Quantum leap: Cisco opens lab and introduces entanglement chip

Cisco has introduced a prototype chip designed to connect quantum computers and has opened a new laboratory in California to drive its ambitions in the emerging field.

The company revealed in a blog post that its quantum network entanglement chip produces pairs of entangled photons, allowing for instantaneous connections across any distance through quantum teleportation.

One of the chip’s key features is its compatibility with existing telecommunications infrastructure. By operating at standard telecom wavelengths, it can utilise current fibre networks, simplifying its potential integration.

Vijoy Pandey, SVP of Cisco’s Outshift innovation incubator, explained that while current quantum processors offer only hundreds of qubits, applications will require millions.

Cisco’s solution is to network smaller quantum computers together, forming larger, distributed systems rather than attempting to build a single large-scale processor.

‘Scaled-out quantum data centres, where processors work together through specialised networking, will be the practical and achievable path forward,’ Pandey said.

Although the chip remains a prototype, Cisco believes quantum processor makers will soon benefit from its networking technologies, which are intended to help scale quantum systems.

The formal launch of the Cisco Quantum Labs facility took place on 6 May. Pandey noted that the company has been working on the core elements of quantum networking for years.

Alongside the entanglement chip, the lab will research other critical components, including distribution protocols, a distributed computing compiler, and a network development kit.

Cisco joins major players such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft in advancing quantum computing technologies, while Telefonica is building its own research centre to explore the future of the sector.

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