SYDNEY, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- The first ever quantum computing company in Australia was launched at an event at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) on Wednesday, with hopes to develop a silicon-based quantum computer for commercialization.
The newly-minted company called Silicon Quantum Computing was born out of a direct partnership between the government of the state of New South Wales, UNSW, telco giant Telstra, and Australia's largest financial institution - the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
The new company will be based at the university, and will work in conjunction with the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology (CQC2T), who are also headquartered on the UNSW campus.
Over 40 staff will be hired as a result of the new company being formed, with the aim of developing a quantum integrated circuit prototype by the year 2022 - which they hope will serve as a precursor to being able to successfully develop the world's first quantum computer.
Professor Michelle Simmons of UNSW, who will also serve on the board for the new venture, told Xinhua in a statement on Thursday that this new project shows the "enormous strength" in the field of quantum research currently being undertaken in Australia.
"It's an exciting time to invest in this new industry that will shape the 21st century. With Silicon Quantum Computing Pty Ltd now incorporated we are fully committed to developing a 10-qubit silicon prototype. We are open for business and open to further investment from interested partners," Simmons said.
"The public-private venture establishing Silicon Quantum Computing Pty Ltd seeks to develop a quantum information ecosystem here in Australia. It will involve leading scientists and engineers at UNSW and the University of Melbourne, which together with other institutions that are part of the centre at UNSW will develop a scalable, error corrected quantum computer in silicon."
At the CQC2T opening ceremony in April last year, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said that he was excited about the progress being made that could lead to a revolutionary new era in Australian technology.
"There is no bolder idea than quantum computing. This is a technology that revolutionises computing," Turnbull said.
"The use of silicon so stable, to provide that environment, plus the super cold environment enables a quantum computer to be built here that will become more than a theory, become the reality, a truly super computer."
The CQC2T centre is operated as a research hub in collaboration with nine Australian universities, and over 35 international partners in the fields of quantum communication, and computing.
