PsiQuantum to Build World’s First Utility-Scale Quantum Computer in Brisbane

PsiQuantum has unveiled plans to construct the world’s inaugural utility-scale quantum computer at a strategically positioned site near Brisbane Airport in Brisbane, Australia. The Australian Commonwealth and Queensland Governments are set to invest $940M AUD ($620M USD) into PsiQuantum via a financial package encompassing equity, grants, and loans.

PsiQuantum’s ambitious timeline aims for the site to be operational by the close of 2027. The fault-tolerant quantum computer will have the capacity to address commercially relevant issues across industries built on chemistry, math, and physics, ushering in transformation in critical sectors like renewable energy, healthcare, and transportation, which are poised to drive the global economy for years to come.

The quantum computing sector has long grappled with intricate scaling challenges in the quest to build a quantum computer with a sufficient number of physical qubits to facilitate error-correction, enabling it to actualize the promise of quantum computing. PsiQuantum has expanded its fusion-based architecture utilizing a photonics approach, encoding qubits into light particles, and harnessing advanced infrastructure in semiconductor manufacturing to produce and test millions of photonic devices. The first utility-scale system from PsiQuantum will comprise around 1 million physical qubits and boast a hyperscale footprint with a modular design capable of leveraging existing cryogenic cooling technologies.

Prof. Jeremy O’Brien, the CEO of PsiQuantum, remarked, “A utility-scale quantum computer represents an opportunity to construct a new, practical foundation of computational infrastructure and in so doing ignite the next industrial revolution. This platform will help solve today’s impossible problems and will serve as tool to design the solutions we so desperately need to safeguard our future. We’re thrilled to partner with the Australian and Queensland governments as our team at PsiQuantum takes a massive step forward in our mission to help deliver on the promise of quantum computing.”

PsiQuantum collaborates with leading global industry players whose technologies are rooted in fundamental chemistry and science, such as the development of new drugs, more efficient renewable energy technologies like batteries and solar cells, and breakthrough advancements in processes for producing renewable energy sources such as green ammonia and green hydrogen.

Speaking on the endorsement from the Australian government, PsiQuantum’s Chief Business Officer, Stratton Sclavos, stated, “Today’s endorsement from the Australian government establishes another critical milestone in PsiQuantum’s mission to deliver the world’s first useful quantum computers. With a utility-scale quantum computer in sight, our applications teams have been working with leading companies in pharmaceuticals, semiconductor manufacturing, aerospace, chemicals, and financial services to ensure that fault tolerant quantum applications are ready to deploy when the system is operational.”

Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Palo Alto, California, PsiQuantum is on a mission to build and deploy the world’s first useful, fault-tolerant quantum computing systems. Their photonic approach enables them to utilize high-volume semiconductor manufacturing and existing cryogenic infrastructure for rapidly scaling their systems.