Project HyperIon aims to accelerate the timeline to scaling quantum computers to utility size by demonstrating the performance of Nu Quantum’s Qubit-Photon Interface (QPI) technology, crucial for connecting nodes into a distributed quantum computer. The project will deliver a full system-level demonstrator of a first-of-its-kind QPI prototype for trapped ion qubits with a clear path towards integration with commercial Quantum Processing Units (QPUs) and robust foundry-compatible mass production.
Led by Nu Quantum, the project partners are the University of Sussex ITCM research group providing expertise in ion-photon interfaces, Cisco providing independent end-user input and commercial exploitation support, and Infineon Technologies applying its expertise in high-volume processing technologies and the development of ion trap hardware to leverage scalable quantum processing units.
Quantum computing is moving to modular architectures to accelerate the path towards data centre-scale computing machines capable of tackling the world’s most urgent problems, from climate change to discovering new molecules to cure diseases. Project Hyperion directly tackles one of the most critical components of such a distributed quantum computer: the need for a highly efficient interface between qubits inside each computing core and the wider light-based quantum networking infrastructure. The project aims to deliver significant improvements over current state-of-the-art demonstration of this core technology in several domains:
- Performance (Nu Quantum): single-ion QPI system to provide a 50x increase in entanglement rate together with state-of-art remote fidelity.
- Path to QPI-QPU integration (Sussex): innovative wafer-based trap for shuttling a qubit to a cavity-ion interaction zone, compatible with different vendors' subsystems.
- Path to Manufacturability (Nu Quantum-Infineon): foundry-compliant designs to allow large-scale manufacturing of ion-traps with integrated cavities.
Dr. Carmen Palacios-Berraquero, founder and CEO at Nu Quantum, said: “This is a big step forward in scaling our Qubit-Photon Interface to help scale the whole quantum industry, and bringing us closer to tangible benefits from quantum computing. We appreciate the support of Innovate UK and our partners in making this a reality."
Prof. Matthas Keller, Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Sussex said: “This project is a fantastic opportunity to deepen our collaboration with Nu Quantum, to develop a high-performance quantum processor, that enables scalable quantum computers. We’re delighted that this partnership will demonstrate the commercial potential of our ion-trap technology, which builds on our research at the Sussex Centre for Quantum Technologies.”
Stephan Schächer, responsible for business and marketing of ion trap systems at Infineon, said: “We’re thrilled to engage in this collaboration with the dynamic team at Nu Quantum. Our partnership will enable integrated QPIs for Infineon’s QPUs, pave a path towards communication between QPUs and therefore accelerate the path towards utility-scale quantum computing.”
