Oxford Ionics is building a prototype quantum computer chip that can be linked to others through a quantum network, rather than cramming more qubits onto a single chip. Today’s quantum computers are too small for most commercial uses. The usual approach—adding more qubits to one chip—becomes harder as the system grows. A more practical alternative is to connect several smaller chips using quantum entanglement, but existing systems that do this well rely on bulky, lab-bound equipment. This project tackles that bottleneck by integrating photon-collection optics directly into microfabricated ion trap chips, making the hardware compact and deployable. If successful, NextQPU will deliver a working prototype that can be tested at the National Quantum Computing Centre. This would move quantum networking from academic demonstration toward a commercial product. In the longer term, networked quantum processors could transform fields that depend on secure communication, complex simulation, or optimisation—such as drug discovery, materials design, logistics, and financial modelling. The project does not aim for immediate consumer applications; it is a critical engineering step to make quantum supercomputers physically and economically feasible.
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To unlock the commercial impact of Quantum Computing (QC), today's small-scale quantum computers must be scaled into powerful quantum supercomputers. There are two approaches achieving this: **scaling up** by increasing the number of qubits on a single chip and **scaling out** by networking multiple smaller chips together. While scaling up is highly effective for small systems, it becomes increasingly challenging as the number of qubits grows. Scaling out uses a quantum network to entangle qubits in different chips. Trapped ions hold the world-records for Quantum Networks. However, while these state-of-the-art systems achieve excellent performance, they are not practical to deploy in a commercial setting due to the techniques used to deliver the required electrical and optical signals. The Network EXTensible Quantum Processing Unit (NextQPU) project seeks to address this challenge by developing a deployable prototype networkable quantum processing unit. This builds on Oxford Ionics' existing QPU platform by integrating the capability to collect photons entangled to the qubit states directly into microfabricated ion trap chips. Working closely on NextQPU with its customer, the National Quantum Computing Centre ("NQCC"), Oxford Ionics will deliver and demonstrate a commercial prototype networkable QPU, to be tested at the NQCC. NQCC deputy director, Simon Plant said, "_NextQPU is a key step in building a commercial ecosystem out of the UK's world-leading quantum networking academic research. Oxford Ionics is in a strong position to lead this exciting work thanks to their demonstrated expertise in quantum networking and advanced quantum computing technologies._"
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