Diraq installs Australia's first quantum computer in a commercial data centre

Quantum computing company Diraq has installed what it describes as Australia's first quantum computer inside a commercial data centre, with the system now live at Equinix's Sydney facility.

The deployment puts Diraq's silicon spin-based quantum computer into the same infrastructure used by banking, healthcare, utilities, manufacturing and retail businesses. The system currently operates with eight qubits and draws less than 20 kW of power, occupying 16 square metres of floor space.

Diraq said it is targeting up to 256 qubits in the same deployed system within the next year. The company said a future utility-scale system would draw around 300 kW - less than a third of the power required by a single next-generation AI rack - and could occupy as little as five square metres.

The company said its silicon spin architecture is built using the same semiconductor manufacturing processes used to produce conventional computer chips, allowing customers to increase computing power by upgrading the quantum processor with minimal changes to surrounding infrastructure.

"We are now at a point where quantum computing can start to reach industries and the people they serve," said Andrew Dzurak, chief executive and founder of Diraq.

"Our silicon spin approach is what puts that within reach in five years, not decades. It gives us a manufacturing path already proven at industrial scale, a cost curve that improves as we add qubits, and a system designed to run inside today's existing computing infrastructure."

Jarrod Nink, managing director for Australia at Equinix, said the deployment helps bridge the gap between research and commercial deployment.

"By hosting Australia's first quantum computer in a commercial data centre, we are helping create the foundation for quantum systems to connect with the cloud, AI and high-performance computing ecosystems that enterprises rely on today," Nink said.