Promise of quantum computing using factory-made silicon chips

The dilution fridge at UCL. Credit: A. Abrusci / UCL - A single qubit on a standard silicon transistor chip has been successfully demonstrated as "quantum capable" in a new study by the UCL spinout Quantum Motion, led by researchers at UCL and Oxford University. The qubit is the building block of quantum computing, analogous to the bit in classical computers. To perform error-free calculations, quantum computers of the future are likely to need at least millions of qubits. The latest study, published in the journal PRX Quantum , suggests that these computers could be made with industrial-grade silicon chips using existing manufacturing processes, instead of adopting new manufacturing processes or even newly discovered particles. For the study, researchers were able to isolate and measure the quantum state of a single electron (the qubit) in a silicon transistor manufactured using a 'CMOS' technology similar to that used to make chips in computer processors. Furthermore, the spin of the electron was found to remain stable for a period of up to nine seconds.