OPX1000 New Microwave Module: Processor-Based Quantum Controller Revolutionizes Quantum Computing
In Sept. 2023, Quantum Machines (QM) unveiled OPX1000, our most advanced quantum control system to date – and the industry’s leading controller in terms of performance and channel density. OPX1000 is the third generation of QM’s processor-based quantum controllers™. It enhances its predecessor, OPX+, by expanding analog performance and multiplying channel density to support the control of over 1,000 qubits. However, QM’s vision for quantum controllers extends far beyond.
OPX1000 is designed as a platform for orchestrating the control of large-scale QPUs (quantum processing units). It’s equipped with 8 frontend modules (FEMs) slots, representing the cutting-edge modular architecture for quantum control. The first low-frequency (LF) module was introduced in September 2023, and today, we’re happy to introduce the Microwave (MW) FEM, which delivers additional value to our rapidly expanding customer base.
Microwave Frontend Module MW FEM
Processor-Based Quantum Controllers
The developments in Quantum Computing bring new requirements. These requirements first dictated a shift from bulky AWG systems to processor-based solutions. This led us to the development of the Pulse Processing Unit (PPU), a dedicated processor for quantum pulse sequences. PPU has since been integrated into the OPX framework to create the first, and currently only, quantum error correction-ready controller.
OPX continues to enable groundbreaking research across various qubit technologies, contributing to over 60 scientific publications in 2023 alone. The field’s expansion opens new possibilities, from hybrid quantum-classical computing to quantum sensing and communication.
More Modules, Better Performance, Reliable Scalability
The new MW FEM we introduce today provides up to 8 analog output channels working at 2 GSa/s (1 GSa/s for each quadrature) in standard mode and the ability to work in double rate mode to go up to 4 GSa/s (2 GSa/s I and Q), by combining the power of multiple PPU cores that are interconnected with all channels. This new module operates via direct digital synthesis (DDS) up to 10.5 GHz, reducing the number of components for a more scalable design requiring no calibration.
MW-FEM’s analog performance sets a new benchmark for controllers, ensuring the highest qubit fidelities without compromise. The phase noise is among the lowest in the industry with < -125 dBc/Hz (at 6 GHz, 10 kHz offset). The spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) is about 60 dBc over the entire frequency range and without any need for calibrations, while the total harmonic distortion (THD) is kept above 40 dBc. Thanks to such specs and the PPU uniqueness, users will be able to exploit the full potential of the QPU with easily programmable mid-circuit measurement, dynamic circuits, or error correction schemes. The system is backward-compatible with OPX/OPX+ in that users will be able to use codes written for OPX/OPX+ on OPX1000, further enabling many laboratories to scale up their experimental systems seamlessly.
OPX1000 Frontend modules (FEMs), for low frequency and microwave control, with their main specifications. Modules can play in synergy with one another even in different chassis, making the OPX1000 a truly modular and scalable system.
MW-FEM offers multiple features that are unique in the industry:
- Simultaneous play of pulses over different central frequencies, each with 800 MHz instantaneous bandwidth: this combines the all-to-all connectivity and the ability of the high-frequency numerical oscillators (NCO) to provide LO-like signals at very different frequencies;
- Full real-time control of the NCO phase to reset it at will: normally not possible with analog LOs, this removes the need for ultra-stable LOs because the signal phase can be reset at the beginning of every sequence, directly from software, in real-time;
- Perform active reset in less than 100 ns: thanks to the novel ultra-fast feedback, the MW-FEM offers the lowest latency active reset in the market, allowing for fast and precise multi-qubit initialization with the highest of fidelities.
OPX1000: The First Data Center-Ready Quantum Controller
OPX1000’s design promotes adaptability and integration, facilitating novel interactions between technologies and supporting a variety of qubit types and quantum-classical workflows. Thanks to its modularity, OPX1000 allows you to change, upgrade, and adapt hardware to any need while maintaining a stable and solid foundation of the control system. It further features a high level of redundancy and interchangeability for its uses in HPC environments and within larger architectures and workflows.
OPX1000 facilitates easy upgrades and adaptations, supported by QUA, QM’s pulse level language, which simplifies module swaps and scales with hardware. Furthermore, via DGX-Quantum, an NVIDIA-Quantum Machines collaboration, users can count on a low-latency connection to an NVIDIA GraceHopper (less than 5 µs round-trip, more than 1000 times better than other solutions), making the OPX1000 the first ever controller able to integrate CPU, GPU, and QPU.
OPX1000 is designed for scale. One chassis with 4 LF-FEMs and 4 MW-FEMs is enough to operate a superconducting chip counting 25 qubits. Combining multiple chassis to go over the 25-qubit mark is straightforward, as QM’s synchronization technology, QSync, allows multiple OPX1000s to work as one. 256 superconducting qubits require 9 OPX1000s, while only 2.5 racks are necessary to control a quantum processor of 1000 superconducting qubits. With respect to competing solutions, this is a reduction of 4 times the power consumption and the floor space utilized in a data center. With its channel density and a high degree of redundancy, the OPX1000 is the first data center-ready quantum controller.
OPX1000 stands as the most advanced, scalable quantum controller, driving quantum advantage through superior control. It can drive thousands of qubits today, adapting to any modality, with a large bandwidth, cutting-edge analog performance, unique real-time computational capabilities, and high redundancy and robustness: a truly scalable controller. Ready for a demo? Contact us to see the OPX1000 in action.
The OPX1000 is the most advanced and scalable quantum controller available.
