China’s SpinQ Technology claims it's selling portable quantum computers

China-based quantum computing company SpinQ Technology has released three new "portable" quantum computers. Already up on the hardware retailer Switch-Science’s platform, the company claimed that these "first of their kind" quantum computers are designed for educational purposes.

The company says that it aims to democratise access to physical quantum computing solutions that can be deployed and redeployed. The three ‘quantops’ — Gemini Mini, Gemini, and Triangulum — feature a fully-integrated quantum computing system.

The entry-level offering, Gemini Mini is a 200 x 350 x 260mm, 14 kg system that offers a two qubit solution. It costs 1,118,000 yen or approximately $8,104 and runs over 30 gate operations on one qubit and over ten when using two-qubit circuit. 

The Gemini version is more complex and is targeted at more advanced users. It can perform more complex gate operations and allows up to 200 operations on one qubit and over 20 gate operations in two qubit operations. The Gemini quantop measures 600 x 280 x 530 mm, weighing 44 kg and is priced at 5.72 million yen (around $41,510). 

The most advanced of the three, Triangulum, weighs 40 kg and has a 610 x 330 x 560 mm chassis. Unlike Gemini Mini and Gemini, this version has three qubits, offering double the capability. Triangulum has a port for programming and its quantum circuits can be customised; it supports pulse sequence engineering at the hardware level… It is valued at 7.92 million yen or $58,000. 

All the three versions use nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), a technique that uses motion of spins of atoms to perform quantum computations. While NMR is suitable for the implementation of small quantum computers, it is very restrictive when it comes to scaling.