Key Takeaway
Engineers face significant challenges in quantum computing, including the need to redesign complex wiring systems and develop larger refrigeration units to maintain superconductors at near absolute zero temperatures. Companies like Google aim to reduce component costs to achieve a $1 billion target for complete systems. IBM’s Condor chip, featuring 433 qubits, highlights scaling issues, as increased qubit numbers lead to interference. Subodh Kulkarni, CEO of Rigetti Computing, notes that stacking qubits creates uncontrollable effects, presenting a complex physics problem that engineers must address.
The Challenges Engineers Face
In addition to theoretical issues, companies encounter various practical engineering challenges.
These challenges include redesigning the intricate wiring systems present in current quantum computers and creating much larger specialized refrigeration units.
Quantum systems that utilize superconductors must function at temperatures nearing absolute zero, necessitating significant infrastructure investments.
Google aims to cut component costs by a factor of ten to reach its target of US$1bn for a complete system.
IBM’s experimental Condor chip, featuring 433 qubits, highlighted the scaling issues that arise when increasing qubit numbers leads to interference among components.
“Stacking larger numbers of qubits together like this creates a bizarre effect we can no longer control,” says Subodh Kulkarni, CEO of Rigetti Computing.
“That’s a challenging physics problem to solve.”
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