May 27, 2023

Using microwave beams could let quantum computers be small but mighty

Using microwave beams could let quantum computers be small but mighty
Using microwave beams could let quantum computers be small but mightyUsing microwave beams could let quantum computers be small but mighty
Q1: Photograph of the silicon quantum circuit being connected to a circuit board in preparation for measurement. (credit: Serwan Asaad)

A silicon quantum circuit being connected to a circuit board

Serwan Asaad

Quantum computers tend to be labyrinthine machines the size of a fridge with large tangles of control and cooling systems. This complexity is a huge hurdle to scaling up processor power to tackle harder problems. But researchers have finally proved that a decades-old theory to simplify silicon quantum processors can work, potentially paving the way for vastly more powerful devices.

Most current quantum computers require a control wire for every qubit on a processor, which is used to change the …