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| A mini quantum computer is coming soon |
Quantum computers still require large, dedicated rooms and complex facilities, but to get this technology out of the lab, the researchers built a quantum computer prototype that was small enough to fit on a traditional data center rack.
As part of the EU-funded AQTION project, a group of scientists from the University of Innsbruck in Austria has succeeded in building a fully functional quantum computer in a 19-inch server rack popular in data centers around the world.
The device only needs a socket, otherwise it is independent.
The prototype is an exciting development in an industry based primarily on laboratory applications where quantum computers can only be controlled via a dedicated infrastructure.
Therefore, the development of an accessible quantum computer is the key to expanding this technology.
That is why the European Union recently launched AQTION, a €10 million project to manufacture quantum microcomputers to industry standards without the need for a super-stable laboratory for the environment.
“Quantum computing experiments usually fill our lab between 30 and 50 square metres,” says Thomas Munz, AQTION project coordinator. We now want to install the technology developed here in Innsbruck in the smallest of spaces according to current industry standards.
The research team said the new devices show that quantum computers could soon be used in data centers.
Here is the quantum microcomputer:
The researchers use ions, which are individual charged atoms, as qubits. Quantum information is encoded in the electronic state of the ions and processed by laser pulses that can modulate and control the state of the particles.
Although this approach differs from the well-known superconducting qubits used in quantum computers by IBM and Google, miniature devices are attracting industry interest.
It accommodates two 19 inch shelves. Each component of the AQTION quantum computer must be scaled down.
The biggest challenge is making sure it doesn't affect performance. However, the researchers believe that their prototype shows promising results.
Even outside the controlled environment that can be achieved in the laboratory, the device is stable enough to operate without interruption due to external interference.
Physicists can individually control up to 24 ions and interlock. Measurements show that system performance and error rate are comparable to that of laboratory applications.
By next year, the team plans to develop a device that can individually control up to 50 qubits. Typical hardware and software features are currently updated before they can be used online.
The researchers access the device via the cloud and use non-physical quantum computing languages to test quantum algorithms.