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A new high-performance quantum chip built by Oxford Ionics, a spinoff from the University of Oxford, has broken previous records in the quantum computing domain. The achievement is commendable since error correction was not used during the process, and the chip can also be manufactured at existing semiconductor fabs. The company expects a useful quantum computer to be available to the world in the next three years.

Quantum computing is the next frontier of computing, where computers will be able to rapidly compute results by consuming information that would take todays fastest supercomputers years to process.

Research institutes and private enterprises are now locked in a race to build the worlds first usable quantum computer. However, the basic data storage unit or quantum bit (quantum bit) can only be worked with in highly specialized conditions. Researchers need to find simpler ways to process qubits to make the technology more mainstream.

Founded in 2019 by eminent Oxford scientists, Oxford Ionics uses a trapped ion approach to quantum computing. Compared to other approaches, trapped ions can help in precise measurements while staying in superposition for longer durations.

Controlling trapped ions for computation is typically achieved with lasers. However, Oxford Ionics has eliminated the use of lasers and developed an electronic way to achieve the same effect. They call it Electronic Qubit Control.

The team at Oxford Ionics has integrated everything needed to control the trapped ions onto a silicon chip. This chip can be manufactured at any existing semiconductor fabrication facility, making it possible to scale trapped-ion-based quantum computers.

In a press release sent to Interesting Engineering, Oxford Ionics confirmed that it achieved industry records in two-qubit and single-qubit gate performance.

The industrys biggest players have taken different paths towards the goal of making quantum computing a reality, said Chris Ballance, co-founder and CEO of Oxford Ionics, in the statement.

From the outset, we have taken a rocket ship approach focusing on building robust technology by solving the really difficult challenges first. This has meant using novel physics and smart engineering to develop scalable, high-performance qubit chips that do not need error correction to get to useful applications and can be controlled on a classic semiconductor chip, Ballance added.

A major challenge in adopting quantum computers is how easily the system accumulates errors, given its fast computing rates. Researchers, therefore, use large numbers of qubits to build logical qubits that give more coherent answers and deploy error correction to the computations.

Oxford Ionics says its high-performance qubits eliminate the need for error correction, allowing commercial applications without the associated costs of error correction. The company is confident that, thanks to the scalability of its Electronic Qubit Control system, it can build a 256-qubit chip in the next few years.

When you build a quantum computer, performance is as important as size increasing the number of qubits means nothing if they do not produce accurate results, said Tom Harty, CTO at Oxford Ionics. We have now proven that our approach has delivered the highest level of performance in quantum computing to date, and is now at the level required to start unlocking the commercial impact of quantum computing.

This is an incredibly exciting moment for our team, and for the positive impact that quantum computing will have on society at large, Harty concluded.

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Ameya Paleja Ameya is a science writer based in Hyderabad, India. A Molecular Biologist at heart, he traded the micropipette to write about science during the pandemic and does not want to go back. He likes to write about genetics, microbes, technology, and public policy.

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Worlds highest performing quantum chip unveiled by Oxford Ionics - Interesting Engineering