Quantum computing over the last decade has been the domain of two types of technology developers: Giants with well-known names, deep pockets for R&D, and no particular sense of urgency, and start-ups scraping by on intermittent funding, desperate to achieve commercial viability, yet whose innovations may go largely unnoticed by the broader high-tech ecosystem.
For example, it continues to be extremely difficult for some quantum computing start-ups to get the attention of a semiconductor supply chain that could help them advance their scientific innovations, as many chip manufacturers are more focused on big-dollar deals dedicating their capacity to bigger customers more focused on keeping up with the AI chip explosion.
As Julien Camirand Lemyre, CEO of four-year-old quantum computing start-up Nord Quantique, told Fierce Electronics, “Big foundries are often reluctant to take small orders of specialized chips, when they could be mass producing millions of chips for classical computers instead. So, the issue here is just getting access to industrial-grade fabrication facilities to produce these superconducting quantum chips in a timely fashion.”
Also, there still are not many chip fabs in the world that have the specialized equipment for producing quantum chips, like the processors Nord Quantique is developing, which integrate error correction into individual qubits.
The company, which is based in Sherbrooke, Quebec, in Canada, this week took a major step in addressing these challenges, announcing two new partnerships that it said in a statement will “secure its supply chain long-term, as relates to chip fabrication for its quantum computers,” while keeping the initial production of chips for its superconducting quantum computers in North America.
Both partners–the MiQro Innovation Collaborative (C2MI) in Bromont, Quebec, and the New York Center for Research, Economic Advancement, Technology, Engineering, and Science (NY CREATES) in Albany, New York–are located within the emerging Northeast Semiconductor Manufacturing Corridor. The company noted that this is a region dedicated to the production of microelectronics and quantum microchips, and which already is home to dozens of chip and quantum computing companies.
With these deals, Nord Quantique is not looking for mass production partners, as quantum computers are unlikely ever to ship in large volumes, but firms that can help the start-up advance the development of its chips, determine its manufacturing needs, and eventually produce its chips in modest numbers to meet the company's initial requirements. C2MI brings a “world-class” semiconductor manufacturing infrastructure, Nord Quantique said in its statement, adding that NY CREATES “manages and operates the most advanced non-profit led 300mm semiconductor and quantum R&D facility in North America.”
Specifically, Nord Quantique will work with C2MI for industrial-grade fabrication of superconducting qubits using specialized tools, and will collaborate with NY CREATES for scalable, predictable fabrication of qubits utilizing CMOS manufacturing tools for comprehensive testing and scale-up.
“This is an important milestone for Nord Quantique as we continue to advance on our journey developing fault tolerant quantum computers. Establishing partnerships with these key stakeholders today will help ensure we have access to facilities where we can produce a secure supply of microchips from reliable sources, when we need them,” said Michel Pioro-Ladrière, Vice-President of Partnerships and Strategy at Nord Quantique, in the company statement. “We believe this will provide us with a significant advantage over the years to come, both in terms of access and cost, as quantum systems continue to scale up. Enhancing our fabrication, packaging and testing processes while ensuring a seamless and robust value chain, will put us in an enviable position in the industry.”
Dr. Satyavolu Papa Rao, NY CREATES Vice President for Research, added, “The growing collaboration between NY CREATES and Nord Quantique leverages the unique strengths of each organization. The deep expertise of NY CREATES researchers related to the fabrication of quantum devices in our state-of-the-art 300mm fab is coupled with the innovative design for quantum computing chips that Nord Quantique has pioneered, showcasing some of the synergies within the Northeast Semiconductor Manufacturing Corridor.”