Until now, quantum computing has been the privilege of large, well-funded research institutes and wealthy commercial companies. But every new technology becomes democratized sooner or later and it looks like this is about to happen with quantum computing. QuantWare, a startup based in the Netherlands, starts offering its Soprano quantum processing unit (QPU) to all interested parties.
QuantWare was started with the main objective — to shape a quantum processor that can be commercialized on a large scale. And now they have developed the world’s first commercial quantum processor, the Soprano, that is rated at 5 quits, and a custom topography that includes Purcell filters, AirBridges and QuantWare’s proprietary TSV configuration.
The Soprano processor of QuantWare are available out-of-the-box or based on custom target parameters, based on customer requirements. Unfortunately, it doesn’t reveal the price of a 5 qubit Soprano QPU.
In terms of reliability, QuantWare ensures a rate of 99.9% per qubit, which translates into a fairly low risk of errors and is therefore affordable and easy to manage.
While five qubits is small by current quantum computing ‘standards’, some companies offer cloud access for much higher performance. This configuration is said to be enough to attract researchers from smaller companies and universities.
“Our Soprano QPU is what the Intel 4004 was for the semiconductor business,” says QuantWare co-founder Matthijs Rijlaarsdam. “Superconducting qubits are highly customizable, easy to control and very scalable. That practicality makes superconducting QPUs by far the most likely candidate for near-term quantum computing applications.”
The company expects to exponentially multiply the number of qubits in its future processors over the next few years. Keep in mind that this type of processors requires extreme cooling systems, based on liquid helium, which makes their use extremely difficult and expensive.
