Quantum processors run at room temperature, fit into server racks, need no cooling, and support AI, chemistry, materials research, and robotics.
German quantum computing startup SAXON Q has introduced two commercial quantum processors, the SXQ128 with 128 qubits and the SXQ512 with 512 qubits. According to the company, these are the first diamond-based nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center quantum processors to go beyond ten physical qubits. Developed from research at Leipzig University, the systems run at room temperature and do not need cryogenic cooling, vacuum systems, or cleanroom infrastructure. They fit into standard server racks, run from regular AC power outlets, and are claimed to use 6–10 times less energy than GPU-based computing clusters.
One of the main challenges in diamond NV-center quantum computing has been the low number of implanted nitrogen atoms that become usable qubits. Conventional manufacturing methods typically convert only 1% to 10% of implanted nitrogen atoms into stable NV centers.
SAXON Q says it has addressed this issue with a sulfur co-implantation process protected by more than 220 patents and patent applications. The company claims the technique increases conversion yields to over 85%, allowing a higher density and more accurate placement of NV centers in the diamond.
The company also says the resulting qubits achieve single-gate fidelity of up to 99.92%, reducing errors during operations and allowing longer quantum calculations.
The processors use a modular multi-core architecture managed by the company’s Quantum Operating System (QOS). The SXQ128 provides eight fully entangled qubits per processing core, while the SXQ512 increases this to 16 entangled qubits per core. The systems can be expanded by replacing diamond chips or adding more processing cores.
The company says its earlier room-temperature quantum systems are already being used both on-site and through cloud APIs by research organisations, including the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (IWU). The company expects the new processors to support applications such as quantum convolutional neural networks (QCNNs), variational quantum algorithms, materials research, robotics optimisation, and quantum chemistry simulations.
