Queensland researchers launch quantum startup AQC with $3 million boost

The University of Queensland’s (UQ) has announced the co-founding of Australia’s first superconducting quantum hardware startup – Analog Quantum Circuits (AQC). This coincides with a $3 million investment from Uniseed.

Co-founded by professor Tom Stace and associate professor Arkady Federov, AQC is the result of a decade of theoretical and experimental research on engineering quantum systems.

What AQC does in the quantum computing space

AQC focuses on the commercialisation of microwave circulators that are 1000 times smaller than their contemporary counterparts. According to professor Stace, commercial circulators are the size of a matchbox, but ACQ has shrunk them to the width of a human hair.

“Superconducting platforms are one of the leading approaches to quantum computing being taken internationally. IBM, Google, Microsoft etc are using various superconducting technologies,” professor Stace said in an email to SmartCompany.

Professor Stace said that ACQ is building miniature components that will then scale with a quantum computer. This means its tech can be used by other companies developing quantum tech.

“This is important because it is part of a strategic capability that Australia can contribute to one of the dominant hardware approaches being pursued internationally,” Professor Stace said.

AQC utilises cryogenic dilution fridges that operate at temperatures plummeting to minus 273 degrees, making them 100 times colder than outer space. This is because quantum hardware is extremely sensitive, so the microwave circulator acts as a shield against ambient electrical noise, which is said to be 10,000 too loud for the technology at room temperature.

This tech bridges the communication channel between the outer world and the quantum computer, ensuring temperature stability between the fridge’s interior and exterior.

Professor Stace says the circulators are important for a range of microwave systems, “including radar, mobile telecommunications, ground-to-space relays, and in quantum computing”.

“In particular in quantum computing, there is a need to shrink these components so that they can be integrated on a silicon chip, and fit inside the very tight space constraints of cryogenic fridges,” Professor Stace said.

Now that AQC is official and has funding, professor Stace says that the next steps include proving out the tech and then developing key customer channels.

“At present, we are doing our R&D in-house, in Brisbane, but we will be reaching out to partners and potential customers as we prove out our technology capability,” he said.