Quantum chip toolkit: IBM foundry Anderon releases first design kit
A standardized process design kit is meant to let developers design superconducting quantum circuits that are made directly on 300-millimeter wafers. First partners get access via license.
Symbolic image · Photo: OJB Quantum / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Anderon, which The Quantum Insider describes as an IBM quantum foundry initiative, has released its first process design kit (PDK) for superconducting quantum circuits. The specialist portal The Quantum Insider reported this, citing a company blog post. A PDK is a collection of standardized building blocks and rules that chip developers use to create designs that can be produced directly in a specific factory – in this case on Anderon’s platform for 300-millimeter wafers, the size that is also standard in the conventional chip industry.
According to the company, the kit includes qubits for processing quantum information, input and output components for signal routing, amplifiers and filters for control and readout, and a reference design that can be used to verify coherence – that is, how long qubits maintain their state. It also includes electromagnetic parameters for simulations. According to its company profile, Anderon focuses on large-scale manufacturing of quantum wafers in the United States.
The kit is intended to give developers a more efficient, standardized way of working and “narrow the gap between device innovation and scalable manufacturing,” Anderon said. Good design infrastructure is as important as access to advanced process technology, the company said. Early access to the first generation is available through a licensing agreement.