TSMC to build quantum computers together with IBM

The Taiwanese government has commissioned a consortium of companies and educational institutions to build a quantum computer for academic purposes. Among the companies are IBM and TSMC.

The contract with IBM will begin on January 1, 2019, according to DigiTimes, and it describes the use of IBM’s Q platform for Internet-connected quantum computing. TSMC’s role is in the production of the quantum computing chips, with the company trying to make chips on its advanced manufacturing process and run them at the extremely low temperatures required for the quantum effects.

IBM is probably responsible for the design of the chips. TSMC makes chips for third parties and IBM has been working on the development of quantum processors for some time. The company now has prototypes of quantum processors with fifty qubits. In conjunction with the initiative, Taiwan’s Ministry of Science and Technology is supporting various academic research projects in the field of quantum computing, with grants of 1.7 million euros per year per project.

Various companies and research centers worldwide are working on quantum computers, based on different techniques. In theory, quantum computers can process certain complex calculations that cannot be handled with classical computing in the blink of an eye. They could thanks to entangled qubits, which represent a 0 and a 1 at the same time. However, science is not yet sure which technique, with which a scalable quantum computer can be made, is the best candidate for the qubit.

IBM quantum computer without cover