So far, quantum computing has been the prerogative of large, well-funded research institutions and financially strong commercial companies. But every new technology will be democratized sooner or later, and it looks like it will happen in quantum computing, because QuantWare, a start-up company from the Netherlands, began to provide its Soprano quantum processing unit (QPU) to all interested parties.
QuantWare Soprano processor There are five qubits with customizable topologies, including Purcell filters, AirBridges and QuantWare’s proprietary TSV configurations. Soprano processors are available from stock or based on custom target parameters, depending on customer requirements. QuantWare can provide a fully encapsulated QPU or die (customizable size). Unfortunately, it did not disclose the pricing of a Soprano 5-qubit QPU.
QuantWare guarantees 99.9% single-qubit gate fidelity (error-free) for more than 10 µs T1 time (depending on the stack quality), which should keep the error rate within a controllable range, the company said Ars TechnicaAlthough 5 qubits are small according to today’s quantum computing “standards”, some companies provide cloud access for higher performance. This configuration is said to be enough to attract researchers from small companies and universities.
QuantWare co-founder Matthijs Rijlaarsdam said: “Our Soprano QPU is just like Intel 4004 is used in the semiconductor business.” High-voltage line“Superconducting qubits are highly customizable, easy to control, and scalable. This practicality makes superconducting QPU the most likely candidate for quantum computing applications in the near future.”
QuantWare predicts that its QPU will double or even quadruple each year in the next few years, which means they will get orders of magnitude faster and enable smaller organizations to obtain supercomputer-level performance.
Quantum processors require extreme cooling methods, such as liquid helium or refrigeration. For this reason, not many commercial companies may soon adopt quantum computing, or at least until this cooling technology becomes smaller, cheaper and more reliable.
