Diamonds shimmer in quantum computers

It seems that cutting-edge computer technology, like truth, is stranger than fiction. In this strange new world of computational science, diamonds push past the reasonable and into the incomprehensible realm of quantum computing.

Such a diamond-based quantum computer developed by German-Australian startup Quantum Brilliance can run at room temperature, allowing it to work in tandem with conventional supercomputers at the Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre in Australia.

Quantum computers have the potential to radically outperform traditional hardware by tapping into the baffling world of quantum physics. Able to perform calculations perceivably instantaneously due to quantum bits (qubits), the known functions of quantum mechanics show that qubits can exist in multiple states simultaneously, as well as transmit instantly through quantum entanglement.

More information on qubits and quantum mechanics can be read at Quantum computer closer with germanium in the March 24, 2020, edition of Metal Tech News.

The primary issue with quantum computers, however, is that most existing today use superconductors as their qubits, which can only operate at temperatures just above absolute zero (-273.15 degrees Celsius or -459.67 degrees Fahrenheit).

Due to maintaining such extremely low temperatures, this heavy-duty cooling adds an astronomical amount of bulk, cost, and energy consumption, limiting if and where these quantum computers can be used.

Quantum Brilliance, however, has developed a quantum computer processor that can run at room temperature. Its qubits are not made with typical superconductors but diamond – more specifically, the imperfections in the lattice structure of diamond, which makes it far less sensitive to thermal vibrations and more resistant to physical shocks.

Interestingly, this is not the first time diamonds have been used in quantum computers. The shiny gem has often been seen as an ideal medium for quantum computers, particularly in data storage. This is due to a natural defect in their design called the nitrogen-vacancy center.

This defect occurs when one carbon atom in the diamond's crystal lattice is replaced by a nitrogen atom, with the adjacent lattice site left empty. This defect traps electrons, which is how it can be used as a storage device.

You can read about the unlikely partnership between researchers and a jewelry company, and their diamond quantum storage device at Diamonds are now a computers best friend in the May 4, 2022, edition of Metal Tech News.

The Quantum Brillance machine installed at the Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre marks the first time a quantum computer has been integrated directly into a rack alongside a conventional supercomputer – in this case, Pawsey's new NPE Cray EX supercomputer, Setonix.

The facility will be used to test hybrid models of quantum and traditional computing, allowing researchers to offload some computational tasks to the quantum processor to take advantage of its unique strengths.

Ideally, this will not only fuel new discoveries directly but also help scientists who have not yet had access to quantum computers to understand them better.

"This will provide a testbed where real applications can be proved, so our researchers can do more effectively – enabling science and accelerating discovery," said Pawsey Executive Director Mark Stickells.

Although crystal computational and data storage devices have previously only appeared in Sci-fi books, shows, and movies, it appears life truly does imitate art. Perhaps Quantum Brillance's diamond-based quantum computer is ushering in a brilliant Crystal Age that seems stranger than fiction when viewed from an antiquated Digital Age.