Australian quantum computing innovator Diraq has scored a major win, signing a $53 million (US$38 million) letter of intent with the US Department of Commerce that will see its ‘quantum dot’ technology scaled and manufactured in the US. Even as computing giants consider a range of ways to build quantum computers, many are realising that existing complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) manufacturing, long used to make silicon chips, can be adapted to quantum chips. This is an improvement compared to early quantum computers that used bespoke technology at temperatures near absolute zero to ensure that qubits – the short-lived part of quantum computing that carries data – persisted long enough to be useful. Diraq’s silicon-based quantum processors promise to squeeze millions of qubits on a single chip using existing CMOS manufacturing – which is readily available in a US market that is investing billions to stay ahead in the world’s quantum computing race. The firm says its technology “charts a course to millions of qubits by 2031, and tens of millions by 2033” and can add quantum computing racks to existing data centres for under $1 per qubit – eliminating the need for specialised quantum computing facilities. “Silicon-based processors are the most economical and scalable approach to utility-scale quantum computing,” Diraq founder and CEO Andrew Dzurak said. “By scaling our CMOS qubit technology in the US, we are defining the industrial standard for the next era of supercomputing and cementing the nation’s role as a global architect of fault-tolerant quantum systems.” You are the company you keep With offices and labs in Palo Alto and Chicago, and a new site soon to open in Los Angeles, the new funding for Diraq – which was shortlisted for Stage B of DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI) – will prime it for lucrative US