Imec and Diraq Fabricate First 8-Qubit Silicon Spin Array

Imec and Diraq have achieved the first coherent operation of eight silicon MOS spin qubits fabricated using a fully CMOS-compatible 300mm manufacturing platform, a step that suggests scaling beyond the two-qubit regime is possible. The demonstration, detailed in a recent Nature Communications paper, indicates that established industrial semiconductor processes can support the creation of quantum processors exceeding the complexity of individual qubits or small pairings. This achievement builds upon prior work establishing the viability of silicon spin qubits for quantum error correction, now extending to a larger, eight-qubit array while maintaining necessary coherence and controllability. “The future of quantum computing depends not only on qubit quality but also on the ability to manufacture increasingly complex quantum processors with the reproducibility, yield and scale of the semiconductor industry,” said Kristiaan De Greve, fellow and program director quantum computing at imec.

300mm CMOS Foundry Process Enables Eight-Qubit Operation

The demonstration of coherent operation within an eight-qubit silicon MOS spin-qubit array represents a substantial advance in the pursuit of scalable quantum computing, achieved through a collaboration between Imec and Diraq utilizing industry-standard manufacturing techniques. Imec’s 300mm CMOS-compatible manufacturing platform was central to this achievement, leveraging nearly a decade of process optimization to bridge the gap between laboratory experiments and commercially viable quantum technologies. Crucially, scaling this eight-qubit array did not necessitate a proportional increase in sensor count, wiring density, or thermal load; this favorable scaling ratio is essential for maintaining compactness as quantum processors grow in size and complexity. The devices were fabricated on Imec’s silicon spin-qubit platform, a system designed to exploit the established supply chains and manufacturing expertise of the semiconductor industry, positioning silicon spin qubits as a leading candidate for large-scale quantum computation.

Building on a 2025 Nature Communications paper demonstrating high fidelity in individual and two-qubit devices, this latest work confirms that Imec’s process can be reliably scaled to larger arrays while preserving the necessary coherence and controllability. Diraq’s Founder and CEO, Andrew Dzurak, reinforced this point, stating, “This is what an industrial pathway to quantum computing looks like,” adding that the same process used nine months ago has now been scaled to an eight-qubit array without compromising coherence, a cadence they anticipate maintaining to reach utility-scale quantum computers.

This demonstration marks the first time coherent operation and readout have been achieved in an eight-qubit silicon array produced with standard industrial manufacturing techniques, according to the companies. Maintaining coherence and controllability across the eight-qubit linear array was a central challenge, successfully addressed through Imec’s refined manufacturing process. Andrew Dzurak, Founder and CEO of Diraq, stated that Imec has scaled and Diraq has tested the size of the array using exactly the same process, with no compromise in coherence.