Millimeter and sub-millimeter waves are nowadays being widely adopted within a variety of applications developed across the high-tech industry, including high-resolution automotive radar sensors, but also the fifth and sixth generation mobile communications RF front-ends. This talk starts at the level of the quantum bits to understand their control needs at a fundamental level and goes up into the stack layer by layer to discuss challenges in the cabling (Delft Circuits), the control electronics (Qblox) and the digital infrastructure for feedback (Qblox). Qblox and Delft Circuits work precisely on these topics and provide quantum computer developers around the world with their state-of-the-art control technology.
The fundamentally sensitive nature of qubits drastically complicates these: qubits need to be placed at ultralow temperatures (<< 1 K) and control signals require extremely precise timings (<< 1 ns), low signal noise, distortion, drift and crosstalk. As most of the platforms require signal frequencies between DC and 20 GHz, these challenges are for a large part RF engineering challenges. Amongst these are the generation and routing of control signals. To move quantum computers from the proof-of-principle stage towards real-life applications, many engineering challenges need to be overcome. The other five winning programs are going to study algorithmic decision systems in public life (Algosoc), young people growing up in increasingly complex societies (Guts), cells at the molecular level in their native tissue environment (Imagine!), sustainable interactive plastics (the Iteractive Polymer Materials Research Center) and daily-life stress (Stress-in-Action). The consortium is spearheaded by Utrecht University and also includes the universities of Delft, Eindhoven, Groningen, Nijmegen and Twente. Moreover, robust quantum states remaining coherent under affordable conditions will allow to upscale powerful quantum computing. These will enable classic computing to become much more powerful and at the same time more energy efficient. Qumat is getting 21.5 million euros to develop prototype materials with stable coherent quantum states.
The Dutch Brain Interfaces Initiative is the combination of a platform with computer, software and hardware elements, aimed at facilitating closed-loop manipulations in the long term, and brain monitoring in a naturalistic environment. The other partners are Delft University of Technology, Erasmus MC and UMC Utrecht. The program is led by Radboud University. Ultimate applications include deep brain stimulation, brain-computer interfaces and visual implants. The aim is to develop principles, equipment and methods to gain a better understanding of brain disorders, as well as moods, emotions and compulsions. Among the winners are the Dutch Brain Interfaces Initiative (DBI2) and Materials for the Quantum Age (Qumat).ĭBI2 is receiving 21.9 million euros to study the interactions within the human brain and with the outside world. The funding enables them to carry out top-level university research and multidisciplinary collaboration for ten years.
As part of its Gravitation program, the Dutch Research Council (NWO) has granted a total of 142.7 million euros to seven academic consortia in the Netherlands.