The addition of IBM as a new partner in the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Centre, a DOE National Quantum Information Science Research Centre hosted by Fermilab, has been approved by the US Department of Energy Office of Science, Science Programs.
As a major national and international research center, SQMS is dedicated to advancing critical quantum technologies, with a focus on superconducting quantum systems. IBM is an industry leader in developing superconducting quantum computing technology.
The collaboration intends to leverage the strengths of these two organizations to address key hurdles in quantum computing, communication and large-scale deployment of superconducting quantum platforms.
“We welcome the addition of IBM to the SQMS collaboration, which brings together some of the world’s top experts in superconducting materials, devices and quantum systems. This collaboration aims to leverage our complementary technical strengths and shared goals to advance superconducting quantum systems for progressing toward a fault-tolerant quantum computer,” said Anna Grassellino, SQMS Centre director.
The SQMS Centre brings together more than 30 partner institutions representing national labs, industry and academia. The diverse collaboration unites over 500 experts from around the world working together to bring transformational advances in quantum information science.
As part of the collaboration, IBM intends to focus on five critical areas: large-scale cryogenics, superconducting qubit noise sources, quantum interconnects, quantum computing applications for fundamental physics, and quantum workforce development.
“Fermilab and the SQMS Centre are the ideal places to develop these key technologies and produce them at scale,” says Lia Merminga, Fermilab director. “We have decades of experience building large, complex superconducting cryogenic systems for accelerators and adopting advanced instrumentation to further our science mission. The advancement of quantum information science is a national priority, and Fermilab is deeply engaged in that progress.”
SQMS and IBM intend to work together to advance technologies critical for scaling up quantum computers to large-scale data centers. SQMS is already proposing novel solutions for higher efficiency, large-scale milli-Kelvin cryogenics at Fermilab.
These developments in cryogenics will include the world’s largest dilution refrigerator to host 3D superconducting radiofrequency (SRF)-based quantum computing and sensing platforms, called “Colossus”.
IBM will provide practical information and specifications to broaden the impact of Colossus. This includes developing a large-scale cooling system based on LHe/N2 plants, which would suit IBM’s future large-scale commercial quantum computing systems.
SQMS is designing and prototyping high-quality and high-density quantum interconnects based on 3D SRF platforms for quantum computing platforms being developed at Fermilab. These developments are also applicable to scaling up chip-based modular systems.
Fermilab and IBM aim to explore the feasibility and usability of quantum links as part of a commercial quantum system with a focus on high-quality microwave cables.
As part of the SQMS Centre, IBM and SQMS partners intend to work together to further the scientific understanding of mechanisms limiting the performance of superconducting qubits and developing practical schemes for the so-called “1/f flux noise” abatement.
SQMS partners and IBM plan to advance the study of physics-based applications of quantum computing systems. For example, in condensed matter physics, researchers aim to explore the use of IBM’s utility-scale processors to support a quantum many-body dynamics simulation whose complexity approaches a quantum advantage regime. For high-energy physics, partners will explore simulations of lattice quantum field theories.