We’d Have More Quantum Computers If It Weren’t So Hard to Find the Damn Cables
Quantum machines will deliver the next great leap forward in computing, but researchers building them can’t easily get some of the exotic components they need
By Martin Giles
Blake Johnson spends a lot of time thinking about things like superconducting cables and supercooled refrigerators. As the vice president of quantum engineering at Rigetti Computing, a startup that makes quantum computers, Johnson is responsible for finding and acquiring the components needed to put the machines together.
It’s challenging, because what was once an esoteric, experimental technology is morphing into more of a mainstream one championed by giant companies such as IBM, Google, and China’s Alibaba, as well as by ambitious startups like Rigetti and IonQ. As a result, demand is growing much faster than supply in some critical areas.
For instance, it can take many months — and sometimes a year or more — to get hold of specialized dilution refrigerators that can be cooled to temperatures colder than outer space to help create quantum bits, or qubits, which are the key to quantum computers’ power. Another choke point, says Johnson, is the specialized…
