Seven Ways Berkeley Lab is Pioneering the Quantum Future

Quantum information systems are poised to revolutionize scientific discovery, computing, sensing, communications, and beyond. Quantum computers, for example, could someday perform calculations surpassing the capabilities of today’s classical computers, leading to breakthroughs in chemistry, physics, and materials.  

To help achieve this future, Berkeley Lab scientists are partnering with industry and academia and working across the quantum research ecosystem, from theory to applications. Among its many capabilities, Berkeley Lab leads the Quantum Systems Accelerator (QSA), a U.S. Department of Energy National Quantum Information Science Research Center that brings together world-class researchers from 15 partner institutions to catalyze national leadership in quantum information science. Berkeley Lab also leads the Advanced Quantum Testbed (AQT), a collaborative research laboratory and open-access testbed to advance quantum computing based on superconducting circuits. 

Here are several achievements that highlight how Berkeley Lab is advancing the quantum frontier.

Berkeley Lab scientists developed a new fabrication technique that could improve noise robustness and performance in superconducting qubits, a key step in enabling large-scale quantum computers. Superconducting qubits, like all qubits, are particularly susceptible to errors caused by disturbances such as unwanted electric charges from materials in the device. The new fabrication technique has the potential to significantly lower noise caused by imperfection of the materials – and thereby improve performance. The chemical etching process enables advanced flexibility and control over the design of superconducting circuits with nanosized 3D structures. The approach can be easily incorporated into manufacturing processes for superconducting microchips or components for qubits.