Infineon Technologies has opened a new laboratory for the development of quantum electronics in Oberhaching near Munich. The aim is to develop and test microelectronic circuits for quantum computers that are stable, small and reliable and can be produced on an industrial scale.
Around twenty researchers will work in the laboratory. In addition to quantum computing, work will also be carried out on the development of AI algorithms for the early detection of changes in power systems.
One of the main tasks of the new quantum laboratory will be to develop and test the electronics for ion trap quantum computing
According to Richard Kuncic, Senior Vice President and General Manager Power Systems at Infineon Technologies, Infineon wants to reinvent the heart of quantum computing: "A key task of the new quantum laboratory will be to develop and test the electronics for ion trap quantum computing with the aim of integrating them into the Quantum Processing Unit. This is the only way to scale up quantum computing and make it usable." Kuncic is convinced that quantum computers will revolutionize many applications thanks to their computing power - but before that, they still need to be industrialized. This is to be advanced by Infineon's new laboratory.
Qubits, the smallest units for calculations in quantum computers, are extremely sensitive
To this end, the company has installed a cryostat, a kind of super refrigerator that can cool down to 4 K, minus 269 ° C. Qubits, the smallest units for calculations in quantum computers, are extremely sensitive and only sufficiently stable under extreme conditions. Temperatures below - 250 ° C and extremely low pressures are typical. Despite these extreme conditions, the electronics must work perfectly. It is precisely in such cold environments that many materials change their properties.
Although quantum computers already exist, these are installations by and for research institutions. Several development steps are still needed to scale up to powerful quantum computers and industrialize the technology. This includes the precise electronic control of hundreds and thousands of qubits.
Among other things, the team in Oberhaching is developing optical detectors to read out the quantum states of the ions. It is cooperating with Infineon's quantum laboratory in Villach, which specializes in ion traps. It will also seek synergies with colleagues in Dresden and Regensburg who are researching silicon and superconductor qubits.
In the field of power semiconductors, artificial intelligence is used to simulate the ageing and failure behavior of microelectronics in the power sector. For this purpose, suitable algorithms must be developed and practical measurements used to create the database for training neural networks. According to Infineon, this will make it possible to better estimate the service life of power converters and detect anomalies for predictive maintenance in order to prevent the failure of devices and optimize usage times.
