Quantum Chips Near Reality with Scalable Silicon Design

Diraq researchers unveiled a commercially viable high-fidelity quantum bit at scale fabrication method that could revolutionize the computing sector. This proof of principle utilizes traditional manufacturing processes that have been utilized for decades to provide reliable, large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer chips that retain maximum fidelity. Here’s what you need to know.

The Demand for Affordable Quantum Computers is on the Rise

There is a growing demand for quantum computing services and specialists. According to recent reports, companies have already spent $2.35B on quantum services last year. Additionally, the sector has experienced a significant increase in hiring, with LinkedIn statistics indicating a 180% rise in companies seeking quantum professionals between 2020 and 2024.

There are many reasons for the rise in quantum computing demand. One such reason is military applications. Around the world, militaries have invested significant funding in the hopes of gaining a competitive advantage over their competitors.

Quantum Benchmarking Initiative

The United States’ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is currently hosting the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative. The goal of this project is to determine if quantum computing chips can be scaled and made more durable than their current design, which has a fragile quantum state.

To accomplish this task, 18 companies have been selected to compete against each other to achieve utility scale within the quantum computing sector. Utility scale is a term that refers to quantum computing’s ability to solve problems that far exceed today’s supercomputers.

This task will require real-time error correction to meet the high-fidelity requirements. Fidelity refers to the chip’s accuracy. Engineers will need to create a quantum chip that can store and access massive amounts of information while sustaining more than 100 qubits reliably across the fragile quantum state.

Silicon-Based Quantum Chips

There have been many different types of quantum chip designs that have been used to create quantum hardware. However, the introduction of silicon-based quantum chips has significant advantages.

For one, they can utilize the billions of dollars in infrastructure and fabrication strategies already in place for traditional chips. Additionally, the chips can fit millions of qubits onto a single chip. These qubits are positioned precisely to provide efficient quantum computing.

The Next Steps

Recognizing the potential that silicon spin-qubit technology provides, engineers have sought out ways to enhance these chip designs. Their research has included substantial lab testing. The lab results have proven accurate. However, to date, there has been no attempt to see if the same level of accuracy can be achieved utilizing traditional industrial-scale fabrication methods.

Source – Nature

In order to accomplish this task, engineers need to overcome several material challenges. Their design will need to account for interference caused by charge noise and static disorder. These issues occur due to defects and traps at interfaces and oxides found in silicon chip designs.

Large-Scale Quantum Chip Fabrication Study

The recent Industry-compatible silicon spin-qubit unit cells exceeding 99% fidelity¹ study published on Sept. 24 in Nature, provides valuable insight into crucial metrics responsible for achieving scalable quantum chips.

It connects the dots between real-time monitoring capabilities and the ability to correct quantum errors. Specifically, pointing out correlations between electrical noise and Hall bar transport. As part of the work, Diraq designed a new chip design modeling software.

They partnered with chip fabrication firm imec, which was responsible for the final manufacturing of the device. From there, the team created several designs using silicon wafers and traditional CMOS geometry.

Standard Tooling

The engineers settled on several two-qubit devices that utilized planar metal–oxide–semiconductor with polysilicon gates. The devices were made utilizing standard semiconductor tooling in a 300-mm foundry environment. Specifically, the architecture used included a double quantum dot and a single-electron transistor (SET), which provided real-time spin read-out.

Notably, the four electrons in the double dot formed under the plunger gate electrodes of the device make it possible to control tunnel coupling between the dots and provide noise analysis. From there, the entire unit was placed in a  3He/4He dilution refrigerator that was set to a base temperature of 10 mK in isolated mode.

Testing the New Quantum Chip Design

To test their build, the team subjected the device to several experimental conditions created within the UNSW research lab. The first step was to evaluate the chip’s primary qubit functionality. This test included testing both one and two-qubit gates and registering error rates.

Notably, the team utilized a state-of-the-art gate set tomography (GST) tool to gain valuable insight into the quantum state in real time. This approach allowed them to determine interference factors like crosstalk and the breakdown between stochastic and coherent errors.

After documenting four designs, they conducted cryo-probing measurements on another 16 options. Each chip had a slightly different shape and architecture, enabling the team to gain insight into how their design provides uniform electrostatic control over device gate electrodes.

Large-Scale Quantum Chip Fabrication Study Test Results

The test results showed the concept was a success. The team demonstrated high performance of qubits on the 300-mm wafer using traditional semiconductor foundries. Their data suggests that the chip performed exactly as predicted.  In both single and two-qubit control facilities, it exceeded 99% accuracy across all four devices.

The results of this testing indicate that Diraq’s silicon quantum chip can be successfully mass-produced using traditional CMOS strategies. This discovery opens the door for large-scale productions of next-generation quantum computing devices.

Large-Scale Quantum Chip Fabrication Study Benefits

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There are many benefits that this study brings to the industry. For one, it provided valuable scientific knowledge into overcoming the technical limitations of large-scale quantum computing fabrication strategies. It also demonstrated a way to integrate quantum chips into mass manufacturing in the future.

Accuracy

One of the biggest discoveries is that the foundry process didn’t reduce the accuracy or fidelity of the quantum chips. It actually showed that silicon-based quantum chips can maintain world-class accuracy when created utilizing state-of-the-art spin-qubit strategies coupled with real-time error correction.

Mass Fabrication

The main goal of the study was to demonstrate that silicon-based quantum computers can utilize the mature semiconductor industry. The engineers succeeded in this goal, which opens the door for these chips to see large-scale adoption.

Real-World Applications & Timeline

There are several applications for this study. For one, it will help to provide a viable path forward for the large-scale production of reliable silicon quantum chips. These devices will play a vital role in many high-tech industries, including AI, aerospace, medical, climate modeling, and much more.

Large-Scale Quantum Chip Fabrication Study Timeline

It will be 7-10 years before you can go into your local computer store and see quantum-powered devices at an affordable rate. However, this work paves the way for reasonably priced quantum-powered computers in the next decade.

Large-Scale Quantum Chip Fabrication Study Researchers

To make the Large Scale Quantum Chip Fabrication Study a success, Diraq, which is a UNSW Sydney nano-tech startup, collaborated with the European nanoelectronics institute Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (imec). Notably, Diraq had previously unveiled a silicon chip design that fabricated qubits using the CMOS processes in their lab.

This step inspired the team to push the tech further, enabling large-scale fabrication methods to be employed. This fundamental achievement opens the door for mass production of silicon-based quantum chips to be used in everything from transportation to medical devices.

Future Research Directions

Commenting on their plans, the engineers plan to do further investigation into large configurations and higher electron occupations. Their goal is to gain a better understanding of the physical origin of the observed error mechanisms and create models that can accurately predict and prevent these occurrences. If successful, this work would provide a clear pathway to even higher performance in the sector.

Investing in Quantum Computing

Several quantum computer developers are operating globally. These companies continue to push the boundaries of computing by constantly investing in R&D to reduce fabrication costs. Here’s one company that remains a pioneering spirit in the market and is recognized as an industry leader.

Rigetti Computing

Rigetti Computing entered the market in 2013. It’s based out of California and was founded by a physicist named Chad Rigetti. Rigetti Computing’s original focus was on creating and maintaining superconducting qubits. This approach included creating full-stack superconducting quantum systems and other vital hardware.

Notably, Rigetti Computing has always been a pioneering spirit in the market. For example, it introduced the first quantum processor in 2016. This 3-qubit chip opens the door for future innovations, including the release of the Forest quantum programming environment, which helped to drive algorithm development.

In 2017,  Rigetti Quantum Cloud Services (QCS) launched, enabling enterprise-level access to powerful quantum chips. This maneuver was quickly followed by the opening of a new foundry in Fremont, CA, the same year. These maneuvers helped to bolster the company’s positioning and manufacturing capabilities.

In 2024,  Rigetti Computing demonstrated its 32-qubit processors. This maneuver was followed by a strategic partnership with AWS. All of these maneuvers bolstered Rigetti Computing’s market positioning and consumer confidence. As such, today it’s seen as an excellent way to gain exposure to the quantum computing sector.

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Large Scale Quantum Chip Fabrication Study | Conclusion

There are so many reasons why creating silicon quantum chips that can leverage the mature semiconductor industry is a win for everyone. For one, it will drive cost reduction and further research. Also, it will inspire more technological innovation in the future.

Learn About Other Cool Quantum Computing Breakthroughs Here.

References

^{1. Steinacker, P., Dumoulin Stuyck, N., Lim, W. H., Tanttu, T., Feng, M., Serrano, S., Nickl, A., Candido, M., Cifuentes, J. D., Vahapoglu, E., Bartee, S. K., Hudson, F. E., Chan, K. W., Kubicek, S., Jussot, J., Canvel, Y., Beyne, S., Shimura, Y., Loo, R., . . . Dzurak, A. S. (2025). Industry-compatible silicon spin-qubit unit cells exceeding 99% fidelity. Nature, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09531-9}