Silicon Quantum Computing

Silicon Quantum Computing
TypePrivate
IndustryQuantum Computing
Founded2017
HeadquartersSydney, Australia
Key people
Websitesqc.com

Silicon Quantum Computing Pty Ltd (SQC) is a Sydney, Australia-based quantum computing company.

The company develops quantum computers and analogue quantum devices using phosphorus atoms manufactured within silicon using scanning tunnelling microscopes, an approach within the field of spin qubits.

Distinct from other companies within the spin qubits modality, SQC uses the nuclear spin of phosphorus atoms placed within isotopically pure Si-28 wafers for quantum computation. Atoms used as qubits have demonstrated favourable performance indicators such as long coherence times and biased noise.

History

SQC was founded by Michelle Simmons in 2017. She is recognised for her foundational contributions to the field of atomic electronics. The company is chaired by Simon Segars the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ARM Holdings PLC.

At incorporation, the company raised A$83 million from the Australian Federal Government, the New South Wales Government, the University of New South Wales, Telstra and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

Manufacturing and technology

SQC uses phosphorus atoms precision-placed within pure silicon (Si-28) to create qubits. The company manufactures their own quantum computing chips (QPUs) with sub-nanometre (atom level) precision at their Sydney headquarters.

Simmons' research group, prior to the incorporation of SQC, created the first single atom transistor in 2012. SQC created the 3D atom transistor in 2019 and an integrated circuit made with atomic precision in 2022.

Grover's algorithm is one of the two foundational quantum algorithms (alongside Shor's algorithm). Grover's algorithm runs quadratically faster than the best possible classical algorithm for the same task, a linear search, and so has significant commercial relevance for optimisation problems. In 2025, SQC announced results of running Grover's on one of their quantum computing systems and achieving 98.87% of the theoretical maximum. This result was achieved without error correction.

Products

SQC manufactures three products. Two application-specific processors within the family of quantum analogue processors and one series of quantum computers.

In August 2025, Australian Defence announced the purchase of a QML processor to be housed on-premises within their data environment.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Schofield, S. R.; Curson, N. J.; Simmons, M. Y.; Rueß, F. J.; Hallam, T.; Oberbeck, L.; Clark, R. G. (2003-09-25). "Atomically Precise Placement of Single Dopants in Si". Physical Review Letters. 91 (13) 136104. arXiv:cond-mat/0307599. Bibcode:2003PhRvL..91m6104S. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.91.136104. PMID 14525322.
  2. ↑ Kranz, Ludwik; Gorman, Samuel Keith; Thorgrimsson, Brandur; He, Yu; Keith, Daniel; Keizer, Joris Gerhard; Simmons, Michelle Yvonne (2020). "Exploiting a Single-Crystal Environment to Minimize the Charge Noise on Qubits in Silicon". Advanced Materials. 32 (40) 2003361. doi:10.1002/adma.202003361. ISSN 1521-4095.
  3. ↑ Reiner, J.; Chung, Y.; Misha, S. H.; Lehner, C.; Moehle, C.; Poulos, D.; Monir, S.; Charde, K. J.; Macha, P.; Kranz, L.; Thorvaldson, I.; Thorgrimsson, B.; Keith, D.; Hsueh, Y. L.; Rahman, R. (2024). "High-fidelity initialization and control of electron and nuclear spins in a four-qubit register". Nature Nanotechnology. 19 (5): 605–611. doi:10.1038/s41565-023-01596-9. ISSN 1748-3395. PMC 11106007.
  4. ↑ Kranz, Ludwik; Gorman, Samuel Keith; Thorgrimsson, Brandur; He, Yu; Keith, Daniel; Keizer, Joris Gerhard; Simmons, Michelle Yvonne (2020). "Exploiting a Single-Crystal Environment to Minimize the Charge Noise on Qubits in Silicon". Advanced Materials. 32 (40) 2003361. doi:10.1002/adma.202003361. ISSN 1521-4095.
  5. ↑ "Australia gets quantum computing company". Information Age. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  6. ↑ Dargan, James (2023-10-19). "Michelle Simmons, 2018 Australian of the Year, Wins PM's Top Science Prize for Pioneering Quantum Computing in Atomic Electronics". The Quantum Insider. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  7. ↑ "Fellow Detail Page | Royal Society". royalsociety.org. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  8. ↑ "UNSW joins with government and business to keep quantum computing technology in Australia". Australian Financial Review. 2017-08-22. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  9. ↑ "Silex and Silicon Quantum Computing Launch Silicon Enrichment Project for Quantum Computing". HPCwire. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  10. ↑ "Scientists emulate nature in quantum leap towards computers of the future". UNSW Sites. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
  11. ↑ Fuechsle, Martin; Miwa, Jill A.; Mahapatra, Suddhasatta; Ryu, Hoon; Lee, Sunhee; Warschkow, Oliver; Hollenberg, Lloyd C. L.; Klimeck, Gerhard; Simmons, Michelle Y. (2012-02-19). "A single-atom transistor". Nature Nanotechnology. 7 (4): 242–246. Bibcode:2012NatNa...7..242F. doi:10.1038/nnano.2012.21. ISSN 1748-3395. PMID 22343383.
  12. ↑ Koch, Matthias; Keizer, Joris G.; Pakkiam, Prasanna; Keith, Daniel; House, Matthew G.; Peretz, Eldad; Simmons, Michelle Y. (2019-01-07). "Spin read-out in atomic qubits in an all-epitaxial three-dimensional transistor". Nature Nanotechnology. 14 (2): 137–140. Bibcode:2019NatNa..14..137K. doi:10.1038/s41565-018-0338-1. hdl:1959.4/unsworks_63403. ISSN 1748-3395. PMID 30617309.
  13. ↑ Kiczynski, M.; Gorman, S. K.; Geng, H.; Donnelly, M. B.; Chung, Y.; He, Y.; Keizer, J. G.; Simmons, M. Y. (2022-06-22). "Engineering topological states in atom-based semiconductor quantum dots". Nature. 606 (7915): 694–699. Bibcode:2022Natur.606..694K. doi:10.1038/s41586-022-04706-0. ISSN 1476-4687. PMC 9217742. PMID 35732762.
  14. ↑ Thorvaldson, I.; Poulos, D.; Moehle, C. M.; Misha, S. H.; Edlbauer, H.; Reiner, J.; Geng, H.; Voisin, B.; Jones, M. T.; Donnelly, M. B.; Peña, L. F.; Hill, C. D.; Myers, C. R.; Keizer, J. G.; Chung, Y. (2025-02-20). "Grover's algorithm in a four-qubit silicon processor above the fault-tolerant threshold". Nature Nanotechnology. 20 (4): 472–477. doi:10.1038/s41565-024-01853-5. ISSN 1748-3395. PMC 12014505.
  15. ↑ Abdel-Kareem, Mohamed (2025-02-22). "Silicon Quantum Computing Demonstrates 98.9% Accuracy in Grover's Algorithm Execution Using Qubits with Phosphorus Atoms Placed into Silicon". Quantum Computing Report. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  16. ↑ Trivedi, Rahul; Franco Rubio, Adrian; Cirac, J. Ignacio (2024-08-02). "Quantum advantage and stability to errors in analogue quantum simulators". Nature Communications. 15 (1): 6507. doi:10.1038/s41467-024-50750-x. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 11297267.
  17. ↑ "Defence backs local next-generation innovation". Australian Government: Defence. 2025-08-25.