INTEL TO SHIP QUANTUM CHIP

In a world of 32-bit and 64-bit processors, it might surprise you to learn that Intel is releasing a 12-bit chip. Oh, wait, we mean 12-qubit. That makes more sense. Code named Tunnel Falls, the chip uses tiny silicon spin quantum bits, which Intel says are more advantageous than other schemes for encoding qubits. There's a video about the device below.

It is a "research chip" and will be available to universities that might not be able to produce their own hardware. You probably aren't going to find them listed on your favorite online reseller. Besides, the chip isn't going to be usable on a breadboard. It is still going to take a lot of support to get it running.

Intel claims the silicon qubit technology is a million times smaller than other qubit types. The size is on the order of a device transistor — 50 nanometers square — simplifying things and allowing denser devices. In silicon spin qubits, information resides in the up or down spin of a single electron.

Of course, even Intel isn't suggesting that 12 qubits are enough for a game-changing quantum computer, but you do have to start somewhere. This chip may enable more researchers to test the technology and will undoubtedly help Intel accelerate its research to the next step.

There is a lot of talk that silicon is the way to go for scalable quantum computing. It makes you wonder if there's anything silicon can't do? You can access today's limited quantum computers in the proverbial cloud.

About Tunnel Falls: Tunnel Falls is Intel's first silicon spin qubit device released to the research community. Fabricated on 300-millimeter wafers in the D1 fabrication facility, the 12-qubit device leverages Intel's most advanced transistor industrial fabrication capabilities, such as extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) and gate and contact processing techniques. In silicon spin qubits, information (the 0/1) is encoded in the spin (up/down) of a single electron. Each qubit device is essentially a single electron transistor, which allows Intel to fabricate it using a similar flow to that used in a standard complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) logic processing line.

Intel believes silicon spin qubits are superior to other qubit technologies because of their synergy with leading-edge transistors. Being the size of a transistor, they are up to 1 million times smaller than other qubit types measuring approximately 50 nanometers by 50 nanometers, potentially allowing for efficient scaling. According to Nature Electronics, "Silicon may be the platform with the greatest potential to deliver scaled-up quantum computing."

At the same time, utilizing advanced CMOS fabrication lines allows Intel to use innovative process control techniques to enable yield and performance. For example, the Tunnel Falls 12 qubit device has a 95% yield rate across the wafer and voltage uniformity similar to a CMOS logic process, and each wafer provides over 24,000 quantum dot devices. These 12-dot chips can form between four to 12 qubits that can be isolated and used in operations simultaneously depending on how the university or lab operates its systems.

What's Next: Intel will continuously work to improve the performance of Tunnel Falls and integrate it into its full quantum stack with the Intel Quantum Software Development Kit (SDK). In addition, Intel is already developing its next-generation quantum chip based on Tunnel Falls; it is expected to be released in 2024. In the future, Intel plans to partner with additional research institutions globally to build the quantum ecosystem.

Neuromorphic Computing
Neuromorphic computing is a complete rethinking of computer architecture from the bottom up. The goal is to apply the latest insights from neuroscience to create chips that function less like traditional computers and more like the human brain. Neuromorphic systems replicate the way neurons are organized, communicate, and learn at the hardware level. Intel sees its Loihi research chip and future neuromorphic processors defining a new model of programmable computing to serve the world's rising demand for pervasive, intelligent devices.

Intel Neuromorphic Research Community
Latest News
Advancing Neuromorphic Computing Application Development
Intel Labs Improves Interactive, Continual Learning for Robots with Neuromorphic Computing
Intel Advances Neuromorphic with Loihi 2, New Lava Software Framework and New Partners
Update on Intel's Neuromorphic Ecosystem Growth and Progress
Intel and Sandia National Labs Collaborate on Neuromorphic Computing
Intel and Accenture Support Neuromorphic Research Project to Assist Wheelchair-Bound Pediatric Patients
Singapore Researchers Look to Intel Neuromorphic Computing to Help Enable Robots That 'Feel'
Biographies
Mike Davies

Mike Davies is the director of Intel's Neuromorphic Computing Lab. Since joining Intel Labs in 2014, Davies has researched neuromorphic prototype architectures, algorithms, software and systems. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

Intel Labs' Mike Davies, director of the Neuromorphic Computing Lab, speaks as part of Intel Labs Day. Intel Labs Day 2020 was presented virtually on Dec. 3, 2020. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

Images
A photo show's Intel's Loihi 2 neuromorphic chip on the tip of a finger.

A photo show's Intel's Loihi 2 neuromorphic chip die.

Loihi 2: Loihi 2 is Intel's second-generation neuromorphic research chip. It supports new classes of neuro-inspired algorithms and applications, while providing faster processing, greater resource density and improved energy efficiency. It was introduced by Intel in September 2021

Loihi 2: Loihi 2 is Intel's second-generation neuromorphic research chip. It supports new classes of neuro-inspired algorithms and applications, while providing faster processing, greater resource density and improved energy efficiency. It was introduced by Intel in September 2021

A close-up shows an Intel Nahuku board, each of which contains eight to 32 Intel Loihi neuromorphic research chips. Intel's latest neuromorphic computing system, Pohoiki Springs, was unveiled in March 2020. It is made up of 24 Nahuku boards with 32 chips each, integrating a total of 768 Loihi chips. (Credit: Tim Herman/Intel Corporation)

A closer look shows one of the rows within Intel's latest neuromorphic research system, Pohoiki Springs. The system, unveiled in March 2020, is made up of eight of these rows, with each containing three 32-chip Intel Nahuku boards, for a total of 768 Loihi chips. The ninth row is made up of Arria10 FPGA boards. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

Pohoiki Springs, a data center rack-mounted system unveiled in March 2020, is Intel's largest neuromorphic computing system developed to date. It integrates 768 Loihi neuromorphic research chips inside a chassis the size of five standard servers. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

A photo shows Intel's latest neuromorphic system, Pohoiki Springs, and one of the rows within it. The system unveiled in March 2020 integrates 768 Loihi neuromorphic research chips inside a chassis the size of five standard servers. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

Download all images (ZIP, 11 M

HarveyH55 wrote:
https://hackaday.com/2023/06/17/intel-to-ship-quantum-chip/

Pictures and video at the link, if interested. Comment section as well...

In a world of 32-bit and 64-bit processors, it might surprise you to learn that Intel is releasing a 12-bit chip. Oh, wait, we mean 12-qubit. That makes more sense. Code named Tunnel Falls, the chip uses tiny silicon spin quantum bits, which Intel says are more advantageous than other schemes for encoding qubits. There's a video about the device below.

It is a "research chip" and will be available to universities that might not be able to produce their own hardware. You probably aren't going to find them listed on your favorite online reseller. Besides, the chip isn't going to be usable on a breadboard. It is still going to take a lot of support to get it running.

Intel claims the silicon qubit technology is a million times smaller than other qubit types. The size is on the order of a device transistor — 50 nanometers square — simplifying things and allowing denser devices. In silicon spin qubits, information resides in the up or down spin of a single electron.

Of course, even Intel isn't suggesting that 12 qubits are enough for a game-changing quantum computer, but you do have to start somewhere. This chip may enable more researchers to test the technology and will undoubtedly help Intel accelerate its research to the next step.

There is a lot of talk that silicon is the way to go for scalable quantum computing. It makes you wonder if there's anything silicon can't do? You can access today's limited quantum computers in the proverbial cloud.

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/newsroom/news/quantum-computing-chip-to-advance-research.html#gs.1g7pci

I'm not sure what the Intel link will turn up, still loading... Hoping for documentation, like a datasheet, white paper, or something about what's needed to use one of these chips. Obviously won't attract many buyers, if no one know if they can actually use them.

About Tunnel Falls: Tunnel Falls is Intel's first silicon spin qubit device released to the research community. Fabricated on 300-millimeter wafers in the D1 fabrication facility, the 12-qubit device leverages Intel's most advanced transistor industrial fabrication capabilities, such as extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) and gate and contact processing techniques. In silicon spin qubits, information (the 0/1) is encoded in the spin (up/down) of a single electron. Each qubit device is essentially a single electron transistor, which allows Intel to fabricate it using a similar flow to that used in a standard complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) logic processing line.

Intel believes silicon spin qubits are superior to other qubit technologies because of their synergy with leading-edge transistors. Being the size of a transistor, they are up to 1 million times smaller than other qubit types measuring approximately 50 nanometers by 50 nanometers, potentially allowing for efficient scaling. According to Nature Electronics, "Silicon may be the platform with the greatest potential to deliver scaled-up quantum computing."

At the same time, utilizing advanced CMOS fabrication lines allows Intel to use innovative process control techniques to enable yield and performance. For example, the Tunnel Falls 12 qubit device has a 95% yield rate across the wafer and voltage uniformity similar to a CMOS logic process, and each wafer provides over 24,000 quantum dot devices. These 12-dot chips can form between four to 12 qubits that can be isolated and used in operations simultaneously depending on how the university or lab operates its systems.

What's Next: Intel will continuously work to improve the performance of Tunnel Falls and integrate it into its full quantum stack with the Intel Quantum Software Development Kit (SDK). In addition, Intel is already developing its next-generation quantum chip based on Tunnel Falls; it is expected to be released in 2024. In the future, Intel plans to partner with additional research institutions globally to build the quantum ecosystem.

Didn't find what I wanted at the Intel link. Maybe not so ready to ship... Lot of hype, few details, as all quantum breakthroughs... Clicked on the link for 'press kit', hoping for a list of resources. Which I got, sort of... Found something I hadn't seen before, a silicon brain project they are working on...

Neuromorphic Computing
Neuromorphic computing is a complete rethinking of computer architecture from the bottom up. The goal is to apply the latest insights from neuroscience to create chips that function less like traditional computers and more like the human brain. Neuromorphic systems replicate the way neurons are organized, communicate, and learn at the hardware level. Intel sees its Loihi research chip and future neuromorphic processors defining a new model of programmable computing to serve the world's rising demand for pervasive, intelligent devices.

Intel Neuromorphic Research Community
Latest News
Advancing Neuromorphic Computing Application Development
Intel Labs Improves Interactive, Continual Learning for Robots with Neuromorphic Computing
Intel Advances Neuromorphic with Loihi 2, New Lava Software Framework and New Partners
Update on Intel's Neuromorphic Ecosystem Growth and Progress
Intel and Sandia National Labs Collaborate on Neuromorphic Computing
Intel and Accenture Support Neuromorphic Research Project to Assist Wheelchair-Bound Pediatric Patients
Singapore Researchers Look to Intel Neuromorphic Computing to Help Enable Robots That 'Feel'
Biographies
Mike Davies

Mike Davies is the director of Intel's Neuromorphic Computing Lab. Since joining Intel Labs in 2014, Davies has researched neuromorphic prototype architectures, algorithms, software and systems. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

Intel Labs' Mike Davies, director of the Neuromorphic Computing Lab, speaks as part of Intel Labs Day. Intel Labs Day 2020 was presented virtually on Dec. 3, 2020. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

Images
A photo show's Intel's Loihi 2 neuromorphic chip on the tip of a finger.

A photo show's Intel's Loihi 2 neuromorphic chip die.

Loihi 2: Loihi 2 is Intel's second-generation neuromorphic research chip. It supports new classes of neuro-inspired algorithms and applications, while providing faster processing, greater resource density and improved energy efficiency. It was introduced by Intel in September 2021

Loihi 2: Loihi 2 is Intel's second-generation neuromorphic research chip. It supports new classes of neuro-inspired algorithms and applications, while providing faster processing, greater resource density and improved energy efficiency. It was introduced by Intel in September 2021

A close-up shows an Intel Nahuku board, each of which contains eight to 32 Intel Loihi neuromorphic research chips. Intel's latest neuromorphic computing system, Pohoiki Springs, was unveiled in March 2020. It is made up of 24 Nahuku boards with 32 chips each, integrating a total of 768 Loihi chips. (Credit: Tim Herman/Intel Corporation)

A closer look shows one of the rows within Intel's latest neuromorphic research system, Pohoiki Springs. The system, unveiled in March 2020, is made up of eight of these rows, with each containing three 32-chip Intel Nahuku boards, for a total of 768 Loihi chips. The ninth row is made up of Arria10 FPGA boards. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

Pohoiki Springs, a data center rack-mounted system unveiled in March 2020, is Intel's largest neuromorphic computing system developed to date. It integrates 768 Loihi neuromorphic research chips inside a chassis the size of five standard servers. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

A photo shows Intel's latest neuromorphic system, Pohoiki Springs, and one of the rows within it. The system unveiled in March 2020 integrates 768 Loihi neuromorphic research chips inside a chassis the size of five standard servers. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

Download all images (ZIP, 11 M

The Intel site might be a fun ride for those easily terrorized by technology. A lot of things get built, because we can. Doesn't mean they'll get the results hoped and hyped, or even something more than a plaything.

HarveyH55 wrote:
Mostly likely buy it up, and let it rot... Early computers were a mix of different hardware, that all accomplished basically the same thing. Each company hoping to make theirs the 'standard'. Some, like Apple wanted to others to pay, or go away. Others relied on customer being brand loyal, rather than clones and copies. Most people are going to keep what works, rather than the cost and pain, of changing over something new, different.

Into the Night wrote:

HarveyH55 wrote:
Mostly likely buy it up, and let it rot... Early computers were a mix of different hardware, that all accomplished basically the same thing. Each company hoping to make theirs the 'standard'. Some, like Apple wanted to others to pay, or go away. Others relied on customer being brand loyal, rather than clones and copies. Most people are going to keep what works, rather than the cost and pain, of changing over something new, different.

It's just marketing BS.

Swan wrote:

Into the Night wrote:

HarveyH55 wrote:
Mostly likely buy it up, and let it rot... Early computers were a mix of different hardware, that all accomplished basically the same thing. Each company hoping to make theirs the 'standard'. Some, like Apple wanted to others to pay, or go away. Others relied on customer being brand loyal, rather than clones and copies. Most people are going to keep what works, rather than the cost and pain, of changing over something new, different.

It's just marketing BS.

You stay there in your own little world of denial, no one cares

Swan wrote:

Into the Night wrote:

HarveyH55 wrote:
Mostly likely buy it up, and let it rot... Early computers were a mix of different hardware, that all accomplished basically the same thing. Each company hoping to make theirs the 'standard'. Some, like Apple wanted to others to pay, or go away. Others relied on customer being brand loyal, rather than clones and copies. Most people are going to keep what works, rather than the cost and pain, of changing over something new, different.

It's just marketing BS.

You stay there in your own little world of denial, no one cares

HarveyH55 wrote:

Swan wrote:

Into the Night wrote:

HarveyH55 wrote:
Mostly likely buy it up, and let it rot... Early computers were a mix of different hardware, that all accomplished basically the same thing. Each company hoping to make theirs the 'standard'. Some, like Apple wanted to others to pay, or go away. Others relied on customer being brand loyal, rather than clones and copies. Most people are going to keep what works, rather than the cost and pain, of changing over something new, different.

It's just marketing BS.

You stay there in your own little world of denial, no one cares

If you bothered to read the Intel description, and it didn't over-burden your 130 IQ... Intel described their qubits as tiny, one electron, transistors. To help fill in for you lacking education... Transistors have been the basis for computers, for decades, and most every integrated-circuit on silicone. It's just being re-branded here, for marketing purpose. A transistor is just a switch, which is either on or off either. That's just one, of many uses.

James_ wrote:
Are they saying that they can give an electron rest mass

James_ wrote:
by the silicone being able to reverse its polarity to hold the electron in place?

James_ wrote:
An electron's spin is the difference between an electron and a positron.

James_ wrote:
Also at what temperature does it work at? Maybe 4 or 5º kelvin?

James_ wrote:
Quantum computing seems to require superconductive temperatures.

James_ wrote:
And to operate on the scale of a single electron they might be relying on an ionic bond between the electron and the silicone.

IBdaMann wrote:
Are we confusing silicone (breast implant material) with silicon (chip/transistor material)?