Sydney’s Silicon Quantum Computing Taps AMD Hardware To Push Toward Commercial Quantum Computers By 2033

Silicon Quantum Computing (SQC), a Sydney-based quantum technology company spun out of the Australian university system, is using AMD chip technology as a foundation for its push to deliver commercial-scale quantum computers within the next decade.

The company, which has secured AU$180 million in funding and employs more than 100 people including 85 engineers, has built its quantum computing platform around AMD’s Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC and Ryzen Threadripper processors. The hardware underpins both the precise control of individual qubits and the compute-intensive simulation and modelling work required to develop quantum systems.

SQC Founder and CEO, Michelle Simmons, framed the AMD relationship as central to the company’s trajectory.

“Delivering a commercial-scale quantum computer requires the world’s most cutting-edge hardware and relationships with hardware providers. We are proud to be using AMD products, and we are on this journey together,” Simmons stated.

Atomic-level precision in silicon

SQC’s core technology involves controlling and positioning individual phosphorus atoms within isotopically pure silicon with 0.13-nanometre accuracy. That atomic-level precision is what allows the company to engineer qubits with the consistency needed for functional quantum processors.

The approach places heavy demands on materials purity. Impurities and imperfections introduce noise into processors, making the quality of fabrication a constant engineering challenge. Integrating quantum processors with classical compute resources for real-time system management and error correction adds further complexity.

SQC operates its own manufacturing facility, which Simmons identified as a competitive advantage.

“We have our own manufacturing facility, allowing us to design and deliver new chips weekly. That’s a huge advantage over competitors and is essential for agility as we build our commercial muscle and prepare for broad scale adoption of quantum computing,” she explained.

Custom FPGA platform for qubit control

At the centre of SQC’s technical stack is a custom-developed FPGA platform built on AMD Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC technology. The platform handles qubit control and readout, and has been tailored to take advantage of SQC’s silicon-based qubit architecture.

The engineering team has developed a comprehensive in-house software stack that includes custom FPGA components for real-time waveform generation, sequencer cores and specialised compilers that translate high-level instructions into quantum operations. The stack uses Python alongside multiple lower-level languages.

Ramon Buckland, Head of Software at SQC, pointed to the level of control this arrangement provides.

“By controlling every aspect – down to the analog pulses for qubit control – we maximize reliability and performance. The AMD platform lets us get instructions to the qubits at the speed quantum computing demands,” Buckland noted.

Alan Mujumdar, Lead of Hardware Team at SQC, described the AMD platform as a natural fit.

“The flexibility of the AMD platform is unmatched. It was the obvious choice for our needs, balancing analog and digital capabilities seamlessly,” Mujumdar remarked.

Rapid iteration at scale

SQC fabricates and tests hundreds of chip designs each year, with new firmware and hardware updates introduced weekly. AMD Ryzen Threadripper processor-powered clusters handle the simulation, modelling and software preparation workloads that feed into this cycle.

The result is an end-to-end pipeline running from atomic-scale fabrication through to firmware deployment and customer delivery, with SQC maintaining oversight across each stage.

The company has already developed and delivered two application-specific quantum systems – “Watermelon” and “Quantum Twins” – which are being used by enterprise customers for quantum machine learning and molecular simulation.

SQC’s “turnkey” quantum systems can be deployed in customer data centres or accessed via the cloud from its Sydney headquarters.

Industry applications emerging

SQC’s technology is already being applied across several sectors. In telecommunications, quantum systems are being used to assess network health and predict outages. Financial services organisations are using the hardware for anti-money laundering analysis and identifying illicit accounts.

Energy utilities are integrating quantum devices to improve load balancing and anticipate demand peaks in support of net zero targets. Government agencies, meanwhile, view quantum computing as a strategic “offset technology” that could provide advantages in security and computational capacity.

SQC’s machine learning systems have delivered faster model training times, enabling businesses and data centre operators to accelerate AI deployment.

Buckland highlighted the reliability of the underlying AMD hardware.

“When you receive a product from AMD, you deploy firmware and it works flawlessly,” he observed.

Heterogeneous computing as the path forward

Simmons positioned quantum computing as part of a broader shift toward heterogeneous computing, where quantum, classical and AI systems operate alongside each other rather than as replacements.

“Our customers are the biggest enterprises in the world, with extensive R&D budgets and a clear focus on frontier technologies,” Simmons noted. “Quantum, classical, and AI systems work alongside one another. Heterogeneous computing is the future.”

SQC is targeting first deliveries of commercial-scale quantum computers by 2033, with a focus on industries including telecommunications, finance, energy and defence.

The company plans to continue its collaboration with AMD as it explores next-generation adaptive compute platforms and refines the integration between quantum and classical orchestration.

“Today, we’re scratching the surface of what quantum can do for technology and society. Commercial-scale quantum computing is just around the corner and I’m excited for what the future brings beyond that point,” Simmons concluded.

SQC was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Sydney. More information is available at www.sqc.com.au.

Last Updated on May 23, 2026 by Nick Ross