Oxford Ionics, a leader in trapped-ion quantum computing, has been selected by the UK’s Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSIT) and Innovate UK for the Quantum Missions pilot programme. The Q-Surge project will upgrade the National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) testbed with advanced 2D ion trap technology, addressing critical challenges in qubit routing and quantum error correction (QEC). The consortium includes Riverlane, a leader in QEC, and Bay Photonics, specializing in advanced packaging solutions.
The project builds on Oxford Ionics’ Electronic Qubit Control technology, which uses electronics—not lasers—to manipulate qubits, enabling high computational throughput as qubit counts scale. Innovations in packaging and QEC will further enhance scalability and performance. Riverlane will optimize the 2D ion trap architecture for error correction, while Bay Photonics will provide advanced packaging for high-density quantum devices.
The upgraded technology will be implemented in Oxford Ionics’ Quartet quantum computer, set to be delivered to the NQCC later this month. The project aims to remove the bottleneck of qubit routing, paving the way for quantum computers capable of executing 1 trillion operations and beyond.
For more details, visit the original announcement by Oxford Ionics here.
March 12, 2025
