A team led by Mikko Möttönen at Finland's Aalto University have developed the first quantum circuit with built-in cooling. Just like the circuits of any other computer, the qubits of a quantum computer heat up as they perform calculations. The cooling system is based on an array of superconducting magnets, which are cooled to just above absolute zero using liquid helium. Classical computers require built-in fans and other ways to dissipate heat, and quantum computers are no different. The Finnish solution is a two-channel circuit with an energy gap that only allows the hottest electrons to access a superconducting fast channel, leaving cooler electrons behind, thus removing heat from the system.
A team led by Mikko Möttönen at Finland's Aalto University have developed the first quantum circuit with built-in cooling. Just like the circuits of any other computer, the qubits of a quantum computer heat up as they perform calculations. The cooling system is based on an array of superconducting magnets, which are cooled to just above absolute zero using liquid helium. The Finnish solution is a two-channel circuit with an energy gap that only allows the hottest electrons to access a superconducting fast channel, leaving cooler electrons behind, thus removing heat from the system.