Diraq and Equinix to deploy Australia’s first data center quantum computer Diraq is teaming up with Equinix to install a silicon spin quantum computer in a commercial data center in Sydney, in what the companies say will be a pair of industry firsts. The system will be Australia’s first quantum computer operating inside a commercial data center and the first silicon spin quantum computer deployed in a shared commercial facility anywhere in the world. For eeNews Europe readers, the project is notable because it moves silicon-based quantum hardware out of the laboratory and into the same infrastructure environment used for cloud, AI and high-performance computing. It could also provide an early indication of how quantum accelerators may eventually be integrated alongside conventional CPUs and GPUs in production systems. Eight-qubit system targets simple deployment The initial Diraq system will use a silicon chip containing eight qubits, with cryogenic cooling and control electronics integrated into a self-contained installation. According to the companies, the complete quantum computer can sit alongside conventional servers in the Equinix facility and will draw less than 20kW. Diraq says the architecture is designed so that higher qubit counts can be introduced by replacing the quantum chip without changing the surrounding infrastructure. “Quantum computers are about to become as essential to data centers and computing infrastructure as data servers, CPUs and GPUs,” said Andrew Dzurak, Diraq Founder and CEO. “The data center is where quantum computing goes mainstream, and that shift starts now. It’s a first, and the milestone is in the simplicity itself. Diraq’s quantum computers integrate into operational data centers like any other rack. That’s the advantage of Diraq’s silicon spin qubits: as we scale to millions of qubits, our system is deployable anywhere in the world, right next to the AI systems that are reshaping the