Archer Exploration Ltd (ASX:AXE) has assembled the first qubit component of a prototype room-temperature operation quantum computing qubit chip, as part of its pioneering quantum technology project 12CQ.
The ability to directly position individual qubits is a key requirement for building a scalable chip and de-risks Archer’s chip technology development.
Archer chief executive officer Dr Mohammad Choucair said: “This outstanding achievement further strengthens our commercial readiness, as we’ve met a key milestone in derisking and progressing the chip technology development, while demonstrating a key success factor [of a scalable qubit architecture] the quantum computing community commonly uses to qualify the most promising early-stage, long-term potential solutions to practical quantum computing.”
12CQ qubit componentry assembly
To assemble the first qubit component of Archer’s chip, a single qubit was isolated and precisely positioned on a silicon wafer, with the process being performed at room temperature.
Electron microscopy image of a single qubit of about 50 nanometre size (indicated by the arrow) positioned with nanometre-scale precision on a silicon wafer surface
This process overcomes the key technological barrier of demonstrating the possibility of qubit scalability in the fabrication of a working chip prototype, representing a minimum viable product: a product chip at a commercial readiness that can validate solutions to direct consumer ownership of quantum computing powered technology.
The ability to directly position individual qubits is a key requirement for building a scalable chip.
To achieve this, Archer uses a unique carbon-based qubit that has the potential to enable chip operation at room-temperature and integration onboard modern devices.
The qubit is the fundamental component of Archer’s 12CQ prototype chip, as without the qubit, quantum computing cannot be performed.
Choucair added: “The qubits are only a few tens of nanometres in size and this means we need to have a high level of accuracy in physically positioning our qubits to successfully build a working device.
“It is incredibly difficult to apply such a high of degree precision in controlling qubit location; however, we have unambiguously achieved this, making it possible to scale our chip qubits.”
Next steps
The technical development at the heart of 12CQ is a world-first. Archer intends to continue technology de-risking value-added development of the 12CQ qubit processor chip by completing the next stages of component assembly towards a proof-of-concept prototype chip.
The prototype chip validation is required to establish a minimum viable product.
Archer intends to commercialise chip products through licencing and direct sales by seeking to establish commercial partnerships with highly resourced and skilled organisations including software developers and hardware manufacturers, that could allow for product scale, IP transfer, and distribution channels.