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Cision Canada
24-04-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
Xanadu and AFRL Forge Strategic R&D Partnership to Advance Photonic Quantum Technologies
TORONTO, April 24, 2025 /CNW/ - Xanadu Quantum Technologies Inc. (Xanadu) has announced a new strategic research and development partnership with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). The partnership aims to accelerate the development of silicon photonic integrated circuits for quantum applications, with the goal of delivering transformative technologies for both military and commercial applications. Xanadu, founded in 2016 and based in Toronto, Canada, is known for developing cloud-accessible photonic quantum computers and open-source software for quantum machine learning and chemistry simulation. In January 2025, Xanadu unveiled Aurora, the world's first complete prototype of a universal photonic quantum computer, featuring a modular architecture with 35 networked photonic chips and 13 kilometers of fiber optics, combining all the subsystems necessary to implement universal and fault-tolerant quantum computation. The four-year R&D agreement combines AFRL's expertise in deployed advanced technologies with Xanadu's pioneering work in photonic quantum computing and chip-scale integration. Through the agreement, AFRL will provide Xanadu access to its Process Design Kit (PDK) for silicon photonic circuits. Xanadu will evaluate the PDK within its software ecosystem and offer technical feedback to help AFRL tailor its chip designs for quantum-specific applications, including entangled photon generation and squeezed light sources—critical elements for quantum computing and communication systems. "Today's environment requires the cooperation of industry partners to help lay the groundwork for deployable quantum systems that meet the evolving needs of the U.S. Air Force and broader Department of Defense," stated Dr. Mike Hayduk, Deputy Director of AFRL's Information Directorate. Beyond technological advancements, the partnership will facilitate joint exploration of commercial applications, manufacturing roadmaps, and other knowledge exchange. Xanadu will offer insights into potential markets and end-users for quantum photonic processors and related systems. AFRL will benefit from evaluating Xanadu's innovative designs, simulation tools, and software frameworks, including its patented approaches to quantum machine learning, quantum chemistry, and fault-tolerant architectures. "We're excited to collaborate with AFRL on this important initiative," said Dr. Zachary Vernon, Xanadu's Chief Technology Officer for Hardware. "This partnership gives us a unique opportunity to push the boundaries of photonic quantum hardware and bring real-world applications closer to reality." Dr. Vernon highlighted that this new partnership underscores the growing recognition of the important role that industry-based quantum technologies can play in enhancing U.S. national security, advancing scientific leadership, and boosting economic competitiveness. By promoting collaboration between the public and private sectors, the U.S. can leverage the specialized expertise, innovative strategies, and substantial resources of the private sector, which will help accelerate advancements in the nation's future capabilities. As quantum technologies transition from lab to field, partnerships like this one between AFRL and Xanadu showcase how government and industry can effectively work together to transform bold ideas into real-world value. About Xanadu: Xanadu is a Canadian quantum computing company with the mission to build quantum computers that are useful and available to people everywhere. Founded in 2016, Xanadu has become one of the world's leading quantum hardware and software companies. The company also leads the development of PennyLane, an open-source software library for quantum computing and application development. Visit or follow us on X @XanaduAI.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Intel announces 18A process node has entered risk production — crucial milestone comes as company ramps to Panther Lake chips
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. At its Vision 2025 conference, Intel announced today that it has entered risk production of its 18A process node, a crucial production milestone signifying that the node is now in the early stages of low-volume test manufacturing runs. Intel's Kevin O'Buckley, the Senior Vice President of Foundry Services, made the announcement as Intel nears the full completion of its "five nodes in four years" (5N4Y) plan, which was originally set in motion by ex-CEO Pat Gelsinger as part of the company's quest to retake the semiconductor crown from rival TSMC. The conference also marks the first time that new CEO Lip-Bu Tan has taken to the stage as the new leader of Intel. Intel originally announced its four-year plan in June 2021, and despite canceling high volume manufacturing of the 20A node as a cost-cutting measure, Intel is on the cusp of reaching the finish line with its 18A node. Notably, Intel's 5N4Y plan hinged on the process nodes being available for production rather than actively being in the final high volume manufacturing (HVM) stage. "Risk production, while it sounds scary, is actually an industry standard terminology, and the importance of risk production is we've gotten the technology to a point where we're freezing it," O'Buckley explained. "Our customers have validated that, 'Yep, 18 A is good enough for my product.' And we have to now do the 'risk' part, which is to scale it from making hundreds of units per day to thousands, tens of thousands, and then hundreds of thousands. So risk production [..] is scaling our manufacturing up and ensuring that we can meet not just the capabilities of the technology, but the capabilities at scale." Risk production is one of many steps on the long road to fielding a new process node and indicates that the company believes the node is nearly ready for HVM. Intel has already produced plenty of 18A test chips/shuttles, typically wherein multiple different designs are prototyped on a single wafer. In contrast, risk production consists of pressing wafers full of a single chip design into low-volume manufacturing as the company tweaks its manufacturing flow and qualifies the node and Process Design Kit (PDK) in real-world production runs. Intel will then scale production up to higher levels in the second half of the year. This step of bringing up a semiconductor process comes after the R&D, design, and prototyping stages of development. There is some 'risk' to risk production, though, as yields and functionality (parametric yields, etc.) can be sub-par as the company refines its manufacturing techniques and optimizes its tooling as it works up the learning curve. As such, customers typically use risk production to manufacture qualification or engineering samples, and the customers aren't given as stringent yield targets/guarantees as they are with nodes fully qualified for HVM. However, some customers are willing to assume those risks to get the payoff of gaining significant time-to-market advantages through early access to the node, which then allows them to adjust and perfect their designs before competitors even begin production. Intel hasn't yet specified if the 18A risk production is for its own Panther Lake processors, which it says will arrive on schedule later this year, or if the production runs are for its external foundry customers. However, Panther Lake, Intel's first 18A processors, will enter mass production later this year. As such, the Panther Lake chips are likely the risk production subject; this schedule generally aligns with our expectations for a typical risk production-to-HVM timeline for Intel. Although Intel pioneered several new technologies on its cancelled 20A node, the 18A (1.8nm) chips will be the first productized chips with both PowerVia backside power delivery and RibbonFET gate-all-around (GAA) transistors. PowerVia provides optimized power routing to improve performance and transistor density, and RibbonFET also provides better transistor density along with faster transistor switching, but in a smaller area. Intel also continues to work on its broader foundry roadmap, which includes the follow-on 14A node, Intel's first to utilize High-NA EUV lithography. Numerous node extensions to other nodes will further expand Intel Foundry Services' portfolio to a broader range of applications. These developments come during turbulence at Intel Foundry as the company adjusts to changing macroeconomic factors. Intel recently delayed the build-out of its Ohio operations until 2030, for example. However, the announcement of 18A risk production mirrors the positive reports that Intel is running its first 18A wafers through its Arizona fabs. We expect to learn much more about Intel's future plans at its Foundry Direct Connect event in late April. Sign in to access your portfolio
