A Finnish innovation in cryogenic chip technology for quantum computing and space applications has won a top award from the European Association of Research and Technology Organizations (EARTO), the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland said Wednesday, reported Xinhua.
EARTO awarded Finnish company SemiQon and VTT the first prize in the "Impact Expected" category on Tuesday in Brussels for their pioneering cryogenic CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) chip design, according to a press release issued by VTT.
Cryogenic CMOS chips are built using semiconductor materials and transistors designed to operate at extremely low temperatures — below minus 270 degrees Celsius.
"Although cryogenic electronics may seem niche today, they will soon become mainstream, first driven by quantum computing and aerospace," said Himadri Majumdar, CEO of SemiQon.
According to VTT, the cryogenic CMOS chips are highly energy-efficient and address heat dissipation problems that limit traditional CMOS use. For space systems, they can reduce power consumption by 50 percent to 90 percent. In quantum computing, they could shrink readout infrastructure by up to 30 percent in the short term and as much as tenfold in the long term.
Developed originally at VTT, the technology led to the founding of SemiQon in 2023 to commercialize cryogenic CMOS chips with superior energy efficiency and performance. Production currently takes place at the Micronova pilot line in Finland, with future expansion planned at Kvanttinova, a new quantum hub operated by VTT in southern Finland's city of Espoo.
VTT estimates the global cryogenic CMOS market, now worth over 3 billion euros, could grow to 10 billion euros by 2030.
- Cryogenic chip tech
- Finland
- European
- Award
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
