Our Technology: Nano-Scale Gold for Quantum Computing
Why qubit stability is quantum computing's hardest problem
A qubit's usefulness depends on coherence — how long it holds its quantum state before noise destroys it. As Prof. Knappenberger put it at our July 2026 fireside: the most stable quantum systems are dilute, isolated ones, “but you can't make them scalable”, while scalable condensed-phase materials pick up the noise that destroys stability. Every current platform is strong on one axis and constrained on the other.
What changes about gold at the nano-scale
Engineered at the nano-scale, gold's intrinsic properties can be put to work in two distinct forms. Arranged in engineered layers, gold offers unusual surface states that become the basis of circuit elements — our electrical route, which aims to protect quantum states through topology. Built into atomically precise clusters, gold behaves like a single giant atom — a ‘superatom’ — with addressable spin, reproducible and tunable by chemistry (published open-access in ACS Central Science, 2025). One material, two complementary ways in.
Why gold: stability, conductivity, manufacturing maturity
Three reasons, grounded in our published research and the basic chemistry of gold.
Gold doesn't oxidise. That keeps clusters chemically intact on the optical route, and keeps engineered layers and their surfaces clean on the electrical route.
Gold is an excellent conductor with very strong spin–orbit coupling — the reason light emitted by gold clusters carries spin information. Its electronic structure is also the foundation of the electrical route; as Prof. Ruda put it at our July 2026 fireside chat: ‘there's actually something really interesting about the electronic structure in this material, and I think we could use it to do quite a different approach to information.’
Gold is among the most established materials in electronics fabrication. And gold clusters can be made in solution, at gram scale, with atomic precision — the desired function built into every unit, rather than relying on rare natural defects as some platforms do.
What our research is testing
Each route follows a published five-step ladder, and both have patents filed at step one. Long-term, the two routes are designed to converge in a hybrid gold QIS platform: stable, scalable compute with networking built in (research stage, not yet a device).
What would count as proof
Clear, staged tests on each route. Electrical: demonstrating an addressable topological state, then building from it towards a scalable topological system. Optical: showing one cluster emits one photon at a time, reading out a single spin optically, and measured coherence times. On both routes, review from the Strategic Advisory Panel and patents granted are the external validation points.
Where the IP stands today
Three full patent applications filed from the Penn State programme (RNS June 2026), covering the exploitation of gold and other materials for quantum-mechanical properties in sensing, computing and information processing. One provisional application filed from the Toronto programme (RNS May 2026) — ‘Novel transducer structures for quantum devices’ — confidential for 18 months from filing. Further filings planned for 2027.
All applications are pending; none has yet been granted.