Cisco Systems Inc. is future-proofing itself for the day when quantum computing finally becomes a reality, announcing a prototype networking chip that leverages quantum mechanics to scale up the next generation of computer systems.

The prototype was unveiled as the company opened a new research hub in Santa Monica that’s dedicated to exploring the potential of quantum networking technologies, both for quantum computing itself and for other possible applications with classical computers.

Vijoy Pandey, senior vice president of emerging technologies at Outshift by Cisco, its “incubation engine,” said in a blog post that the experimental Quantum Network Entanglement chip is designed to address the shortcomings of today’s quantum computers, which struggle to scale beyond a few hundred qubits.

Qubits are the basic unit of information in quantum computing, similar to the “bits” in classical computers, and they boast unique properties that form the foundation of the technology’s vast potential. Whereas traditional bits are represented either by a one or a zero, qubits can form a third state where they represent both a one and a zero at the same time. It’s this capability that enables them to perform vastly more complex computations than any classical computer can hope to do.

The challenge is that stabilizing these qubits is incredibly difficult, and according to Pandey, even the most ambitious roadmaps for quantum computers are targeting only a couple of thousand qubits by 2030. Yet for quantum computing to become practical, it needs to scale to millions of qubits.

Distributed quantum systems

Pandey says the solution is not to build monolithic quantum machines, but rather connect lots of smaller quantum computers together to form a distributed system. He envisions a future where scaled-out quantum data centers will coordinate millions of quantum computers and their qubits, working together to solve humanity’s toughest problems.

For these distributed quantum computing systems to work, they’re going to need a reliable way to communicate with one another, and that’s where Cisco’s quantum network entanglement chip aims to make a difference.

By leveraging the properties of quantum mechanics, it’s uniquely able to create “pairs of entangled photons” that can instantaneously connect with one another, regardless of distance. Pandey explains that it’s a real-world implementation of “quantum teleportation,” which was famously described by Albert Einstein as “spooky action at a distance.”

Cisco says its quantum chip prototype is especially promising because it can function at room temperature as a miniaturized photonic integrated chip, making it suitable for deployment in traditional data centers. It operates at standard telecom wavelengths, which means it can integrate with existing fiber optic cables, and it offers exceptionally high performance at up to 1 million high-fidelity entanglement pairs per output channel, supporting up to 200 million entanglement pairs per second, per chip.

The new chip is part of a broader effort by Cisco to help shape the future of quantum computing. Through its new Cisco Quantum Labs facility in Santa Monica, it aims to design and build a complete quantum networking stack. The lab is intended to serve as a hub, where Cisco’s and other academic researchers can work together and experiment with both theoretical concepts and practical implementations of the technology.

In a paper posted on arXiv, Cisco has outlined a rough architecture for a network designed to support distributed quantum computing systems. It calls for the development of new entanglement distribution protocols, a quantum network development kit, quantum random number generator and a distributed quantum computing compiler and other components. These are the projects that the researchers at Cisco Quantum Labs will be working on, Pandey said.

Real-world benefits, today

While Cisco is building its quantum network infrastructure to support more powerful quantum computing systems when they come on line, it believes that the technology can provide more immediate benefits for traditional computers based on bits.

For instance, quantum networks can enable ultra-precise time synchronization to support global trading operations, as well as quantum-secured communications that instantly detect eavesdropping. Other use cases include secure and tamper-proof location verification, which could have applications in supply chains and logistics.

Pandey said one of the most critical advantages of Cisco’s quantum network technology is its vendor-neutral approach. He noted that companies such as IBM Corp., Google LLC and IonQ Inc. are pursuing many different approaches to quantum computing, including superconducting, neutral atom and ion trap-based systems. Rather than try to predict which methods will be most effective, Cisco intends to make sure its networking stack will be able to work with all of those technologies.

“This approach mirrors Cisco’s historical strength in networking,” Pandey said. “We don’t need to pick winners among quantum computing platforms because we’re building the networking fabric that will enable all of them to scale.”

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