Xanadu has announced a strategic collaboration with Applied Materials to co-develop the first high-volume-compatible 300 mm fabrication process for superconducting transition edge sensors (TESs), a core technology enabling photon-number-resolving detectors (PNRs) in photonic quantum computing. TESs are integral to Xanadu’s approach to qubit state preparation, and their reliable, scalable production is considered essential for building fault-tolerant, utility-scale photonic quantum computers.
This effort builds on previous joint work between the two companies, now advancing into the demonstration phase of 300 mm-compatible TES manufacturing by the end of 2025. Applied Materials brings its deep expertise in advanced materials engineering and process control on semiconductor platforms, while Xanadu leads in the architecture and integration of TESs for scalable quantum systems. The goal is to achieve not only device yield and quality but also the throughput and reliability required for data center-scale quantum computing.
The collaboration aligns with Xanadu’s long-term roadmap to reduce optical losses, enhance detector performance, and enable modular and networkable quantum architectures. As the company continues optimizing toward fault tolerance, this partnership lays critical groundwork for transitioning from laboratory prototypes to scalable, production-grade systems suited for commercial deployment.
Read the official announcement from Xanadu here, and explore the related Nature publication on Aurora’s utility-scale photonic quantum computing demonstration here.
May 1, 2025
