Liquid Helium Cools PsiQuantum’s 100-Cabinet Quantum Design

PsiQuantum plans to house its ambitious quantum computer within 100 stainless-steel cabinets, each six feet tall and constantly cooled by liquid helium to just above absolute zero. Founded in 2016 by physicists from UK universities, the company is competing to be first to build a functional quantum computer using photons, particles of light, instead of traditional bits. This machine, still under development, aims to dramatically accelerate complex calculations, potentially reducing the time to predict drug interactions from over 10 years to just four minutes, according to Philipp Ernst, vice president of quantum applications for PsiQuantum. The vision, rooted in concepts Richard Feynman first laid out in 1981, has already attracted $1 billion in funding and a partnership with a major chip manufacturer to utilize existing semiconductor fabrication plants. It also has a second site in the works in Australia, which will be operational, meaning hardware-ready, in 2027. It is one of just two companies to reach the…