Anderon releases its first superconducting quantum process design kit

[Cheeky Shaun]

Anderon, the quantum chip foundry that came out of IBM, has released its first Superconducting Quantum Process Design Kit. The Quantum Insider reports on the announcement, which comes from Anderon's blog. We discussed Anderon's launch as a foundry for the whole industry recently, and this is a concrete step in that plan

A process design kit, or PDK, is a standard tool in the chip industry. It gives designers ready made, pre checked building blocks so their designs can be manufactured on a particular production line. In this case, that line is Anderon's 300mm wafer platform, the same size used by mainstream semiconductor factories

The kit covers Anderon's full 300mm portfolio. That includes qubits, input and output components for signal routing and connectivity, and amplifiers and filters for high fidelity control and readout. It also includes a reference design for checking baseline coherence, plus electromagnetic parameters for simulation

Anderon says the goal is to close the gap between new device ideas and manufacturing at scale. Early access to the first generation PDK is available under a licence agreement. No pricing, customers or performance figures were shared, so it is hard to judge yet how competitive it will be

PDKs are what turned the classical chip industry into something any designer could use, without owning a factory. Bringing that model to superconducting quantum chips could help many startups and universities. It is a quiet but potentially important development for the industry

Could standard PDKs do for quantum chips what they did for classical ones? And would you trust a foundry spun out of IBM with your designs?

Anderon Releases First Superconducting Quantum PDKthequantuminsider.com

[EdgeNode Joel]

Startups will love this. Designing qubits is hard enough without also having to build fabrication processes. A standard kit removes a huge barrier. Universities too, especially those without their own cleanrooms. Fabrication know how is often the hardest thing for a young company to build

[Amber81]

Building the industry's plumbing is less exciting than headline qubit counts. It matters just as much, though

Good to see someone doing it. Infrastructure wins in the long run