Quantum control hardware startup Emergence Quantum (EQ)—a 2025 spin-out from the University of Sydney—has executed a strategic partnership Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Asia-Pacific hyperscale data center operator AirTrunk. The collaboration focuses on engineering integrated, campus-scale cryogenic cooling infrastructure designed to support sub-100 Kelvin classical CMOS logic, superconducting interconnects, and fault-tolerant quantum computing architectures within enterprise data halls.
The joint R&D initiative addresses physical scaling bottlenecks in high-density AI and HPC workloads, where thermal dissipation and transistor leakage power restrict performance. Operating silicon logic at cryogenic temperatures improves electron mobility and clock speeds while suppressing leakage power and thermal noise. Furthermore, at 10 GHz frequencies, superconducting interconnects exhibit 10,000× lower electrical resistance compared to traditional copper wiring, mitigating data transfer bottlenecks between QPU, GPU, and memory clusters. The framework also evaluates closed-loop liquid air cooling to replace evaporative water cooling towers, liquid air energy storage (LAES) for gigawatt-scale grid balancing, and direct cryogenic carbon capture.
| [ Emergence Quantum & AirTrunk Cryogenic Data Center Technical Objectives ] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure Domain | Physical & Engineering Mechanism | Data Center Operational Impact |
| Cryo-CMOS & Superconducting Compute | • Sub-100 K Silicon Transistor Operation • Superconducting Flux & Reservoir Logic | • Suppression of Transistor Leakage Current • Enhanced Clock Frequencies & Tokens/Watt Ratios |
| Superconducting Interconnects | • Low-Loss Superconducting Transmission Lines • 10,000× Lower Resistance vs. Copper at 10 GHz | • Resolution of Inter-Chip Bandwidth Bottlenecks • Micro-Watt On-Chip Power Distribution |
| Quantum-Ready Infrastructure | • Qubit-Agnostic Cryo-Control & Readout • Co-Located Dilution & Helium-4 Refrigeration | • Direct Data Hall Hosting of Spin, Superconducting, Trapped-Ion, and Photonic QPUs |
| Facility Resource Engineering | • Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES) • Rack-Level Air Liquefaction & Evaporative Recirculation | • Elimination of Water Cooling Towers • Gigawatt-Scale Grid Energy Storage & Fire Retardation |
Led by co-founders Professor David Reilly and Professor Thomas Ohki, Emergence Quantum specializes in cryogenic control electronics and qubit-agnostic wiring interfaces. By co-designing thermal-management models with AirTrunk, the partnership aims to establish a commercial blueprint for “quantum-ready” hyperscale facilities that bridge intermediate cryo-classical HPC acceleration with long-term, fault-tolerant quantum deployments.
Review the official press release via Emergence Quantum here, inspect corporate announcements at AirTrunk here, and read academic insights from the University of Sydney here.
September 15, 2026
