Qubic's Double Dragon
Halve the cost or double the qubits... but that's not all....
Qubic Secures Nearly $1 Million Grant to Develop Advanced Quantum Amplifier Technology omits an important conclusion. It’ll make sense when you read it, but it wasn’t initially put into writing.
Qubic’s TWPA amplifiers, currently undergoing prototyping and testing, are made from quantum materials. This causes them to dissipate 10,000X less heat, which becomes negligible at 4 K and below. The consequence of this is that the cooling costs are halved. Now you can leave it at that, of course, or you can maintain the same cooling budget and double the number of qubits. Sometimes the word “double” makes The Quantum Dragon happy.
The omitted, yet more significant consequence of this, is that doubling the qubit count in one fridge delays your need to buy or lease a second fridge. Think for a moment about all the costs associated with that, such as acquisition, site preparation (vibration isolation, plumbing, electrical, ventilation), installation, consumables, service agreements, and staffing. There’s double the maintenance, double the software updates, and double the chances of needing emergency repairs. Sometimes the word “double” is best left to the title of a classic video game.
I’m going to end this with some speculation. A first customer will be announced within a few months, and I can’t help noticing that Quantum Machines is quoted in the press release. What other association could QM possibly have with Qubic’s technology? But, again, that’s just speculation.
Qubic’s amplifier is due to hit the market in 2026.
Image generated by an AI model provided by Microsoft Copilot.