Oxford Instruments lends cryogenics expertise to quantum computer project

Oxford Instruments NanoScience has announced that its three-year project with Rigetti Computing to build and operate one of the UK’s first quantum computers has concluded.

The £10 million Rigetti-led consortium also included the Quantum Software Lab at the University of Edinburgh, Phasecraft and Standard Chartered Bank, and was backed by funding from the UK government’s Quantum Technologies Challenge.

Together they aimed to accelerate the commercialisation of quantum computing in the UK – not only through delivery of a computer, but also by advancing practical applications in machine learning, materials simulation, and finance, as well as developing the necessary talent, infrastructure and supply chain.

The 32-qubit Aspen-class quantum computer was Rigetti’s first system deployed in the UK and was made available over the cloud to the company’s UK partners.

The Quantum Software Lab worked to develop new ways of testing quantum hardware and verifying the performance of quantum programs, and worked with Standard Chartered Bank to advance quantum machine learning applications for finance.

Phasecraft used its knowledge of quantum algorithms and high-efficiency quantum software to harness the system for near-term applications in materials design and simulation.

The system was then hosted at Oxford Instruments’ Tubney Woods facility using its ProteoxLX dilution refrigerator, and was supported by the firm’s infrastructure and cryogenics support.

Smooth and seamless infrastructure was essential so that the consortium partners could run algorithms without interruption via QCS.

Backup power and resilient cooling systems in highly controlled temperature and humidity environments guaranteed high uptime of the quantum system.

Matt Martin, MD of Oxford Instruments NanoScience, said: “It’s been an honour to collaborate with our longstanding partner Rigetti on this project.

“The project was planned from the beginning to align with national strategic initiatives and is a fantastic step towards the commercial adoption of quantum computing in the UK.

“Our team learned a huge amount from this project, rising to every challenge.

“We’ve comfortably demonstrated both the reliability of the ProteoxLX and the proficiency of our service team.”

Rigetti has also won a UKRI Competition to deliver a 24-qubit quantum computing system to the National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC).

Dr. Subodh Kulkarni, CEO of Rigetti CEO, added: “Completing this project, with the end result being a useful 32-qubit quantum computer, is an exceptional achievement for all of the project partners.

“It takes a world-class team to build and deploy a quantum computer.

“The UK has become a world leader in quantum computing technologies, and we’re excited to continue to contribute to its quantum computing capabilities.

“Rigetti plans to leverage this experience to continue to develop our UK quantum computing leadership as we embark on deploying a 24-qubit Ankaa-class quantum computer at the NQCC’s Harwell campus.”