As an Australian, I'm a little surprised, but also very glad, that Australia is able to do consistently world-leading quantum computing research. It is interesting to think about why this is. Looking into it further, there is a government funded program which has major universities working together (<a href="https://www.cqc2t.org/" rel="nofollow">https://www.cqc2t.org/</a>). I think this is important in a relatively small country, otherwise you have research groups in a race to the bottom for limited funds.<p>Seeing this also speaks to the fact that Australian research has a lot of potential which isn't realised due to lack of funding, with levels well below other OECD countries [1]. The federal budget spends about the same amount on sicence research ($1.8 billion) as it does on the arts and sports. It's a very big missed opportunity.<p>[1] <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/jul/10/australias-spending-on-research-plummets-far-below-oecd-average" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/jul/10/austr...</a>
# Hot qubits made in Sydney break one of the biggest constraints to practical quantum computers<p>The unit cell developed by Dzurak’s team comprises two qubits confined in a pair of quantum dots embedded in silicon. The result, scaled up, can be manufactured using existing silicon chip factories, and would operate without the need for multi-million-dollar cooling. It would also be easier to integrate with conventional silicon chips, which will be needed to control the quantum processor.