Project description
High-tech superconducting cables enable quantum computer scale-up
Quantum machines will deliver the next great leap forward in computing. While they are stretching to manage around 50 qubits today, that number will have to increase dramatically for the machines to be practical. Researchers seeking to build them do not have easy access to some of the components needed to put the machines together; mainly, superconducting cables that carry the signals used to control qubits. Netherlands-based startup Delft Circuits is developing specialised thin cables for carrying microwave signals at cryogenic temperatures. Via the EU-funded CrioFlex project, the company will improve its technology by integrating microwave and thermal components in a monolithic cabling solution. The advance will be an important step towards reaching the next major milestone of building a 1 000-qubit quantum processor.
Objective
Today, an emergent quantum industry is eager to implement quantum computers that are significantly larger in size then current prototypes. The bleeding edge are now quantum processors having about 50 quantum bits, and the challenge is to pass the 1,000 quantum bit milestone. But this also means a huge amount of communication-channels between those quantum processors in a cryogenic fridge with external control electronics outside these fridges. At present, existing (coax) cabling technologies are inadequate for connecting quantum processors of that size with the outside world. This poses a critical bottleneck for developing large scale quantum computers, and without solving that problem, the quantum revolution will come to a halt.
Delft Circuits is the first company that has developed ultra-thin cabling solutions for the emergent quantum industry. These are high-tech, flexible cables, fully dedicated to microwave frequencies in cryogenic environments. We are selling pre-cursor cabling products to various organisations worldwide since Q1 2019. Our Cri/oFlex® technology allows our customers to build quantum computers requiring many communication channels, since our present technology is already capable of shrinking the footprint significantly. Such reduction in footprint is an essential requirement for paving the way to large scale quantum computing.
We will develop in this project a solution for integrating microwave and thermal components in a monolithic cabling solution. This is an essential step to further increase the scale of quantum computers towards 1,000 or more quantum bits. We have setup a network of validation and qualification partners, which collaborate in the project. Thereby, this project enables us to accelerate our product development to TRL8 significantly, to strengthen the European eco-system of SMEs in quantum industry, and to become an important player in the emergent value chain.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
- social sciencespolitical sciencespolitical transitionsrevolutions
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringcomputer hardwarequantum computers
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystems
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Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2Coordinator
2627 AN DELFT
Netherlands
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.