Irish quantum computing startup Equal1 has announced the Bell-1 system, which the company says is the world’s first compact quantum server built on a silicon chip. The device can be easily integrated into existing HPC environments to form quantum-classical computing platforms.
Equal1 notes that modern quantum computers require specialized infrastructure, including dedicated rooms and complex cooling systems. But Bell-1 can be deployed as a rack in an existing data center.
Bell-1 is based on the six-qubit UnityQ chip, a so-called quantum system on a chip (QSoC). It combines all the components of quantum computing — measurement, control, readout, and error correction — into a single silicon processor, which is claimed to provide high precision and unprecedented power. The hybrid architecture includes Arm cores, AI accelerators, and neural units. It is said to be scalable to millions of qubits. The approach eliminates the complex orchestration between individual classical and quantum computing nodes.
Image source: Equal1
The Bell-1 rack system operates on a standard single-phase 110/220 V network, and the power consumption is 1600 W, which is comparable to a high-performance GPU-based server. The operating temperature is 0.3 K (-272.85 °C): it is maintained by a fully autonomous system, including an integrated compressor, cryocooler and vacuum pump. At the same time, the ambient temperature can range from -15 to +45 °C. The dimensions of the quantum server are 600 × 1000 × 1600 mm, the weight is approximately 200 kg.
Equal1 claims that Bell-1 marks the beginning of the era of real quantum computing – Quantum Computing 2.0: this means the transition from experimental machines to practical quantum solutions. Until now, quantum computing has been limited mainly to research institutes.
Equal1 says it is changing that by offering “the first commercially viable quantum system” designed to run in existing AI and HPC data centers. Enterprises will be able to use quantum computing without changing their existing data center infrastructure, removing the barriers of complexity and cost.