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Australian researchers build first two-qubit logic gate in silicon

by Mark Tyson on 6 October 2015, 11:01

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A team of researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia claim to have overcome a crucial hurdle in quantum computing. Their pioneering work has resulted in the building of a quantum logic gate in silicon for the first time. The logic gate makes calculations between two qubits of information possible and is expected to be a central building block in a quantum computer. This development means that "all the physical building blocks for a silicon quantum computer have now been successfully constructed".

Importantly the two-qubit logic gate, demonstrated by the UNSW researchers, uses the same device technology as existing silicon chips so is expected to be much easier to manufacture as a full scale processor chip. Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor and Director of the Australian National Fabrication Facility at UNSW explained, "This makes the building of a quantum computer much more feasible, since it is based on the same manufacturing technology as today's computer industry". Dzurak asserted that the newly published research was thus "a game changer".

The UNSW approach reconfigured the 'transistors' used to define the bits in existing silicon chips, and turned them into qubits, by ensuring each has only one electron associated with it. The binary code of 0 or 1 is then indicated by the 'spin' of the electron.

Previously it wasn't possible to get two quantum bits to 'talk' to each other - and thus create a logic gate - using silicon. With this hurdle cleared, engineers can start to design and build a functioning quantum computer using this vital building block. To take their two-qubit logic gate silicon designs to that next level the researchers have already "patented a design for a full-scale quantum computer chip that would allow for millions of our qubits, all doing the types of calculations that we've just experimentally demonstrated," said Dzurak. Now the team are looking for the "the right industry partners to work with," to manufacture such a full scale chip.

According to the NSWU blog this advancement "represents the final physical component needed to realise the promise of super-powerful silicon quantum computers". Applications for quantum computers are envisaged in the finance, security and healthcare sectors, solving computing challenges that are beyond today's top supercomputers.



HEXUS Forums :: 8 Comments

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Maybe in the future all FPUs will include a few Qbits to take take of those tricky devisions….
Still really confused by this. By definition you can't be 100% certain of anything when talking quantum computing. Heisenberg's uncertainty principle applies across whole spectrum. Binary code apply to absolutely certain states. Either it is 0 or 1. You can't do that with qubits which can exist in both states (superposition) at the same time. Weird stuff. I know I missing some vital detail here, but still, if it works as advertised then quantum computing is coming big way.
Nytonial
Maybe in the future all FPUs will include a few Qbits to take take of those tricky devisions….

Maybe they'll also be able to run a super-powerful spell and grammar checker too. It would seem that the current offerings are not powerful enough for some people.
You have to to develop a longer brain than most of us to program it.
ypsylon
Heisenberg's uncertainty principle applies across whole spectrum.

That's not how the uncertainty principle works. That is about the accuracy of measuring two related properties. The general example is velocity and position. The more accurately you measure one, the less accurately you can know the other.

As we're only dealing with one property of the electrons, spin, this doesn't apply.