Silicon Quantum Computing (SQC), a Australian-based commercialisation startup backed by OECD, has released its second significant innovation – the Quantum Twins product. This advanced silicon quantum simulator is commercially available to customers through direct contracts. An internationally celebrated physicist, Simmons founded SQC to address the toughest material challenges directly. After more than 25 years of academic research and development supporting the technology, SQC is poised to change the game.
The launch of the Quantum Twins is an exciting new milestone for SQC. Since 2017, the company has been perfecting a proprietary Precision Atom Qubit Manufacturing process that has laid the foundation for this historic leap. This advanced method enables precise patterning of phosphorus atoms within silicon, which is crucial for the development of quantum technologies. SQC employs a detailed 38-stage process. Besides space and astrophysics modeling, this unique blend of technology will provide unparalleled capability for simulating two-dimensional problems in disciplines from Chemistry to Oceanography.
Breakthrough in Quantum Simulation
The Quantum Twins technology give SQC the ability to design quantum twins for almost any two dimensional problem. As part of an expanding effort, the team recently demonstrated their unique approach on a wider scale. In addition, they focused in particular on the metal insulator transition of a two-dimensional material. This cutting-edge development is a testament to the world-leading silicon quantum simulator. Unsurprisingly, it paves the way for stimulating future applications in material science and elsewhere.
According to Sam Gorman, the quantum systems engineering lead at SQC, “Instead of using qubits, as you would typically in a quantum computer, we just directly encode the problem into the geometry and structure of the array itself.” This novel, abstracted approach enables an intuitive framework for simulation of complicated materials as opposed to other quantum computing methods.
Gorman further emphasizes the impact of their technology, stating, “We can do things now that we think nobody else in the world can do.” The successful experimental proof of concept with this unique device has opened the door to tackling substantial scientific hurdles. Gorman remarked, “Now that we’ve demonstrated that the device is behaving as we predict, we’re looking at high-impact issues or outstanding problems.”
Advanced Manufacturing Techniques
To create quantum devices from the manufacturing process side, SQC’s process for producing these devices was closely designed. And sometimes it’s just pretty wild stuff, like being able to position single atoms of phosphorus with atomic precision. Moreover, you could implement application-specific registers with atoms on clusters of ten to fifty atoms. This complex architecture results in chips able to store as many as 250,000 registers in the time it takes to produce eight hours worth of production.
Michelle Simmons highlighted the purity and precision of their manufacturing environment by stating, “It’s done in ultra-high vacuum. So it’s a very pure, very clean system.” This scrupulous level of precision ensures that quantum devices operate with maximum performance. It does so by supporting their long-term physical and intellectual integrity.
Whether it’s in production design or simulation, these accomplishments are a testament to the team’s focus on leading the charge with quantum technology. Simmons remarked that they’re getting chip designs back in a week, a sign of their nimbleness and ability to quickly iterate and develop.
Future Applications and Industrial Impact
Looking forward, SCG’s Michelle Simmons is excited about the industrial applications of Quantum Twins, especially their use in drug discovery. She explained, “If you look at different drugs, they’re actually very similar to polyacetylene. They’re carbon chains, and they have functional groups. So, understanding how to map it [onto our simulator] is a unique challenge. That’s definitely an area we’re going to focus on.”
SQC’s past work includes the first simulation of a single molecule of polyacetylene way back in 2022. With their ability to model such complex structures with a high degree of accuracy, SQC is poised at the forefront of quantum simulation technology. They are continuously iterating on their approaches and improving on the specific applications. That creates incredible opportunity for consequential innovations, especially in industries such as drug development.
Gorman is convinced that their system is well-suited to addressing difficult issues in space that classical computing cannot tackle. He stated, “That is the part which is challenging for classical computing. We can actually put our system into this regime quite easily.”
