The engineering challenges of building quantum computers

The National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) is the UK’s national laboratory for accelerating the development and use of quantum computing. A range of different quantum computers are being developed at the NQCC, both through internal development and through establishing quantum computing testbeds with industrial partners. Engineering is critical to the scaling of these different hardware solutions. In this webinar Klara Burlamaqui, an Ion Trap physicist at the NQCC, and Ben Griffiths, a Quantum Engineer at industrial partner Rigetti, will discuss engineering challenges associated with building trapped ion and superconducting quantum computers.

Relevant engineering disciplines and topics include: mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, optics and photonics engineering, cryogenics.

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Scaling challenges on quantum computing Hardware based on atoms - Klara Burlamaqui
In this talk, Klara will discuss the main scaling challenges regarding quantum computing hardware based on atoms, covering mostly Ion traps, but also touching lightly on architectures based on tweezer arrays. Those challenges include individual addressing of atoms, signal delivery and control, cryogenics, among others.

Rigetti: Engineering superconducting quantum computers - Ben Griffiths
Superconducting quantum computing faces many engineering challenges, both from a qubit design and control perspective as well as an environmental control. In this talk, Ben will overview the requirements that are needed in order to create and control a superconducting qubits and challenges that arise as you scale to larger systems. 

Speakers

Klara Burlamaqui
Klara completed her PhD in atomic physics in 2015, working with protocols to for light-matter information manipulation. She continued her research in a broad-range of topics in quantum technologies, more specific in quantum communications and quantum computing, working on a number of reference institutions such as University of Oxford, ETHz and ICFO. Klara joined the NQCC in 2022 to work on quantum computing Hardware based on trapped-ions.

Ben Griffiths
Ben Griffiths is a Quantum Engineer and UK QPU team lead at Rigetti where he focuses on the build, characterisation and operation of the superconducting qubit quantum computing systems as well as research into mid-circuit dispersive readout and quantum error correction. Ben holds a PhD in Applied Quantum Optics from the University of Oxford where he worked on the engineering and control of nitrogen vacancy spin qubits in bulk diamond via femtosecond laser engineering. In addition, Ben previously worked as a research scientist in quantum information at Toshiba where he designed and developed wavelength tunable optical transmitters for quantum key distribution based upon RF gain-switching of lasers.