SQC taps AMD to advance commercial quantum systems

Silicon Quantum Computing (SQC) is using AMD hardware platforms to support the development and deployment of its silicon-based quantum computing systems, as the company works toward commercial-scale quantum systems targeted for delivery by 2033.

The Sydney-headquartered company said it has integrated AMD Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC devices into its qubit control and readout systems, while AMD Ryzen Threadripper processor-powered clusters are being used for simulation, modelling and software preparation.

SQC is developing quantum processors by positioning individual phosphorus atoms inside isotopically pure silicon with 0.13-nanometre accuracy. The company said the approach allows atomic-scale precision in qubit engineering and system control.

Quantum focus

The company is focused on applications across telecommunications, finance, energy and government sectors. It said its current systems are already being used for quantum machine learning and molecular simulation workloads.

SQC said one of the main technical challenges in quantum computing remains maintaining system quality and reliability as the number of qubits increases. The company also highlighted the complexity involved in integrating quantum processors with classical computing infrastructure for real-time orchestration, error detection and correction.

"We have our own manufacturing facility, allowing us to design and deliver new chips weekly. That's a huge advantage over competitors and is essential for agility as we build our commercial muscle and prepare for broad scale adoption of quantum computing," said Michelle Simmons, Founder and CEO, SQC.

SQC said its systems rely on a custom FPGA platform built around AMD Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC technology. The platform is designed to support qubit control, waveform generation, sequencer cores and compiler functions required for quantum operations.

The company said its engineering teams have developed an in-house software stack that links quantum hardware with classical compute resources. Python and lower-level programming languages are used to coordinate real-time quantum operations and firmware deployment.

Rapid cycles

SQC said it fabricates and tests hundreds of chip designs each year and introduces firmware and hardware updates every week. It said the rapid iteration cycle is supported by AMD Ryzen Threadripper processor-powered compute clusters used for simulation and modelling tasks.

"By controlling every aspect - down to the analog pulses for qubit control - we maximize reliability and performance. The AMD platform lets us get instructions to the qubits at the speed quantum computing demands," said Ramon Buckland, Head of Software, SQC.

The company said its systems can be deployed on-premises inside customer data centres or accessed through cloud infrastructure hosted from its Sydney headquarters. Sectors targeted include mining, aerospace, telecommunications and financial services.

SQC said telecommunications operators are using its systems to assess network health and predict outages. Financial services organisations are using the systems for anti-money laundering analysis and account detection. Energy companies are deploying quantum systems to support load balancing and demand forecasting.

Government agencies are also exploring quantum computing for security and computational workloads, according to the company.

Platform role

AMD said quantum computing systems require close integration between quantum and classical compute infrastructure to support large-scale workloads and orchestration.

"Quantum computing represents a fundamental shift in how complex problems are solved, and it requires tightly integrated classical and quantum systems to become practical at scale," said Steven Fong, Corporate Vice President, APJ Embedded Business, AMD. "By combining high-performance adaptive computing with advanced CPUs, AMD is enabling innovators like SQC to accelerate development, improve system control, and bring real-world quantum applications closer to reality."

SQC said AMD platforms have been central to maintaining reliability across its development and deployment workflows.

"The flexibility of the AMD platform is unmatched. It was the obvious choice for our needs, balancing analog and digital capabilities seamlessly," said Alan Mujumdar, Hardware Lead, SQC.

"Delivering a commercial-scale quantum computer requires the world's most cutting-edge hardware and relationships with hardware providers. We are proud to be using AMD products, and we are on this journey together," said Simmons.