Argonne National Laboratory and Intel have partnered for the deployment of a 12-qubit silicon quantum dot processor.

The project is the result of an industry-government partnership being led by Q-NEXT, a US Department of Energy (DOE) National Quantum Information Science Research Center. Hosted by Argonne, the center is dedicated to developing the science and technology to control and distribute quantum information.

Code-named Tunnel Falls, the processor has been produced using Intel’s 300mm silicon wafer technology and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography.

Under the terms of the partnership, Intel has provided the building and manufacturing capabilities, while Argonne has provided the necessary expertise to test Intel’s quantum dot qubits.

The partners have been collaborating on quantum technology since 2022, when Intel announced plans to launch its first quantum computing testbed at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois.

In a statement, Argonne said the project aims to scale up the quantum dot qubits for use in quantum computers and other technologies, engineering them to precise specifications. If successful, it would allow quantum dot qubits to potentially be tuned one way to sense disease in human tissue and another way to calculate the best cross-country route for truck deliveries, the lab claims.

“This collaboration between Argonne and Intel is a cornerstone of Q-NEXT,” said Q-NEXT inaugural director David Awschalom. ​“It shows the impact of a national quantum research center: Only at this scale can industry and discovery-driven organizations like the national laboratories combine their strengths to build such a complex system. Together, we accomplish advances that would be challenging for a single investigator, or even a single institution, to achieve alone.”