Universal Quantum, a venture backed quantum computing hardware startup, has launched a trapped-ion quantum processing unit (iQPU) designed to make quantum computers easier to manufacture and scale using existing semiconductor production facilities. The modular design allows additional processors to be connected without redesigning the entire computer. Integrated control electronics also reduce the need for external hardware and complex wiring.
According to a company press release, the processor has an active compute area of more than 400mm² and combines ion-trap technology, integrated control electronics and modular connections. Its Quantum Charge-Coupled Device (QCCD) architecture moves ions across the chip, allowing qubits to connect without being restricted to fixed positions.
Manufactured on a commercial 200mm semiconductor production line, the chip uses industry-standard design and fabrication processes. It also incorporates UQConnect, Universal Quantum’s modular interconnect technology, which allows multiple processors to exchange quantum information and operate as a larger system.
Sebastian Weidt, CEO and Co-Founder, Universal Quantum, said, “The question is no longer whether quantum computing can work, but how we build enough high-quality qubits to solve problems that matter, the iQPU allows us to combine our world record interconnect technology with a chip architecture that can control qubits at scale and is manufactured in commercial silicon foundries.”
Mike Newman, VP Engineering, Universal Quantum, said, “A scalable quantum computer cannot be assembled by adding complexity one qubit at a time, we have brought the ion trap, control electronics and modular connections together in one chip, so the same engineered unit can be manufactured, tested and connected repeatedly to scale to much more powerful quantum computers. That is what turns scale from a scientific aspiration into a practical systems challenge we can solve.”
The iQPU will be used in systems Universal Quantum is developing for customers, including the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The company has secured €67 million (US$ 108 million) in contracts to build two scalable quantum computers for the organisation, which will explore applications in space mission planning, climate modelling and materials design.
Universal Quantum is also working with the Open Quantum Institute to explore potential applications in areas such as endometriosis research. The company raised more than US$ 100 million in a Series A funding round involving sovereign, institutional and specialist technology investors. Its target applications include pharmaceuticals, finance, battery development and materials science.