Quantum computer researchers have achieved a cooling system that’s colder than space

Quantum computing has the power to revolutionize how quickly we get computations done, but it’s not like you can just swap out your processor for a quantum one and call it a day. With the new technology comes new challenges, which researchers are trying to overcome to unlock this new power. Now, they’ve managed to get a cooling system running that can chill a quantum processor to a point that’s colder than space itself.

A new quantum cooler reaches 100 millikelvin

As reported by Tom’s Hardware, researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne have managed to plunge a quantum processor to 100mK. That’s 100 millikelvins, or -273°C/-459°F. As a point of reference, the temperature of outer space clocks in at 2.7 Kelvin, so it’s a good deal cooler for the processor.

So, why are researchers going this far to cool the system? Like current computers, quantum PCs need to be consistently cooled to keep running. However, you can’t just slap a PC cooler on it and get it running. The parts that do the quantum computing, called “qubits,” need to be kept as close to zero Kelvin as possible, or else the heat will disturb them. As such, lots of work has gone into making it feasible to run a quantum computer as accurately and easily as possible.

The team achieved this by taking the heat energy produced by the components and converted them into electricity to keep things icy cool. And the best bit is, not only are these coolers possible to build using existing components, but it’s as efficient as regular PC coolers.

It’s a huge win for sure, and it’ll likely spark a revolution in quantum computing and make it a lot easier for researchers to keep their components cool. However, we may have to wait a little longer until we can use these amazing coolers to max out Cyberpunk 2077’s settings.