One of its most exciting start-ups, Silicon Quantum Computing, has just revealed its latest breakthrough. It’s nicknamed Quantum Twins, and it’s a silicon quantum simulator that takes the fight to complicated material conundrums. The entire company was only founded in 2017. Led by technical visionary and founder Michelle Simmons and quantum systems engineering hopeful and AustCyber lead Sam Gorman, it has quickly become a growing hub of international quantum computing expertise. As proof of principle we have, for the first time, simulated and quantified important transitions between the energetics in materials.
At its heart, Quantum Twins employ a patented Precision Atom Qubit Manufacturing process using a different approach to entangled atom based processing. Production team deftly positions individual phosphorus atoms with glasnost-level accuracy. By making clusters of anywhere from ten to fifty atoms, they can form a functional register. Their recently developed technology is able to simulate the metal-insulator transition of a two-dimensional material. This monumental success now presents great circumstances for classical computing platforms.
Advancements in Quantum Simulation
Silicon Quantum Computing’s technology is jawdroppingly powerful. This excellence is a result of over decades of fundamental research led by Simmons, who has devoted more than 25 years to developing quantum systems. This body of work allowed for successful simulations of materials that move from being insulating to conducting.
After years of painstaking work, in 2022 the team was able to finally demonstrate their device’s prowess by simulating a molecule of polyacetylene. This advanced simulation used a staggering 15,000 quantum dots as well, further proving the device’s capacity to tackle complex molecular architectures. Gorman emphasized the significance of their approach:
“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.” – Sam Gorman
This novel approach is what places their technology above and beyond other quantum computing paradigms. It’s equally important because it enhances the productivity of our most precious scientific resource—our people—in addressing complex challenges.
Precision Manufacturing Process
Silicon Quantum Computing uses a complex 38-stage patterning process in its production. With this method, scientists can accurately place phosphorus atoms into silicon. This step of the process, developing the computational mesh, is critical for achieving the level of detail needed to create successful simulations. Simmons provided insights into the clean and controlled environment necessary for their operations:
“It’s done in ultra-high vacuum. So it’s a very pure, very clean system.” – Michelle Simmons
This much greater efficiency speeds up research and development considerably. In doing so, Silicon Quantum Computing makes itself a strong contestant in the quickly developing sphere of quantum technology.
“We put 250,000 of these registers [on a chip] in eight hours, and we can turn a chip design around in a week.” – Michelle Simmons
Silicon Quantum Computing is doing something even bolder, with the recent introduction of Quantum Twins. They seek to address grand challenge topics in material science that have historically been a roadblock for investigators. Gorman noted that their device can easily transition into regimes that classical computing struggles with:
Addressing Complex Problems
The team is currently working to improve their technology and broaden its potential uses. Unbeknownst to most, they think they’re on the cusp of revolutionizing breakthroughs that will fundamentally alter our understanding of materials down to the atomic level.
“That is the part which is challenging for classical computing. But we can actually put our system into this regime quite easily.” – Sam Gorman
This smart move fits well with Silicon Quantum Computing’s vision to use quantum simulation to address some of the most urgent scientific questions.
Gorman added,
“Now that we’ve demonstrated that the device is behaving as we predict, we’re looking at high-impact issues or outstanding problems.” – Sam Gorman
This forward-thinking approach aligns with Silicon Quantum Computing’s vision to leverage quantum simulation for solving pressing scientific questions.