Miles Jamison
PsiQuantum has been awarded a $10.8 million contract by the Air Force Research Laboratory for the design and production of advanced quantum chips.
Comparative Quantum Circuit Design
The photonic quantum computing company said the firm-fixed-price contract, which builds on a partnership established in 2022, provides AFRL with a design space for exploring comparative quantum circuits on its circuit tapeout, basic component construction software and chip delivery. This is included in the company’s Omega quantum chipset manufacturing partnership with GlobalFoundries.
BTO Material and Quantum Computing Components
PsiQuantum, which serves as the AFRL’s hardware design partner, will provide Barium Titanate, or BTO, Electro-Optic phase shifters. These phase shifters are vital components in quantum computing and optical circuits. The company will also integrate its 300mm BTO material, considered the highest-performing electro-switch material, into optical circuits designed by the AFRL. Furthermore, PsiQuantum will supply critical quantum circuit components for the project.
After completing the design, construction and performance screening processes, PsiQuantum will deliver the quantum photonic chips to the AFRL. The quantum chips will then be evaluated and their capabilities validated for various Air Force applications.
Jeremy O’Brien, co-founder and CEO of PsiQuantum, said, “This partnership will enable PsiQuantum to share our technology, which is manufactured in a world-class, high-volume semiconductor fab, with AFRL to validate and explore future applications that would benefit the U.S. Air Force.”
Michael Hayduk, deputy director at the AFRL information directorate, remarked, “Ongoing advancements from our industry partners in fault-tolerant quantum computing and the expertise in silicon photonics are proving to be a significant asset to our mission.”
