National Institute for Quantum Integration - NiQi
An ambitious proposal in the strategy to secure UK commercial leadership in quantum
NiQi is an ambitious proposal in the strategy to secure UK commercial leadership in quantum. Its goal is to accelerate the miniaturisation and cost reduction of quantum hardware, crucial for its penetration into volume applications.
Led by the University of Glasgow, NiQi will be implemented as an alliance between six leading UK academic nanofabrication facilities and the National Physics Laboratory, with a newly created National Integration Hub in Glasgow.
The new National Integration Hub will take quantum building blocks from the nanofabrication facilities that have been engineered for reliability and repeatability, and integrate these with control and communications electronics to deliver small, cost-reduced, quantum hardware systems.
The NiQi proposal seeks funding for new fabrication and back-end equipment, but more crucially for manufacturing and reliability engineering resource in the Nanofab Centres and design, systems, test and reliability engineering resource based in the Hub.
Benefits of NiQi to Industry:
- Brings together UK assets in a unified world-leading entity with one easy point of access for
- Provides access to expensive infrastructure for start-ups and SMEs
- Provide resource to de-risk early prototyping activities and provide proof of concepts
- Shorten industrial R&D Timescales
- Build Supply Chains
NiQi’s key goals are to:
- translate the UK’s leadership position in quantum research into economic benefit by catalysing the creation of a strong UK manufacturing base in key sectors such as aerospace, space, healthcare, automotive, fintech and clean energy
- use the science and technology developed in the Quantum Technology Programme to produce a pipeline of quantum technologies to meet the needs for UK Sovereign capability, a capability identified as being essential for future national security in the HMG 2021 Integrated Review of Security and Defence Development and Foreign Policy.
- enable the transition to a net zero economy as the possibilities offered by quantum functionality will allow step change improvements in areas like the efficiency and emissions
The proposal is currently under development and has wide support from industry. Almost 40 companies attended 2 days of workshops structured around the application areas of quantum computing and quantum in sensing, navigation and timing.
If you would like more information on this proposal please contact:
John.Marsh@glasgow.ac.uk Professor of Optoelectronic Systems & Director of the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre (JWNC)
Evelyn.Toma@glasgow.ac.uk Director of Strategy, James Watt Nanofabrication Centre (JWNC)
The University of Glasgow is home to the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre, one of the leading academic clean rooms in the UK.
Commercial access is available through Kelvin Nanotechnology.