Quantum computer tested in Sydney AI energy push

Australian startup Diraq is testing a small quantum computer in a Sydney commercial data centre as its founder says the technology could help reduce the rising energy demands of artificial intelligence.

Diraq founder Andrew Dzurak said some problems being tackled by newer AI systems are better suited to quantum calculations. He said quantum computing was moving out of university laboratories and could help ease pressure on data centres within five years.

Large data centres used to train or run AI tools can require gigawatt-scale power, creating demand for new power plants or adding pressure to electricity grids.

Quantum computers use quantum mechanics to process information in ways traditional computers cannot. They often require extremely cold cryogenic temperatures, but Diraq's self-contained model draws less than 20 kilowatts while running beside a conventional computer in the data centre.

Diraq's computer at Equinix's Sydney data centre has eight qubits on a silicon chip. The company plans to upgrade it to 150,000 qubits by 2029 and says it aims to build a two-million-qubit system by 2031.

Diraq is among six companies in the third stage of a US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency quantum benchmarking initiative, which will test whether any quantum computer can solve real problems at a cost that delivers value by 2033.