The SRI-managed Quantum Economic Development Consortium contributes new approaches to control and readout systems, which will accelerate quantum manufacturing.
The SRI-managed Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C®) — the world’s premier association of pioneers in the quantum technology marketplace — has completed a NIST-funded research program aimed at making quantum electronics more compact and manufacturable. Launched with $1.4 million in federal matching funds awarded in 2022, the initiative brought together four QED-C member companies — Rigetti Computing, Amphenol RF, Maybell Quantum Industries, and XMA — to address gaps in the control and readout electronics supply chain identified in QED-C’s enabling technology roadmap.
“Control and readout technology is a foundational but sometimes overlooked piece of the global quantum supply chain.” — Celia Merzbacher
Each company tackled distinct engineering challenges. Amphenol RF reduced the size, weight, and signal loss of room-temperature control electronics while improving scalability. Maybell Quantum Industries redesigned cabling to more tightly integrate components, resulting in a denser, higher-performance package. Rigetti Computing developed a nanoscale, on-chip temperature measurement method to better diagnose heating issues that degrade qubit performance. XMA addressed cost, physical footprint, and thermal impact by creating a new cabling solution that increases channel capacity while reducing infrastructure size. Together, these advances support QED-C’s broader mission of strengthening the quantum technology ecosystem across computing, networking, and sensing.
“Control and readout technology is a foundational but sometimes overlooked piece of the global quantum supply chain,” comments QED-C executive director Celia Merzbacher. “These advances help scale quantum systems to achieve real utility and economic value.”
Learn more about how SRI is innovating in applied quantum sciences.
