Former Australian of the Year launches world-first atomic-scale chip plant in Sydney
Michelle Simmons announced that her company, Silicon Quantum Computing, is building the world’s first atomic-scale manufacturing facility in Sydney to create quantum chips that could rival AI giants.
During the annual John Monash Foundation dinner, former Australian of the Year Michelle Simmons declared that Silicon Quantum Computing is establishing a pioneering atomic-scale chip factory in Sydney, the first worldwide. The facility, funded in part by a $60 million grant from the federal National Reconstruction Fund and venture capital from Firgun Ventures and Tin Alley Ventures, will produce quantum chips that complement conventional AI models.
The company’s initial offering, the Watermelon chip, has secured five paying customers, including Schneider Electric, Telstra, the Commonwealth Bank, the Defence Department and an unnamed high-frequency trading firm, and has shown a 20 percent boost in energy-forecast accuracy for Schneider. Simmons highlighted growing demand that outpaces current production capacity and reiterated a target of a fully error-correcting quantum processor by 2033, likening the timeline to the evolution from the first transistor to personal computers. She also noted that most of the firm’s workforce, about 70 percent, comes from overseas, reflecting Australia’s appeal for high-tech ventures.
Why it matters
The plant could position Australia as a leader in quantum chip manufacturing, accelerating AI and scientific breakthroughs.
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