(TechCrunch) Frederic Lardinois of TechCrunch writes about the early signs of a hardware quantum ecosystem that’s starting to resemble the classical computing space, with different startups specializing in the different components that make up a quantum computer. Inside Quantum Technology summarizes.
Lardinois explains that Netherlands-based QuantWare basically wants to become the chip manufacturer for this ecosystem. The company announced that it can now offer researchers and other startups in the space a customer 25-qubit quantum processing unit (QPU). And in an industry with long lead times, QuantWare says it can deliver this new QPU, dubbed the Contralto, in 30 days.
The Netherlands is investing heavily in quantum startups and QuantWare, with its heritage as a spin-off of Delft University, has been able to attract a group of highly qualified researchers and engineers. Alessandro Bruno, a co-founder and the company’s director of Engineering, previously spent more than 10 years working on different aspects of quantum computing, including at the DICarlo lab at Delft University’s QuTech.
Because of this existing tech ecosystem, QuantWare can get access to state-of-the-art cleanroom facilities to produce its superconducting QPUs. But even more importantly, the company has been able to collaborate with a lot of other quantum startups, too.
For the new QPU, potential buyers can choose from a library of components and buyers can choose how the qubits are wired together based on their specific needs. Because every qubit features multiple lines to control and read their state, it’s this hardware control system that also limits the size of the chip.
A quantum computer with a 25-qubit QPU can’t quite keep up with what IBM, IonQ, Rigetti and others can currently offer, but it is also QuantWare’s first play at selling its unit to the systems integrator market — and especially new players in this market.
QuantWare will build custom 25-qubit quantum processor in 30 days
