By Abi Klopper, Technical Communications Strategist, Diraq

Much has been made of the complex problems that quantum computers will solve once they reach utility scale, the point at which their value outweighs their cost. Stronger, more-sustainable building materials, highly efficient energy networks, and optimised portfolio management are among the many promises being made by key players in this nascent industry. The likelihood is that the most exciting applications are yet to be dreamt up, but one thing is clear: Diraq’s quantum computers will be poised to take these applications on, by leveraging technology that is scalable, economical, and widely deployable.

Most of the proposed applications of quantum computers can be loosely grouped into two types. One involves simulating systems at the quantum scale, unlocking the power to model behaviours that even the most high-performance classical computers can only approximate. The other group comprises complex problems that can be mapped to a quantum formulation, which can be treated with powerful optimisation techniques. Many of the targeted industries will benefit from a combination of both strategies.

Let’s take construction materials as an example; specifically, the potential for quantum computers to design better, greener concrete. Calcium-silica-hydrate (C-S-H) gel, the nanoscale component that gives concrete its strength, is a complex system with behaviours that are driven by the interactions between its electrons. Simulating these interactions is possible with a classical computer, but it is prohibitively slow unless approximations are made. Quantum computers are ideally suited to simulating these behaviours exactly, and such simulations could lead to concrete with increased bonding strength, prolonged stability, and an enhanced ability to absorb CO₂.

On another level, quantum computers could optimise the energy efficiency of the cement production process. For example, they could help to find ways of streamlining the routing of raw materials to reduce energy consumption. This optimisation problem is mapped to an ‘energy landscape’ that resembles a rough mountain terrain. Each valley in this landscape corresponds to a low-energy configuration, and the lowest dip signposts the optimal solution to the problem. Quantum computers can explore this landscape extremely efficiently, exploiting the effects of quantum mechanics to find the optimal solution rapidly.

Both sets of applications will impact a wide range of industries. For example, some quantum algorithms will be used to optimise the integration of renewable energy sources into existing power grids, even as others are designing new materials to assist this energy transition. Financial portfolio management will be revolutionised by quantum’s optimisation protocols, and climate impact modelling will experience a similar boost by outsourcing the most computationally intensive tasks to these powerful new machines.   

It’s clear that quantum computers have tremendous potential to change the world, but all these applications require a hybrid approach — one in which classical and quantum computations complement each other. This is one of many ways in which Diraq’s design will outperform competing proposals for quantum computers.

Diraq’s technology stores and controls quantum information using modified silicon transistors, the basic building blocks of today’s phones and laptops. By leveraging the standard fabrication processes of the semiconductor industry, Diraq can put millions of qubits on a single chip, far surpassing the density of other qubit technologies.

This makes Diraq’s technology inherently scalable, but it also means that the utility-scale machine will have a compact footprint, which in turn simplifies the cooling infrastructure required of all quantum technologies. This has two key benefits: operating costs are kept to a minimum, providing a truly economical quantum-computing solution; and stand-alone units are easily deployed in standard data centres, making Diraq’s quantum computers just another tool in the realm of high-performance computing — albeit an exceptionally powerful one. In terms of enabling hybrid quantum–classical algorithms, it doesn’t get much better than this. Diraq’s scalable, economical, deployable technology offers a direct path to quantum computers with real-world applications.

About Diraq

Diraq is a global leader in building quantum processors using silicon ‘quantum dot’ technology, leveraging proprietary technology developed over 20 years of research. Diraq is a private company, founded in 2022 and headquartered in Sydney, Australia, with operations in Palo Alto, California, and Boston, Massachusetts. Our approach relies on the existing silicon manufacturing processes, known as CMOS, used by foundries to produce today’s semiconductor components. By capitalizing on existing high-volume chip fabrication technology and semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, Diraq is accelerating the change that can transform computing as we know it. Diraq’s platform architecture is purpose-built to drive the significant processing advances required to reduce cost and energy barriers, and to realize quantum computing’s full societal and economic potential, forging a faster and cheaper road to market. Diraq’s goal is to revolutionize quantum computing by driving qubit numbers on a single chip to the many millions, and ultimately billions needed for useful commercial applications.

Learn more about Diraq at https://diraq.com/.