Equal1, the silicon quantum computing company, today announced that with 25 U.S. and international patents granted and an additional 17 patents pending, Equal1 is now one of the top patent holders in quantum computing globally. The ability to utilize existing state-of-the-art semiconductor manufacturing processes for quantum is an area of critical strategic importance as the industry scales to real-world quantum computing.
Unlike competing qubit technologies such as superconducting or trapped ion, which require immense custom manufacturing and ultra-low temperature cryogenic cooling facilities, Equal1 has integrated an entire quantum computer and system onto a single silicon chip. Built on commercial silicon CMOS processes, Equal1 Quantum-on-Chip processors (QPUs), today proven in three generations of silicon, produce quantum computers with unmatched performance and efficiency and in a breakthrough compact rack-based form factor.
“While the first generation of quantum technologies have proven quantum computing is possible, equally, they have proven that they cannot scale or commercialize. Scalability is the reason the industry is shifting to quantum silicon,” said Jason Lynch, CEO of Equal1. “Computing performance has always advanced mainly through advances in silicon, and quantum computers will be no different. This is why being a top patent holder in silicon quantum computing is critical in the next phase of scaling and commercializing quantum computing.”
Equal1 is the first quantum company to successfully fabricate quantum-on-chip processors using standard commercial CMOS processes. Proven in silicon, our third-generation quantum processor integrates an entire quantum system—qubits, control, and read-out—on a single silicon chip. CMOS is the only technology that can commercially and technically scale to millions of qubits needed for high-performance quantum computing.
Equal1 patents are in fundamental areas of silicon-powered quantum computing. Patents include core cryoCMOS technology, quantum device structure, qubit control, quantum AI and neural networks, quantum error correction, and system integration innovations to produce quantum computers that are compact, powerful, and efficient. Several patents below illustrate the importance of the Equal1 portfolio.
US11214484: “Planar quantum structures utilizing quantum particle tunneling through local depleted well.” This patent covers the basic Equal1 qubit structure of a single qubit as well as the architecture to scale to 2D quantum dot arrays, critical to the ability to scale to millions of qubits. This patent addresses a core issue facing quantum computing—scalability.
US11202526: “Reprogrammable quantum processor architecture incorporating quantum error correction.” This patent covers Equal1’s proprietary error correction methodology, which combines classical, quantum, and AI techniques to produce on-chip, on-the-fly error correction to preserve quantum information. Real-time on-chip error correction is essential as qubits scale to create large-scale quantum computers.
US11423322: “Integrated quantum computer incorporating quantum core and associated classical control circuitry.” Every other quantum solution uses technology external to the qubit arrays to manage, control and measure the qubits. This patent covers a Quantum Processor Unit with quantum cores and classic circuitry integrated on a single chip, meaning control and measurement operate at the speed of quantum processing.