Following Microsoft’s announcement of a new quantum computing chip, Amazon threw its hat in the ring just one week later. Amazon Web Services (AWS) released the news on February 27. The quantum computing chip, called “Ocelot,” reportedly reduces the cost of adding quantum error correction by 90% compared to current implementations.

Ocelot Chip

The team of developers at the AWS Center for Quantum Computing at the California Institute of Technology, who designed the Ocelet chip, say it represents a breakthrough in the creation of fault-tolerant quantum computers that can solve complex problems that conventional computers cannot.

AWS used a novel design for Ocelot’s framework, developing error correction and using what they call a “cat qubit,” named after Schrödinger’s cat thought experiment. According to the developers, the cat qubit suppresses certain errors, reducing the required resources for quantum error corrections. 

As a result, using Ocelot, the researchers achieved two key quantum computing advancements. They combined cat qubits and other quantum error correction components onto a single, scalable microchip.

“With the recent advancements in quantum research, it is no longer a matter of if, but when practical, fault-tolerant quantum computers will be available for real-world applications. Ocelot is an important step on that journey,” said Oskar Painter, AWS director of Quantum Hardware.

“In the future, quantum chips built according to the Ocelot architecture could cost as little as one-fifth of current approaches due to the drastically reduced number of resources required for error correction. Concretely, we believe this will accelerate our timeline to a practical quantum computer by up to five years.”

Quantum Computing

At the heart of the Ocelot Quantum computing chip is its potential ability to test the effectiveness of AWS’s quantum error correction architecture.

The chip’s hardware consists of two integrated silicon microchips, each with about an area of 1cm². These two microchips are electrically connected to form a chip stack. Thin layers of superconducting materials on the surface of the microchips form the quantum circuit elements. 

Ultimately, quantum computing offers an overall improved manufacturing process, which is a big reason why companies are pushing toward more quantum developments. For example, Microsoft’s announcement a week before Amazon. Don’t be surprised if you see more companies trying to develop and produce their own quantum chips.

Overall, quantum computers can be built smaller, more reliably, and at a lower cost than traditional computers. Developing the quantum computing chip is the first step to accomplishing that.

“We’re just getting started and we believe we have several more stages of scaling to go through,” said Painter.