quantum computing
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Quantum computers could break the internet. Here’s how to save it
From Science News: Q-NEXT Director David Awschalom and student Nolan Bitner are featured in this article on quantum cryptography and a future quantum internet. Read More
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How spectator qubits can reduce noise in quantum computers
From AZo Quantum: In a Q&A, the University of Chicago's Hannes Bernien talks about his research on noise-reduction in quantum computers through spectator qubits. Read More
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Argonne and UChicago PME researchers “split” phonons – or sound – in step toward new type of quantum computer
In two experiments, a research team led by Andrew Cleland uses an acoustic beam splitter to demonstrate the quantum properties of phonons. The experiments are first of their kind and could lead to new advances in computing Read More
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Sound-based quantum computers could be built using chip-sized device
From New Scientist: A crucial building block for quantum computers based on sound has been shown to work for the first time. Andrew Cleland at the University of Chicago have built a chip-sized device that can manipulate particles of sound in a way that mimics how particles of light are used in light-based quantum computers, opening the door for building sound-based quantum computers. Read More
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‘Noise-cancelling’ qubits developed at UChicago to minimize errors in quantum computers
Researchers at the University of Chicago have developed a new method to constantly monitor the noise around a quantum system and adjust the qubits, in real time, to minimize error. The approach, described in "Science," relies on spectator qubits: a set of qubits embedded in the computer with the sole purpose of measuring outside noise rather than storing data. The information gathered by such spectator qubits can then be used to cancel out noise in vital data-processing qubits. Read More
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Democratizing quantum information science
At the 2023 AAAS Meeting in Washington, DC, experts discuss how the scientific community can make quantum information science more accessible and reach a wider base of innovators. Read More
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U of C to develop quantum supercomputer with Google, IBM and University of Tokyo
From the Chicago Tribune: The University of Chicago has formed a partnership with Google, IBM and the University of Tokyo to develop a supercomputer powered by quantum technology. IBM pledged $100 million toward the project, and Google is to spend $50 million, on technology that could transform computing and information networks. Quantum computing, which is in its infancy, potentially could solve complex problems quickly, beyond the ability of conventional computing. Read More
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University of Chicago gets quantum tech funding from IBM, Google
From Bloomberg: The University of Chicago will partner with IBM and Google in deals totaling as much as $150 million aimed toward the development of quantum computing. IBM’s vision centers on a quantum-centric supercomputer. The company will develop blueprints with the University of Chicago and the University of Tokyo over 10 years in a plan valued at $100 million. The partnership between the universities and Google will invest as much as $50 million toward accelerating the creation of a fault-tolerant quantum computer and developing the quantum workforce over 10 years. Read More
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University of Chicago joins global partnerships to advance quantum computing
From the University of Chicago: On May 21, alongside world leaders at the G7 Summit in Japan, the University of Chicago formalized groundbreaking agreements with industry and university partners to transform the future of quantum technology. The first is a 10-year, $100 million plan with IBM, the University of Chicago and the University of Tokyo to develop the blueprints for building a quantum-centric supercomputer powered by 100,000 qubits. The second is a strategic partnership between the University of Chicago, the University of Tokyo and Google, with Google investing up to $50 million over 10 years, to accelerate the development of a fault-tolerant quantum computer and to help train the quantum workforce of the future. Read More
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Google, IBM validate U of C's quantum ambitions
From Crain's Chicago Business: The University of Chicago will get a major boost in funding and credibility as one of the leaders in the next frontier of computing, known as quantum, after attracting $150 million from IBM and Google for a research partnership with the University of Tokyo. Read More
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David Awschalom wins global Breakthrough of the Year award
David Awschalom, Q-NEXT Chief Science Officer and the Liew Family Professor of Quantum Engineering and Physics at the University of Chicago, received the prestigious Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year in Physical Sciences for a pioneering body of work that broke the wall between quantum technology, molecules, and proteins. Read More
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Helium lifts new quantum computing concept
A team led by Jacob Covey, who is part of Q-NEXT and is an Associate Professor at the University of Chicago, laid out a new concept that could turn helium’s light weight into the next generation of quantum computers. The design relies on helium-3, an isotope with different quantum properties than the helium-4 used to cool MRI machines and fill party balloons. Once built, the computer could use high-powered lasers as “optical tweezers” to capture and control individual atoms of helium. Read More
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Researchers make materials that support quantum technology
Researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who are part of Q-NEXT are engineering material systems that support quantum technology. Chris Anderson and his team are developing materials for quantum transduction — the conversion of quantum information from one form to another. Elizabeth Goldschmidt, Daniel Shoemaker, and colleagues are developing quantum memory technology that stores quantum information for extended periods of time. Read More
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Silicon Chip Offers New Way to Probe Quantum Materials in Strong Magnetic Fields
Scientists have created a silicon chip that can detect the electrical behavior of very small materials by using very high-frequency waves. The chip is made only from silicon and other non-superconducting materials and still performs very well when cooled from room temperature down to about 4 Kelvin. Read More
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Making quantum bits ready to use again much sooner
Scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Intel have found that a simple electrical pulse can quickly push a quantum dot qubit out of a latched state and return it to its starting condition with very high reliability. Read More
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Q-NEXT-developed open-source software receives 2026 R&D 100 award
SeQUeNCe, a free, open-source software developed by Argonne scientists with Q-NEXT support, is one of seven Argonne projects that received a 2026 R&D 100 Award. The SeQUeNCe software lets researchers test how quantum networks might work before building them. Read More
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Researchers generate spontaneous magnons that synchronize with external signals
Researchers at Argonne and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign demonstrate a method for generating stable ripples in magnetic materials called magnons. The work opens avenues for information processing in microelectronics and quantum devices. Read More
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Uncovering the hidden disorder in silicon quantum computers
From the U.S. Department of Energy: Q-NEXT researchers map the variation in materials to the atom level to scale up silicon qubits Read More
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Color centers in high-purity diamond
Researchers mapped how electron irradiation makes defects inside diamond, finding that creating more vacancies does not always produce more NV centers. Too many vacancies can form unwanted defects. This result can inform advances in quantum sensing. Read More
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Containing multitudes: SLAC scientist collaborates to create scalable qubits
At SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Q-NEXT collaborator Shannon Harvey develops quantum dots — a mass-producible type of qubit. Driven by curiosity about nature and how things work, Harvey draws on her facility for working at the nanoscale. Read More