Cryogenic Quantum Computing Shrinks to a Refrigerator

The Denver, CO startup called Maybell Quantum has announced a compact cryogenic platform they call the Icebox that could make it easier to build more practical, real-world quantum systems. Quantum computing typically requires extremely low temperatures, and managing the cooling is a major part of the challenge. The Icebox is a dilution refrigerator that “condenses a room-sized cryogenic setup into a system slightly larger than your kitchen refrigerator. It can be installed in any laboratory, server-room, or well-equipped garage in an afternoon and without infrastructure upgrades.”

According to the announcement, the Icebox can support three times more qubits in one tenth the space when compared to other similar cryogenic solutions. Maybell’s CTO Kyle Thompson says Maybell makes an effort to listen the needs of quantum computing customers and address needs that aren’t being met elsewhere. “Many Icebox innovations are groundbreaking science, but some are just common sense. For example, the Icebox is the first system built with a door so you can access your qubits without taking it apart – that shouldn’t have taken 40 years.”