PsiQuantum, a California-based quantum computing startup, has announced that it is already producing millions of light-powered quantum computing chips. The company unveiled its new hardware yesterday and claims to have solved the problem of manufacturing quantum chips in useful quantities. PsiQuantum uses a “photonic” approach to quantum computing, which encodes data in individual particles of light called photons.
This method offers low noise, high-speed operation, and compatibility with existing fiber-optic networks. However, it has historically faced challenges due to photons’ high speed, tendency to get lost, and difficulties in creating and detecting them. The company’s new chips, developed in partnership with semiconductor manufacturer GlobalFoundries, integrate all key components, including photon sources, detectors, logic gates, and error correction, on a single silicon-based chip.
By leveraging existing semiconductor fabrication techniques, PsiQuantum claims to have overcome the scalability issue that has long plagued photonic quantum computing. PsiQuantum reports a 0.02% error rate for single-qubit operations and 0.8% for two-qubit operations, which, while higher than digital computers, is competitive with the best qubits available today. The company’s platform also boasts low-loss silicon nitride waveguides, high-efficiency photon-number-resolving detectors, and near-lossless interconnects.
If PsiQuantum’s technology delivers on its promise, it could signify the start of quantum computing’s first truly scalable era. A fault-tolerant photonic quantum computer could offer significant advantages, including lower energy requirements.
Photonic quantum chips achieve scalability
PsiQuantum has set an ambitious target to develop a commercial quantum computer by 2027. The company is progressing toward large-scale quantum system deployment by building Quantum Compute Centers in Brisbane, Australia, and Chicago, Illinois, backed by government partnerships. The Omega chipset achieves impressive performance metrics, including 99.98% single-qubit state preparation and measurement fidelity, 99.5% two-photon quantum interference visibility, and 99.72% chip-to-chip quantum interconnect fidelity.
PsiQuantum’s founding team has been pioneering quantum photonics for over two decades, contributing significantly to the field. They have transitioned from lab experiments to addressing the scaling and manufacturing challenges essential for commercial quantum applications. The company’s partnership with GlobalFoundries ensures high-volume, industrially proven processes ready for large-scale systems integration.
PsiQuantum has characterized millions of devices and focuses on wiring these chips into large-scale multi-chip systems. Prof. Jeremy O’Brien, Co-Founder and CEO of PsiQuantum, stated, “For more than 25 years, it has been my conviction that in order to realize a useful quantum computer in my lifetime, we must fully leverage the semiconductor industry.
This paper vindicates that belief.”
President and CEO of GlobalFoundries, Dr. Thomas Caulfield expressed pride in the collaboration, saying, “Our partnership combines GlobalFoundries’ world-class photonics manufacturing with PsiQuantum’s advanced photonic quantum computing. The results have been remarkable.”
Photo by; Valentine Tanasovich on Pexels
