Australian company Diraq has installed an eight-qubit quantum computer based on silicon spin qubits within a commercial Equinix data center in Sydney. This setup operates alongside standard servers, testing the feasibility of integrating quantum systems into existing infrastructure without requiring specialized facilities.
The platform utilizes spin states of electrons in silicon to perform operations. These quantum processors are manufactured using standard CMOS technology, which facilitates production and scaling. The current installation occupies 15.8 square meters and consumes less than 20 kW of power.
Diraq plans to upgrade the system to 256 qubits next year by replacing the processor, similar to upgrading a classical computer. Future systems with higher practical utility are expected to consume approximately 300 kW, which the company claims is one-third of the power required by competing quantum platforms.
The system includes its own cryogenic cooling and control electronics, eliminating the need for external cooling infrastructure. This deployment allows for research into hybrid computing, where quantum processors work in tandem with classical CPUs and GPUs to solve complex tasks.
