Australian Spotlight - June 2024

ChatGPT is dominating public attention but behind the scenes there is arguably a bigger computer revolution brewing. If the potential of quantum computing is realised, all current cryptography will be made obsolete and meteorological models could dramatically increase in accuracy. Then there is the potential of boosting AI with quantum computers. 

Governments around the world are scrambling in this new arms race. Amazingly Australia held an early lead and remains at the forefront. Now the government is willing to push Australia towards the top again.

The genesis of quantum computing

Conventional computers are based on switching an electrical circuit on and off: 1 and 0 (a bit). But when you move from Newtonian to the wonderful world of quantum physics, a computer circuit can represent a 1, 0, or any combination of the two inbetween (a qubit). With qubits, computers can calculate in seconds or minutes problems that currently take years or even decades.

Richard Feyman first theorised quantum computing in 1959 but it wasn’t until the late 1980s that breakthroughs brought theory closer to reality and gave it exciting potential applications.

Oxford’s David Deutsch invented quantum logic gates in 1985, which provide the basis for quantum computer circuits.

In 1994, AT&T’s Peter Shor invented an algorithm that could be used on future quantum computers to quickly find the prime factors of any number. It turns out that this is not trivial for large numbers and can take conventional computers years and even decades to solve; this is known as the discrete logarithm problem. Current cryptographic algorithms leverage the computational load of finding prime numbers to make their keys near impossible to crack. Making the discrete logarithm problem easier to solve would make current cryptography obsolete. Needless to say, the US’s NSA (National Security Agency or NSA) and other governments around the world quickly became interested in the field.

Australia the pioneer

Meanwhile in Australia, separate research in quantum optics (Hans Bachor:1982 and Gerard Milburn: 1985 and 1985) and condensed matter physics (Robert Clark: 1990) was coming together and would lead to proposals for silicon-based and cold atom-based quantum computers.

Clark proved pivotal. Having been a lieutenant in the Australian army he was a magnet for NSA money from the US. He also helped mentor a young American called Bruce Kane. Kane joined Clark at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and in 1998 published a seminal paper in Nature that provided the theoretical blueprint for a silicon chip quantum computer that uses phosphorus atoms.

Realising Kane’s computer is now the life’s work of Michelle Simmons at UNSW’s Centre for Quantum Computation. In 2017, the centre established the Silicon Quantum Computing company, attracting AUD 33.7 million from the government and AUD 24 million from Australia’s private sector. The goal is to keep the centre’s IP in Australia and commercialise it through licensing.

“And that’s where it really started. Bruce had had this beautiful idea. The problem with the idea was there was no technology at that stage to actually build it.” Robert Clark.  

Just down the road at the University of Sydney’s (USyd) Nanoscience Hub, David Reilly’s cold-atom approach to building a quantum computer has attracted investment from Microsoft. The Hub was opened in 2016 at a cost of AUD 150 million with AUD 40 million coming from the federal government.

In 2021, Reilly was able to demonstrate a new control chip that could allow quantum computers to go beyond the current limit of hundreds and thousands of qubits to millions of qubits. Such an increase in qubits would move quantum computers away from specialised machines to a universal computer able to deliver on the full potential of quantum computing. Currently, IBM has the largest quantum computer with just over 1,000 qubits.

Thus, Australia has two heavyweight teams racing to build a quantum computer using two different technologies.

Australia’s system of government-funded research centres and Centres of Excellence (CoEs) have also played an important role in laying the foundations for Australian research in quantum computing. In particular, they have helped bring together different fields of research from different Australian universities. Currently, there are four CoEs related to quantum computing involving over 500 scientists. But the influence of the centres goes beyond these scientists to former graduates who have been poached by leading universities and companies around the world. Some graduates have also setup quantum computing startups, both in Australia and around the world, e.g. Diraq, Q-CTRL, and Quintessencelabs.

Increased international interest

Increased overseas competition and investment in the field has seen many countries catch up and surpass Australia. Of course, this includes the US with whom Australia has a close scientific and security relationship.

In 2023, cumulative global public investment in quantum computing reached USD 42 billion (see chart below) while 2022 saw the annual investment in quantum computing startups surpass USD 2 billion.

Australian government invests AUD 1 billion in PsiQuantum

While Australia can’t compete with the size of public investments made by China, Germany, the UK and the US, neither is it walking away from Australia’s strength in quantum computing.

In May 2024, the federal government announced its National Quantum Strategy to increase investment in the field, expedite commercialisation, and make Australia a key destination for quantum computing talent.

As part of this strategy and its Future Made in Australia policy, the federal government is also investing AUD 470 million in PsiQuantum, alongside AUD 470 million from the Queensland state government.

PsiQuantum is a Silicon Valley based quantum computing company that has been developing a silicon and photon-based quantum computer that is error correcting. They are aiming to have a finished quantum computer between 2027 and 2029.

PsiQunatum was co-founded in 2015 by a group of academics including University of Queensland graduates Jeremy O'Brien and Terry Rudolph. Its technology differs from the quantum computers being developed by the UNSW and USyd teams in that it uses light particles. This has the advantage of not needing to operate at the super-low temperatures required by other projects. Some believe that is the team most likely to build the world’s first, largest and stable quantum computer.

As part of the investment by Australian governments, PsiQuantum will relocate from California to Brisbane, Queensland and will employ over 400 local staff.

"It's going to be the most complex machine ever built by humanity," Cathy Foley, Australia’s Chief Scientist on PsiQunatum’s quantum computer.

Final thoughts

Australia may not have the financial or scientific muscle to match global superpowers, particularly in a field like quantum computing with huge global security implications. However, it now has three global-leading teams working on building quantum computers. If any one of them strikes gold, Australia could see itself not just at the forefront of quantum computing research but at the forefront of a new burgeoning and critical industry. An industry that could be worth USD 13 billion by 2032 with a CAGR of 35%.