Infineon Technologies and Oxford Ionics have announced a collaboration to build high-performance, fully integrated quantum processing units (QPUs). The combination of Oxford Ionics' unique electronic qubit control (EQC) technology with Infineon's engineering and manufacturing capabilities and quantum technology expertise will lay the foundation for industrial production of QPUs delivering hundreds of qubits over the next five years.
The goal is to transfer quantum computing technology from the research laboratory to real industrial solutions.
Quantum computing opens up the next frontier in computing power for many industries seeking radical improvements in their processes and capabilities. Getting there requires the development of qubit technologies that can be built at scale, while controlling an increasing number of qubits and maintaining quantum error levels at or below the current state of the art.
Oxford Ionics' EQC technology offers a path to integrating trapped ion qubits – currently the leading qubit technology by quantum error levels – into Infineon's mature semiconductor processes.
“The big challenge with quantum computing is scaling and improving performance,” said Chris Ballance, co-founder of Oxford Ionics. “There are technologies that can be manufactured at scale, but don't work, and there are technologies that work, but don't scale. Our electronic control is uniquely positioned to do both. Working with Infineon and its mature and flexible semiconductor process allows us to accelerate the affordability of a commercial QPU. Due to our industry-leading error rates, these processors need far fewer qubits to solve useful problems than other technologies.”
The first Oxford Ionics devices will be accessible in the cloud by the end of 2022, offering commercial players access to these next-generation quantum computers. Fully integrated devices with performance high enough to scale hundreds of qubits are planned to be available in less than two years. Infineon and Oxford Ionics' ultimate goal is to offer, within five years, fully integrated, individual QPUs offering hundreds of networked qubits in a quantum supercomputing cluster using Oxford Ionics' quantum networking technology.
“Infineon’s role is to take Oxford Ionics’ innovative work to scale appropriately to meaningful qubit counts and low error rates. Infineon’s ion traps can enable this in conjunction with our predictable, repeatable and reliable manufacturing and assembly capabilities,” said Stephan Schaecher, director of New Applications, Innovation and Quantum Computing at Infineon Technologies Industrial Division.
Infineon Ion Trap Modules
Infineon's ion traps accelerate the development of powerful quantum computers to solve optimization problems that their classical counterparts could not solve. This research already began in 2016 at the Infineon factory in Villach to combine scientific discoveries with quantum technologies on an industrial scale.
Knowing how to industrialize and combine new materials and technologies, Infineon offers an advanced technology platform for custom traps that are predictable, repeatable and reliable. Building on this platform, Infineon paves the way for thousands of qubits by working with partners in cryogenic control electronics and optical integration. This will allow scientists and companies to focus on their core tasks, push the boundaries of science and research, and create successful, winning quantum computing systems that will enable industry and academia to solve meaningful problems.
Infineon is pursuing several approaches to quantum computing. In addition to iontrap, the company also works on superconducting and semiconductor-based qubits. As co-founder of the Quantum Technology and Application Consortium (QUTAC), Infineon takes the topic from technology to usable application.
