ARQUE Systems GmbH, a spin-off from Forschungszentrum Jülich and RWTH Aachen University, has signed a license agreement for a breakthrough quantum computing technology. The company is working on a quantum chip that could significantly advance the application of quantum computers. The technology is based on semiconductor qubits that capture individual electrons, allowing for integration into existing semiconductor technology. The team, led by Prof. Hendrik Bluhm and CEO Markus Beckers, is also addressing the issue of qubit size with moving qubits. The licensed technology could enable the creation of quantum processors with over 100 qubits using current technology.
Quantum Computing: The Future of Industry
Quantum computing is a powerful technology with the potential to revolutionise various industries. However, its full potential is yet to be realised due to several challenges that need to be addressed to bring quantum computing into practice. A spin-off from Forschungszentrum Jülich and RWTH Aachen University, ARQUE Systems GmbH, is collaborating with researchers from both institutions to develop a quantum chip that could be a significant breakthrough for the application of quantum computers. The team has signed a license agreement for their patent portfolio, which could potentially unlock the full power of quantum computing.
The Role of Quantum Computing in Addressing Industrial Challenges
Industries from logistics to drug development to production chains to chemicals are currently facing unprecedented challenges. The complexity of computing tasks is growing beyond the capacities of traditional bit computing, and even state-of-the-art supercomputers are struggling to keep up with industrial demands. Quantum computing, which uses quantum bits or qubits that can be on and off simultaneously and influence the activity of other qubits, could provide a solution. However, current quantum chips are sensitive to outside influences, requiring thousands of physical qubits for correction algorithms and making universally applicable quantum computers a complex, costly investment. ARQUE Systems aims to address this issue.
“ARQUE’s technology is much closer than other quantum computing platforms to existing semiconductor technology in terms of both production and materials,”
Prof. Hendrik Bluhm, Leader of the Quantum Technology Group, Co-director of the JARA Institute for Quantum Information, and Scientific Director and Co-founder of ARQUE Systems GmbH.
Combining Quantum Computing with Semiconductor Technology
ARQUE Systems’ technological advantage lies in the manufacturing process and the size of the qubits. The team’s technology is based on semiconductor qubits that capture individual electrons, allowing for integration into the well-established and widely used semiconductor technology. The team is also working on addressing the problem of qubit size with the help of moving qubits. The processor’s architecture allows qubits to be moved on the chip along so-called shuttling paths, similar to a conveyor belt. This approach aims to fit many qubits on a single chip and build fault-tolerant, universal quantum computers that run the algorithms for which quantum computing is known.
Cross-Institutional Research Leading to Industry-Changing Innovation
ARQUE Systems’ innovative technology has its roots in the Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (JARA). The close collaboration between Forschungszentrum Jülich and RWTH Aachen University has resulted in a portfolio of patent-pending inventions by top researchers in the field of quantum computing. In September 2022, four of these researchers founded ARQUE Systems to take their technology to the next level. The founding team is complemented by an individual with years of economic and financial expertise, which he has acquired in a global management consulting company and through the coordination and auditing of major projects.
Building a Quantum Computer for the Future
With the help of the recently signed license agreement, their unique technology, and strong industry partners, ARQUE Systems is now set to build a quantum computer whose architecture is designed from the outset for millions of qubits. The licensed technology enables the realisation of quantum processors with more than 100 qubits with present-day technology. This development could potentially revolutionise the way industries operate, providing a solution to the growing complexity of computing tasks.
“In order to have space on the chip not only for the qubits, but also for the supply line and the control electronics, we have to increase the distance between the qubits. In order to still entangle the quantum states over the distance, we need to be able to move the electrons on the chip. ARQUE’s architecture and QPU technology are, to our knowledge, the most far-reaching approach to fit many qubits on a single chip. We want to build fault-tolerant, universal quantum computers that run the algorithms for which quantum computing has become known,”
Markus Beckers, Institute Manager at the Chair of Experimental Physics and Institute of Physics II, Director of Operations at JARA Institute for Quantum Information, and CEO and Co-founder of ARQUE Systems GmbH.
Summary
ARQUE Systems, a spin-off from Forschungszentrum Jülich and RWTH Aachen University, is developing a quantum chip that could significantly advance the application of quantum computers. Their unique technology utilises semiconductor qubits that capture individual electrons, allowing for integration into existing semiconductor technology, and the architecture of the processor enables qubits to be moved on the chip, potentially overcoming the challenge of qubit size.
- ARQUE Systems GmbH, a spin-off from Forschungszentrum Jülich and RWTH Aachen University, has signed a license agreement for a breakthrough quantum computing technology.
- Quantum computing has the potential to revolutionise industries due to its superior computing power. However, current quantum chips are sensitive to external influences, making quantum computers complex and costly.
- ARQUE Systems’ technology is based on semiconductor qubits that capture individual electrons, allowing for integration into existing semiconductor technology.
- The team is also working on a solution to the problem of qubit size by developing a processor architecture that allows qubits to be moved on the chip along ‘shuttling paths’.
- The technology was developed through a collaboration between Forschungszentrum Jülich and RWTH Aachen University, resulting in a portfolio of patent-pending inventions.
- The spin-off was founded by Prof. Hendrik Bluhm, Dr. Lars Schreiber, Dr. Jan Klos and Dr. Markus Beckers from the JARA Institute for Quantum Information, along with Dr. Wolfgang Meißner.
- The start-up aims to build a quantum computer designed for millions of qubits, with the licensed technology enabling the creation of quantum processors with more than 100 qubits using current technology.