Australian scientists have joined atomic dots with “exquisite precision” to build a device they say is a huge step towards a commercial qu

Quantum leap with ‘exquisite precision’

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2022-06-23 06:00:10

Australian scientists have joined atomic dots with “exquisite precision” to build a device they say is a huge step towards a commercial quantum computer.

In a world first, Silicon Quantum Computing on Thursday unveiled a quantum processor that integrates all the components of a classical computer chip but on an atomic scale.

Published in the journal Nature, the breakthrough comes two years ahead of their research schedule and less than a decade after the team made the world’s first single atom transistor.

Founder Michelle Simmons said traditional computers struggle to simulate even relatively small molecules due to the large number of possible interactions between atoms.

Professor Simmons said the atomic-scale circuit technology will allow the construction of quantum models for a range of new materials, for use in pharmaceuticals, materials for batteries, or catalysts.

The first was to create small dots of atoms of uniform size so that their energy levels aligned and electrons could easily pass through them.