Quantum information science (QIS) promises to solve some of the world’s most critical problems and revolutionize industries involving climate change, chemical engineering, drug design and discovery, finance, and aerospace design.
“Everything in this universe is based on the principles of quantum mechanics,” said James Clarke, director of Quantum Hardware at Intel.
When it comes to the state of quantum computing research in Intel, Clarke explained that the company is taking a full-system architecture approach that spans the complete compute stack. Each piece is carefully considered, from qubit architecture and algorithms research to control electronics, interconnects, quantum software toolchains and compilers.
Intel is focused on silicon spin qubits that resemble single electron transistors and leverage the company’s 50-plus years of semiconductor manufacturing expertise. “While there are still fundamental questions and challenges that must be solved along the path to a fault-tolerant quantum computer, Intel is working with the industry to explore this technology and accelerate research development,” Clarke explained.
A couple of months ago, Intel released the Intel Quantum Software Development Kit (SDK), which is a full quantum computer in simulation that will interface with Intel’s quantum hardware. The SDK allows engineers to program quantum algorithms in simulation and determine what functionalities are needed from the quantum computer’s system architecture to run algorithms efficiently and accurately on qubits. Intel’s newest quantum computing chip, Tunnel Falls, will be integrated into its SDK, and the company is already developing a next-generation quantum chip based on Tunnel Falls.
These developments signal significant progress, but we still have a long way to go. It will take 15 to 20 years for a commercial quantum computer to be realized, Clarke said, “which is not a lot of time considering the period of time spent to create other inventions and bring them to market.”
Intel’s interest in quantum computing is driven by the awareness of the unlimited potential it has to change the world as we know it.
“Intel is investing in quantum computing simply because it has the potential to revolutionize many industries in the upcoming years. It won’t replace the currently known conventional computing system, it will augment it,” Clarke explained. Intel is also committed to developing the entire quantum industry ecosystem, build the future quantum workforce and democratize spin qubit research.
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