UC Berkeley quantum computing chip to be buried in national time capsule celebrating America’s 250th birthday

UC Berkeley's eight-qubit quantum processor has been selected by California Governor Gavin Newsom to be included in a national time capsule celebrating the United States' 250th birthday. The capsule, which will be buried at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia on July 4, is scheduled to be opened in the year 2276. This inclusion underscores the strategic importance of quantum technology to the state's innovation economy and highlights the role of academic research in establishing the foundational hardware of the quantum computing sector.

The 10 millimeter-square chip is the first widely distributed quantum processing unit (QPU) and was developed through a collaboration between UC Berkeley and Berkeley Lab. Led by physics Professor Iran Siddiqi, the project produced an eight-qubit processor that has been utilized by international research groups via the Advanced Quantum Testbed to simulate complex phenomena such as neutrino interactions and the internal structure of nuclei. These qubits serve as the fundamental units of information, operating as superconducting circuits when cooled to temperatures just above absolute zero to minimize thermal noise that would otherwise interrupt quantum operations.

Research scientist Kan-Heng Lee oversaw the production of the chip, which was fabricated in the Marvel NanoLab in Sutardja Dai Hall and finished in the Quantum Nanoelectronics Lab in Campbell Hall. The QPU is labeled with the logo of Berkeley Quantum, a regional initiative between the university and the lab aimed at bolstering the quantum ecosystem. This initiative aligns with state-level efforts such as AB 940, a bill signed by Governor Newsom to establish a strategy for channeling quantum research into economic growth and job creation.

The time capsule project, organized by the congressionally mandated America250 organization, includes contributions from all 56 U.S. states and territories to be unearthed on the nation's 500th birthday in 2276. Alongside the quantum chip, California’s contributions include a segment of a conductor for an experimental nuclear fusion reactor and a future prediction generated by Anthropic’s AI agent, Claude. For the developers at Berkeley, the chip’s inclusion serves as a permanent record of the state's role as a primary site where the quantum revolution began, preserving current hardware milestones for future generations to study.