Quantum computers must keep their delicate quantum components near absolute zero while connecting them to room-temperature control electronics, and no one knows exactly how much heat that generates or how to manage it. This matters because the gap between the quantum layer and its control hardware is a major unsolved engineering problem. If the two are too far apart, signals degrade; if too close, heat from the control electronics disrupts the quantum devices. Current designs rely on guesswork, often failing when tested in real operating conditions. FIRETRACE will build test chips with built-in heaters and thermometers, then use advanced cryogenic facilities to map temperature across quantum control circuits at high speed. The team—from the National Physical Laboratory, the University of Strathclyde, and Quantum Motion Technology—will create a thermal model that predicts how heating affects device behaviour. If successful, the project will enable control chips that work reliably on the first try, cutting development costs and accelerating progress toward practical quantum computers. That could eventually transform drug discovery, materials design, and cryptography. The work also addresses a chronic skills shortage by training researchers across academia, industry, and national labs, securing the UK’s position in a rapidly growing global industry.
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Quantum physics is often described as the “science of the very small” and for defying the common sense that applies to the every-day-life “classical” world. We are in an era full of excitement (and investment) focussed on discovering ways to exploit the untapped potential of quantum effects for building a new generation of super computers. Harnessing the power of quantum physics is arguably one of the most challenging engineering problems of our age. It seems to demand no less than the “reinvention of the microchip” for quantum operation. What makes this so tricky is that a precisely controlled and isolated “quantum component layer” must be combined with a “classical control layer” which provides the governance of the quantum part. The quantum layer is nearly always held in a deep cryogenic low-temperature environment to protect the quantum devices against disruption from heat and electrical noise, the more isolated the better. On the other hand, to have signals travelling to and from the quantum components such isolation makes things difficult and tight integration would be desirable. How physically far apart could the quantum and control components realistically be and yet maintain integrity and functionality? 1 meter, 1 mm, or 1 micrometer? This Prosperity Partnership (FIRETRACE) aims at answering this seemingly simple question for components integrated on silicon chips, the cornerstones of the digital age. A major factor we will address is heating. This is already a headache in conventional computers but can cause even more problems in low-temperature quantum circuits. FIRETRACE, a collaboration between academia, national laboratories and industry experts, will explore the thermal physics of cryogenic electronics to enable designing quantum control hardware. The project partners include the National Physical Laboratory, the University of Strathclyde and Quantum Motion Technology. These partners are all experts in low temperature cryogenics, quantum device physics and integrated circuit design. The team will work together to build up a picture of the thermal problems that are so critical. In particular, we will develop and test chips with dedicated heating and thermometry functions. These will be investigated in advanced cryogenic facilities to establish new methods of thermometry to pinpoint the local temperature at high speed and perform cryogenic thermal mapping of quantum control chips. This will lead to the development of a thermally-aware device model that will account for the effect of heating on the device behaviour. The main goal will be to enable more accurate circuit architectures that work “first time” in realistic use case scenarios of quantum computer operations. The FIRETRACE Partnership will transform our existing collaboration from globally competitive to internationally leading, placing the UK at the forefront of the rapidly growing field of quantum hardware development. As a result, this project could produce economic benefits for both the newly formed quantum SMEs and the more established national supply chain in the areas of cryogenics and chip packaging. Finally, through the creation of a dynamic space to exchange ideas and expertise across industry, national labs and academia, FIRETRACE will contribute to cultivate an enthusiastic workforce able to counteract the chronic skill shortages currently hampering the growth of the nascent quantum industry.
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