QUANTUM BRILLIANCEin AFR todayQuantum Brilliance’s quantum...

QUANTUM BRILLIANCE
in AFR today

Quantum Brilliance’s quantum computers use synthetic diamonds to operate at room temperature in any environment, meaning they can be installed in environments such as data centres, autonomous vehicles or satellites.

Other quantum computers, such as those being developed by IBM and Google, are much larger and require super-low or cryogenic temperatures of minus 270 degrees or complex laser systems to function.

Dr Doherty said the small-form factor and low power consumption of Quantum Brilliance’s quantum computers would help driverless cars make decisions or supercomputers solve tough science problems.

Quantum Brilliance will use the new funding to hire another nine researchers at Research Hub for Diamond Quantum Materials, which was opened in April last year to speed up the development of critical materials and fabrication processes.

“Victoria is one of the world’s powerhouses when it comes to quantum grade diamond synthesis,” Dr Doherty said.

“This [investment] could nucleate a quantum diamond foundry and really define Victoria’s opportunity to capture a very strategic part of the global supply chain in quantum technology.”

Quantum Brilliance’s diamond-based quantum computers are compact and operate at room temperature.

Dr Doherty said Quantum Brilliance was yet to build a quantum computer that “delivers a computational benefit over a classical computer” but was already selling its prototype hardware and software to customers.

Quantum Brilliance installed two of its room-temperature, diamond-based quantum computers in a supercomputing facility at the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre in Perth, and will reveal the results of the field trial later this year.

The company is also working with chipmaker NVIDIA to develop a hybrid quantum-classical computing platform, which connects quantum processors and traditional computers.

“By taking this somewhat unique approach of actually delivering hardware and software to customers and learning from customers, we’re hoping to gain an advantage in the quantum computing industry by feeding that learning into our design and establishing our presence with our various customers and partners,” Dr Doherty said.

The co-founder said the next two years would be pivotal in the development of quantum computers.

“I would say that 2023 and 2024 are the years in which quantum computing has to prove its value, where we can actually put our hand on our heart and say, ‘We know exactly what hardware is required to deliver a benefit over classical computers’.”