In a landmark moment for quantum computing, Oxford Ionics has demonstrated the performance of the world’s highest-performing quantum chip.
Aside from its exceptional performance, what’s perhaps most impressive about the quantum chip is that it can be produced at scale in a traditional semiconductor fabrication plant.
Dr Chris Ballance, co-founder and CEO of Oxford Ionics, commented: “The industry’s biggest players have taken different paths towards the goal of making quantum computing a reality.
“From the outset, we have taken a ‘rocket ship’ approach – focusing on building robust technology by solving the really difficult challenges first.
“This has meant using novel physics and smart engineering to develop scalable, high-performance qubit chips that do not need error correction to get to useful applications and can be controlled on a classic semiconductor chip.
“Since we started in 2019, we have hit every target on our roadmap on time, and today’s results validate our confidence in our approach. We are now able to focus on the commercialisation of our technology and delivering useful quantum computing at scale.”
The challenge of building high-performance quantum computers
Constructing stable and high-performance quantum computers is an immense challenge. It requires creating high-performance qubits and developing scalable control mechanisms.
Among various technologies, only trapped ions have demonstrated the necessary performance for building practical quantum computers. Traditionally, controlling these qubits has been difficult due to the reliance on lasers.
Oxford Ionics’ breakthrough in qubit control
Oxford Ionics has revolutionised qubit control with its patented Electronic Qubit Control system, eliminating the need for lasers.
This innovative approach integrates the control mechanisms for trapped ions into a silicon chip, which can be mass-produced using standard semiconductor manufacturing processes.
Record-breaking performance
Oxford Ionics has achieved industry-leading performance in both two-qubit gate and single-qubit gate operations.
Unlike previous records that relied on error correction, Oxford Ionics’ chips deliver over twice the performance using ten times fewer qubits without needing error correction. Key achievements include:
- Two-qubit gates with fidelities at the 99.97% level
- Single-qubit operations with 99.9992% fidelity
The high performance of Oxford Ionics’ qubits means powerful quantum computers can be built with fewer qubits, enabling commercial applications without the need for complex error correction techniques.
The scalability of this approach suggests that practical quantum computing is nearer than previously anticipated.
Oxford Ionics plans to build a scalable 256-qubit chip, leveraging existing semiconductor production lines, marking a significant step towards the realisation of useful quantum computers.
