New breakthrough brings quantum computing one big step closer to solving real-world problems

At the heart of today’s computing future lies a new kind of chip—one that could make quantum computing practical, powerful, and scalable. Scientists have been chasing this dream for decades, but one of the biggest hurdles has been control. How can you manage millions of fragile quantum bits, or qubits, without ruining the very information they carry?

A new scientific breakthrough offers a bold answer. Researchers have developed a cryogenic control system—electronic circuits that operate just above absolute zero—that works side by side with spin qubits on a silicon chip. This advancement brings quantum computing one big step closer to solving real-world problems.

Spin qubits use the magnetic direction of a single electron to store data. They are one of the most promising types of qubits because they can be built using the same CMOS technology that powers your phone and laptop. That means existing manufacturing methods, already good at making billions of transistors, could also produce millions of qubits. In theory, this makes spin qubits easier and cheaper to scale than other quantum systems.

Their small size is another advantage. Each spin qubit fits into a space smaller than a micron, allowing engineers to pack millions onto one chip. But there's a big catch. Each qubit requires several control lines to operate. Connecting millions of qubits to control systems quickly becomes unmanageable using current room-temperature setups.

To fix this, scientists looked at placing the control electronics much closer to the qubits—at cryogenic temperatures near absolute zero. But this idea brought a new challenge: Would the electronics create heat or noise that would destroy the fragile quantum states?

Researchers from the University of Sydney, in partnership with the University of New South Wales and two quantum start-ups, took on the challenge. They developed a silicon chip that controls spin qubits at milli-kelvin temperatures—just a hair above absolute zero, where even atoms barely move.

"Designing electronics that use almost no power and still work near absolute zero took over a decade of effort," said Professor David Reilly, a lead researcher on the project. “We’ve now proven it can be done. We showed that qubits can be controlled at scale without destroying their delicate states.”

Their cryogenic CMOS (cryo-CMOS) control system, containing around 100,000 transistors, performs logic operations while sitting right next to the qubits. Despite being so close, it doesn’t interfere with them. That’s a major breakthrough because it means the control and computing parts of a quantum chip can share the same space—much like how classical computers work.

This design allows engineers to use a “chiplet-style” approach. Instead of spreading components across large systems, everything can be integrated into a compact module. This tight packaging could pave the way to scaling from fewer than 100 qubits today to millions tomorrow.

To prove their design worked, the researchers ran tests on the new chip and compared the results to a standard room-temperature setup. They measured single-qubit and two-qubit operations, checking for signal loss, heat interference, or increased noise.

Dr. Sam Bartee, the study's lead author, explained, “We saw negligible fidelity loss for single-qubit operations and no measurable reduction in coherence time for both one- and two-qubit operations. That means our control chip doesn’t disturb the qubits, even when sitting less than a millimeter away.”

Their tests showed consistent qubit behavior, indicating that the electrical noise from the control chip was minimal. Even more impressive, all this was done using just 10 microwatts of power. The analog parts, responsible for fine control signals, used only about 20 nanowatts per megahertz. Such low power use means the system could be scaled to millions of qubits without creating a thermal problem.

Dr. Kushal Das, who designed the control chip, added, “This isn’t easy. It takes years to learn how to build low-noise, ultra-efficient cryogenic electronics. Now that we’ve done it, others may try to follow—but it will take time to catch up.”

The project highlights how science and industry can work together. The control chip was created at the University of Sydney, and the qubits came from Diraq, a spin-out from the University of New South Wales. Professor Reilly's own start-up, Emergence Quantum, plans to commercialize the technology.

“This isn’t just good science,” said Professor Reilly. “It’s a great story of commercial development. Sydney is now a key player in the global quantum industry.”

The team believes their approach can serve beyond quantum computing. Cryogenic control systems could help in sensitive measurement tools, medical devices, or even energy-efficient data centers. But for now, the focus remains on building the future of computing.

Diraq CEO Professor Andrew Dzurak emphasized this point. “This breakthrough supports our goal of integrating silicon qubits and classical control electronics into one compact unit. That makes quantum computers more affordable and far more efficient.”

Building a quantum computer that solves real problems means handling errors, managing thousands or even millions of qubits, and doing all of that without losing the quantum information. That requires control systems that don’t just work but work at scale and under extreme conditions.

The new research answers a key part of that puzzle. It shows that cryo-CMOS electronics can sit next to qubits without damaging their performance. It shows that power can be kept low enough to avoid heating up the system. And it proves that these systems can be built using standard technology, opening the door to mass production.

“It’s extremely exciting,” said Dr. Bartee, who now works at Diraq. “We’re building tools that can unlock huge computational power. And Sydney is an amazing place to be a quantum engineer right now.”

With this success, the team has brought the future closer. They’ve created a blueprint for scaling quantum computers into real, working machines—ones that could someday tackle challenges from drug discovery to climate modeling.

Quantum computing is still young, but the path forward just got clearer. And colder.

Research findings are available online in the journal Nature.

Note: The article above provided above by The Brighter Side of News.

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