Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1522641
56 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2024 Take it from someone who has experienced it for the past three years: Choosing the right vendor partner involves careful evaluation and consideration of these factors to build a strong, productive, and long-lasting relation- ship. PCB007 Prashant Patel is owner and president of Alpha Circuit. Cultural fit and communication: Ensure the vendor's culture aligns with your company's values and work ethics. Effective communica- tion and a shared vision for success are vital for a smooth partnership. Many people overlook this, and that is a huge mistake. You're not just buying a piece of equipment; in many ways, you are "marrying" the supplier and getting started on a long-term relationship. You must be able to get along with your suppliers now and in the future. More than 100 years ago, scientists at The Uni- versity of Manchester changed the world when they discovered the nucleus in atoms, marking the birth of nuclear physics. Fast forward to today, and his- tory repeats itself, this time in quantum computing. Richard Curry, Professor of Advanced Electronic Materials at The University of Manchester, said: "What we've been able to do is effectively cre- ate a critical 'brick' needed to construct a silicon- based quantum computer. It's a crucial step to mak- ing a technology that has the potential to be trans- formative for humankind - feasible; a technology that could give us the capability to process data at such as scale, that we will be able to find solutions to complex issues such as addressing the impact of climate change and tackling healthcare challenges. One of the biggest challenges in the develop- ment of quantum computers is that qubits – the building blocks of quantum computing - are highly sensitive and require a stable environment to main- tain the information they hold. Silicon is the underpinning material in classical computing due to its semiconductor properties and the researchers believe it could be the answer to scalable quantum computers. Natural silicon is made up of three atoms of different mass (called isotopes) – silicon 28, 29 and 30. However the Si-29, mak- ing up around 5% of silicon, causes a 'nuclear flip flopping' effect causing the qubit to lose information. In a breakthrough at The University of Manchester, scientists have come up with a way to engineer sil- icon to remove the silicon 29 and 30 atoms, mak- ing it the perfect material to make quantum comput- ers at scale, and with high accuracy. The result – the world's purest silicon – pro- vides a pathway to the cre- ation of one million qubits, which may be fabricated to the size of pin head. (Source: The University of Manchester) Quantum Breakthrough: Engineering the World's Purest Silicon