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An Australian/German company has a powerful quantum accelerators project in the works. The accelerators are the size of graphics cards, a vastly smaller size than we are used to. They work at room temperature, outperforming the current huge cryo-cooled quantum supercomputers.

The projection is that soon they will even be small enough for mobile devices. Superconducting quantum computers are large and incredibly demanding machines. They require isolation from anything that could interfere with an electron’s spin or mess up a calculation. Measures taken include encasing the machines in vacuum chambers.

The demanding nature of quantum supercomputers

At IBM, for instance, Big Blue surrounds its quantum bits (qubits) with mu metals to absorb all magnetic fields. There is also the problem of temperature. Any atom with a temperature above absolute zero is vibrating. Any temperature more than 10-15 thousandths of a degree above absolute zero shakes the qubits, making them lose ‘coherence.’

The best quantum computers have to be cryogenically cooled using complex and costly equipment before the qubits maintain their state long enough to be useful. These special conditions do not make the quantum computer, as is, feasible as a desktop device of some kind.

Enter the startup

The Australian-born startup says it developed a quantum microprocessor that does not need the special conditions to work. It runs at room temperature and is the size of a rack unit currently. Soon, it will be the size of a high-end graphics card, according to the startup.

Quantum Brilliance was founded in 2019. Research for the idea was begun by founders at the Australian National University, where they developed techniques to manufacture, scale, and control qubits embedded in synthetic diamonds.

It gets complex, which is why checking out the official website for the idea, is the best way to glean more information. You can find it right here.