and cooled to millikelvin temperatures. It contains a digital-analogue converter for producing complex waveform signals, a breakout box for giving individual control over each of the signal channels, an RF filter which eliminates noise from the signal channels, and a sample holder into which a prototype processor is mounted. The present specification of each auxiliary device is given below.
The work on this Accelerator project has focused on:
Stage 1 – Technology maturation: We have worked on all four devices part of our QCAUX solution. We have also undergone software adaptions to accommodate the design changes and the improved functionality. The results have been successful, and our product is ready for piloting.
Stage 2 – Pilot performance and validation: Piloting has not started for this project, and due to Covid19, it is expected to be delayed. QCAUX is expected to be piloted in active DRs located in the world class QC R&D laboratories.
Stage 3 – Pre-commercialisation groundwork: We have conducted a first NPA iteration that still confirms our FTO. We have also delivered an Interim Business Innovation Plan with relevant finding towards adapting and gearing our product for the right market.
Stage 1 – Technology maturation: We have worked on all four devices part of our QCAUX solution. We have also undergone software adaptions to accommodate the design changes and the improved functionality. The results have been successful, and our product is ready for piloting.
Stage 2 – Pilot performance and validation: Piloting has not started for this project, and due to Covid19, it is expected to be delayed. QCAUX is expected to be piloted in active DRs located in the world class QC R&D laboratories.
Stage 3 – Pre-commercialisation groundwork: We have conducted a first NPA iteration that still confirms our FTO. We have also delivered an Interim Business Innovation Plan with relevant finding towards adapting and gearing our product for the right market.
Compatibility: QCAux will be a complete system of interoperable electrical devices for anchoring to a DR and for connecting and controlling quantum processors at cryogenic temperatures from a classical computer at room temperature. QCAux allows the researcher to generate and transmit different signals and filter unwanted noise from signal channels. Researchers will not need to repeatedly make and configure multiple devices and software from different providers into a functional system of signalling, control, and measurement for each processor under test.
Use intensity: QCAux will let R&D teams make intensive use of their DRs and recover their investment in terms of data. Shorter setup time means researchers can schedule testing and characterisation experiments with far greater frequency than is possible with present technology.
Scalability: QCAux will have up to 240 channels when multiple DACs are connected and synchronised. Researchers can control and test x4 the number of qubits or processors in a single experiment.
Repeatable: QCAux will maximise the repeatability of any experiment or protocol by using the same electronic hardware every time. There is no variability introduced into the data because of different reconfigurations of test equipment, new modules or subcomponents, or operator error.
Reusable: QCAux will bind the quantum processor to a daughterboard PCB, which can be detached and reattached repeatedly to the motherboard using conventional techniques and without damaging the processor or the sample holder.
Robust: QCAux will be physically stable and unaffected by extreme temperatures. The sample holder and the RF filter are designed to operate for prolonged periods below <1K and are not damaged or deteriorated by repeated thermal cycling of 300K from room temperature to cryogenic temperatures.
Dimensionality: QCAux will be compatible with the space confines of the interior of almost all DRs. The filter and the sample holder will be designed and modified to occupy less space and have extra functionality of more signal channels and higher signal transmission frequencies of up to 42GHz.
Flexibility: QCAux will be offered in its complete form and in a smaller version of DAC and five sample holders. Purchasers can integrate it with their existing electronic hardware for DR experimentation.
Business opportunity and expected impact: QCAux sales will begin in 2022 and between 2021-2025 QDevil expects to obtain €36m in accumulated revenues and €10m in accumulated EBITDA. QDevil will recruit 12 new employees over the same period directly for QCAux. QDevil expects to increase the headcount by another 15 people within 1.5 years of the project to enable the scaleup of the business.
Use intensity: QCAux will let R&D teams make intensive use of their DRs and recover their investment in terms of data. Shorter setup time means researchers can schedule testing and characterisation experiments with far greater frequency than is possible with present technology.
Scalability: QCAux will have up to 240 channels when multiple DACs are connected and synchronised. Researchers can control and test x4 the number of qubits or processors in a single experiment.
Repeatable: QCAux will maximise the repeatability of any experiment or protocol by using the same electronic hardware every time. There is no variability introduced into the data because of different reconfigurations of test equipment, new modules or subcomponents, or operator error.
Reusable: QCAux will bind the quantum processor to a daughterboard PCB, which can be detached and reattached repeatedly to the motherboard using conventional techniques and without damaging the processor or the sample holder.
Robust: QCAux will be physically stable and unaffected by extreme temperatures. The sample holder and the RF filter are designed to operate for prolonged periods below <1K and are not damaged or deteriorated by repeated thermal cycling of 300K from room temperature to cryogenic temperatures.
Dimensionality: QCAux will be compatible with the space confines of the interior of almost all DRs. The filter and the sample holder will be designed and modified to occupy less space and have extra functionality of more signal channels and higher signal transmission frequencies of up to 42GHz.
Flexibility: QCAux will be offered in its complete form and in a smaller version of DAC and five sample holders. Purchasers can integrate it with their existing electronic hardware for DR experimentation.
Business opportunity and expected impact: QCAux sales will begin in 2022 and between 2021-2025 QDevil expects to obtain €36m in accumulated revenues and €10m in accumulated EBITDA. QDevil will recruit 12 new employees over the same period directly for QCAux. QDevil expects to increase the headcount by another 15 people within 1.5 years of the project to enable the scaleup of the business.