Here's something we will only believe once we see it: A quantum computing chip the size of a large silicon wafer.
Paris-based quantum computing startup C12 Quantum Electronics is working on the multi-qubit chips in conjunction with CEA, the government-backed French research institution. CEA has an overall annual budget [PDF] of €5 billion and its own supercomputing bona fides, so at least the startup is getting some real research muscle behind it.
C12 said this new work is building from a "breakthrough in manufacturing quantum chips on 200mm silicon wafers." 200 millimeters equals roughly 7.8 inches in diameter, which is a very large surface on which to fabricate several qubits — short for quantum bits — the fundamental yet extremely delicate building blocks of quantum computers. Not many regular chip companies have even tried to make a wafer-size chip due to the multidimensional complexities involved. In recent memory, only Cerebras Systems comes to mind.
Sébastien Dauvé, CEO of the CEA-Leti lab, acknowledged the challenges ahead but said there is potential in combining C12's approach of making qubits using tiny carbon nanotubes with traditional CMOS processes used to fabricate wafers. They expect a "full final prototype" in 2024.
https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/24/oh_word_quantum_startup_says/
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