DISCOVERY: Developing UK Industrial Supply for Commercial Quantum Computing

英国在量子计算的可扩展、高保真量子比特生成方面拥有世界领先的能力，其中两种特别引人注目的方法是中性原子和离子微阱。然而，这些技术的TRL仍然很低，因为可行的商业化方法需要向英国社区提供测试床，而由于两个技术障碍-量子比特可扩展性和保真度，测试床不可用。提供这些测试平台需要跨学科的专业知识，而不是任何一家公司。我们对这个项目的愿景是汇集一个由英国工业和学术合作伙伴组成的世界领先的多学科联盟-唯一能够克服这两个障碍并创造全球领先的商业量子计算和模拟硬件行业的团体。该计划将展示从基础的学术TRL活动到可扩展的TRL活动的过渡，冷物质量子信息系统的商业部署;通过包括微制造和真空硬件在内的系统可制造性的进步来克服保真度和可扩展性障碍;开发光子学主干，包括用于状态准备、量子位控制和读出的先进激光器，需要高水平的光功率、稳定性和噪声抑制;以及电子和控制系统的设计和交付，包括模块化电子设备和先进的控制和排序硬件。克服上述障碍的关键目标是使技术达到一个水平，量子社区的好处可以实现。在商业上，通过建立该技术的潜在可扩展性，该联盟将建立一个供应链集群，证明潜在的影响，并制定工业生产的路线图。合作伙伴在该领域拥有丰富的经验，并且已经可以在全球量子信息系统市场上展示相关技术的商业部署。此外，预计计划中的工作将与现有的国家量子计算基础设施相吻合，以实现英国量子计算部门的协调增长，为英国公司带来更广泛的利益，并在项目资金之外引发大量额外投资。

The UK has world leading capability in scalable, high fidelity qubit generation for quantum computing, with two particularly compelling approaches being neutral atoms and ion microtraps. These technologies, however, remain at low TRL because a viable commercialisation approach requires the provision of test beds available to the UK community, and test beds are unavailable owing to two technology barriers -- qubit scalability and fidelity. Providing these test beds requires inter-disciplinary expertise beyond any one company.Our vision for this project is to bring together a such world-leading multidisciplinary consortium of UK industry and academic partners -- the only group capable of overcoming the two barriers and creating a globally leading industry for commercial quantum computing and simulation hardware.The programme will show a transition from fundamental, academic TRL activity to scalable, commercial deployments of cold matter quantum information systems; overcoming the fidelity and scalability barriers via advancement of system manufacturability including microfabrication and vacuum hardware; development of the photonics backbone including advanced lasers for state preparation, qubit control and readout, requiring high levels of optical power, stability and noise suppression; and the design and delivery of electronics and control systems, including modular electronics and advanced control and sequencing hardware.The key objectives in overcoming the barriers as described above is to bring the technology to a level where pragmatic test bed facilities for the benefit of the quantum community can be realised. Commercially, by establishing the potential scalability of the technology the consortium will establish a supply chain cluster, evidencing the potential impact, and producing a roadmap to industrial production. The partners have extensive experience in the sector and can already demonstrate commercial deployment of relevant technologies across the global market for quantum information systems. Furthermore, the planned work can be expected to dovetail with existing national quantum computing infrastructure, to realise coordinated growth of the UK quantum computing sector for the wider benefit of UK plc, and trigger significant additional investment outside the project funding.