Nord Quantique, a quantum error correction company, announced two new partnerships to strengthen its semiconductor supply chain. These agreements are with the MiQro Innovation Collaborative Centre (C2MI) in Bromont, Quebec, and the New York Center for Research, Economic Advancement, Technology, Engineering, and Science (NY CREATES). The partnerships support quantum chip manufacturing within the “Northeast Semiconductor Manufacturing Corridor,” spanning from Manhattan to Montreal, and align with the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act.
The partnership with C2MI focuses on industrial-grade fabrication of superconducting qubits, while the collaboration with NY CREATES targets scalable qubit production using CMOS tools. These efforts will aid in Nord Quantique’s development of fault-tolerant quantum computing by integrating error correction directly into qubits using bosonic codes, thus reducing the number of qubits required for effective error correction. Finding partner foundries to build a company’s quantum chips can sometime be quite challenging because they do not use standard CMOS process flow and the production volumes are still quite small. So high volume semiconductor foundries, such as TSMC, are reluctant to take on these customers. In addition, quantum companies may be concerned with export controls which may limit who they can work with. Also, there are logistical advantages in having partners who are relatively close by and not somewhere on another continent.
Michel Pioro-Ladrière, VP of Partnerships and Strategy, highlighted that the partnerships will ensure reliable access to critical fabrication facilities, positioning the company advantageously as quantum computing continues to scale. The initiative also leverages synergies within the DistriQ quantum zone, advancing Nord Quantique’s progress in high-performance superconducting circuits and aligning with U.S. and Canadian efforts to secure dependable supply chains for advanced technology components, including quantum computing hardware.
October 23, 2024