Diraq And Equinix To Deploy Australia’s First Commercial Quantum Computer

Australian quantum startup Diraq has partnered with Equinix to deploy a quantum computer at an Equinix data center in Sydney. The eight-qubit system will use a silicon chip with self-contained cryogenic cooling and control electronics. The chip can be replaced to increase the qubit count without changing the surrounding infrastructure. The quantum computer will require minimal integration with Equinix’s existing data center infrastructure and consume less than 20kW of power.

“Quantum computers are about to become as essential to data centers and computing infrastructure as data servers, CPUs and GPUs,” said Andrew Dzurak, Diraq founder and CEO. “The data center is where quantum computing goes mainstream, and that shift starts now. It’s a first, and the milestone is in the simplicity itself. Diraq’s quantum computers integrate into operational data centers like any other rack. That’s the advantage of Diraq’s silicon spin qubits: as we scale to millions of qubits, our system is deployable anywhere in the world, right next to the AI systems that are reshaping the global economy.”

Jarrod Nink, managing director, Australia, Equinix, added: “Quantum computing’s future depends not only on breakthroughs in hardware, but on proving how these systems can operate within the digital infrastructure enterprises rely on every day. Our collaboration with Diraq will demonstrate how quantum computing can be securely deployed alongside AI, cloud and high-performance computing environments.”

Founded in 2022, Sydney-based Diraq develops quantum processors using silicon quantum dot technology and aims to build fault-tolerant, full-stack quantum computers. Quantum computers have traditionally been hosted in labs and specialized facilities, but more are now being deployed in colocation data centers. UK firms Oxford Quantum Circuits and Orca have also deployed quantum systems at Equinix and Digital Realty facilities in Japan and the UK.