UK’s Silicon Chip Quantum Computer Makes a Quantum Leap Forward

London-based Quantum Motion has done something amazing. They’ve built the world’s first full-stack quantum computer using the same silicon chip technology that’s in your laptop or smartphone. This machine is installed at the UK’s National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) and is a big step towards making quantum computing practical, scalable and mainstream.

Silicon chips are the unsung heroes of modern technology. They’re the foundation for everything from phones to data centres and are made using a process called CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor). Quantum Motion’s breakthrough is to use the same approach to build a quantum computer. Unlike most quantum systems which often rely on exotic materials or complex setups, this machine uses 300mm silicon wafers which are produced by the millions in factories around the world. Quantum Motion has opened the door to mass production of quantum computers which could make them cheaper and more complex.

At the heart of this system is the Quantum Processing Unit (QPU) which is the quantum equivalent of a computer’s CPU. The QPU uses silicon spin qubits which are small quantum devices that do calculations using electron spin. These qubits are arranged in a tile-based design which cleverly fits processing, readout and control elements into a repeating pattern on the semiconductor. This allows the system to scale up potentially to millions of qubits in the future. For context, today’s quantum computers can’t manage a few hundred qubits reliably so millions is a big deal. Future upgrades can also be added without increasing the physical footprint of the system making it more viable in crowded data centers.



The whole thing fits into three 19-inch server racks which is surprisingly small compared to other quantum computers’ huge installations. Inside those racks is a dilution refrigerator to cool the qubits to near absolute zero and control circuitry to do the quantum magic. The auxiliary equipment is standalone so it’s easy to plug in to existing data centers. This isn’t a lab-based prototype, it’s designed to sit alongside the servers that power the internet. Quantum Motion’s CEO James Palles-Dimmock calls this “quantum computing’s silicon moment” which means this technology can follow the same mass production path as traditional processors.



This is developer friendly because it works with standard quantum software frameworks like Qiskit and Cirq. These are the tools researchers and programmers are using to write quantum algorithms, so no need to learn a new system from scratch. This means developers can experiment with real world apps without having to deal with new tech. Performance metrics like error rates and processing power are unknown but the design suggests it’s meant to address the stability issues that plague quantum computing like error mitigation and qubit coherence.


Quantum Motion’s approach is notable for its scalability. Most quantum computers are custom built with materials that can’t be mass produced. This technology uses the same foundries that produce chips for consumer electronics. This could reduce costs and speed up production and make quantum computers a commodity not a rarity. The NQCC is now testing how real world problems like drug discovery or energy grid optimization can be solved with this silicon based architecture. Lord Vallance, UK Science Minister, said the technology could change industries like healthcare and clean energy, citing faster drug development and smarter power systems as examples.
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