QphoX, Rigetti Computing, and the UK National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) have launched a collaborative project to develop and demonstrate the optical readout of all qubits in a superconducting quantum processor. Funded by RVO and Innovate UK via the Eureka network, the 33-month program builds on prior work where a single superconducting qubit was successfully read out using an optical signal through microwave-to-optical transduction. This method promises major thermal and wiring advantages by replacing conventional microwave amplifiers with optical fiber links.
The new project will scale QphoX’s microwave-to-optical transduction technology and integrate it with Rigetti’s 9-qubit Novera™ QPU, to be operated at the NQCC site in Oxfordshire. This setup will allow researchers to validate multi-channel optical readout and explore its potential for significantly reducing heat loads and wiring complexity in large-scale quantum computing architectures. The modular nature of Rigetti’s system supports the integration of partner technologies, enabling a more scalable quantum computing platform.
If successful, this work could remove a key obstacle to scalable superconducting quantum computing by eliminating bulky cryogenic interconnects and significantly reducing passive heat loads. It also sets the stage for using optical fiber networks to interconnect modular quantum processors—enabling distributed architectures essential for fault-tolerant computing. With high-fidelity transduction already demonstrated, the focus now shifts to system-level integration, which could accelerate the transition to energy-efficient, optically networked quantum systems.
The initial experiment can be reviewed here, while more details about the collaboration are available via Rigetti’s announcement here and QphoX’s site here.
May 6, 2025
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