MIT Technology Review is reporting that PsiQuantum, a company founded by four physicists in 2016, is pursuing an ambitious goal to build a large-scale, commercially useful quantum computer. The company aims to be the first to deliver on the promise of quantum computing, which could accelerate fields from medical research to artificial intelligence by harnessing the unique properties of quantum particles.
It said PsiQuantum's approach involves using photons, or particles of light, as quantum bits (qubits). This method requires extreme engineering, including housing the computer in a facility resembling a data center crossed with an ice cream factory, where liquid helium cools components to a few degrees above absolute zero. The company has also invested heavily in manufacturing its own specialized material, barium titanate, to efficiently route light particles within the system.
PsiQuantum has attracted significant investment, raising $1 billion last year. It is developing facilities in Chicago, Illinois, and Moreton Bay, Australia, with the Australian site expected to be operational by 2027, meaning its cooling systems will be ready for hardware installation. The company is also working with chip manufacturer GlobalFoundries to build its systems using existing semiconductor fabrication plants.
The publication noted that PsiQuantum's technology is undergoing scrutiny, including a third-stage evaluation by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). While the company's work has largely been opaque to outsiders, DARPA officials have expressed increasing optimism about the potential for a utility-scale quantum computer by 2033. PsiQuantum is approaching a "prove-it moment" as early as next year, when its years of development will either culminate in a useful machine or fall short.
PsiQuantum envisions its computers solving complex problems currently beyond conventional machines, such as precisely predicting the effects of cytochrome P450 enzymes on drugs, which could reduce drug development time from over a decade to minutes. It has partnered with companies like Lockheed Martin, Mercedes, and Airbus to develop algorithms for applications in materials design, battery design, and fluid dynamics. The company is also researching how its systems might run Shor's algorithm, which could break many forms of online encryption.
Full Article: PsiQuantum has a plan to make a massive quantum computer out of light