Quantum Batteries Could Quadruple Qubit Density in Future Computers

Canberra, Australia — Australian scientists have unveiled a theoretical breakthrough that could dramatically accelerate the development of practical quantum computers, proposing the use of tiny “quantum batteries” to power the systems and potentially quadruple the number of qubits packed into the same physical space.

In a study published Wednesday in the journal Physical Review X, researchers from Australia’s national science agency CSIRO, the University of Queensland, and Japan’s Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) demonstrated how integrating internal quantum batteries could overcome key barriers in quantum computing, including excessive heat generation, complex wiring requirements, and limited scalability due to cryogenic cooling constraints.

The architecture relies on quantum batteries—devices that harness quantum mechanical effects to store and deliver energy more efficiently than classical methods—as an intrinsic power source for quantum operations. By recycling energy within the system, the approach achieves near-zero energy dissipation for certain computations while eliminating the need for individual drive lines to each qubit.

Dr. James Quach, CSIRO’s quantum batteries research lead and a co-author of the study, described the innovation as a game-changer for scaling quantum technology.

“We’ve calculated that quantum-battery-operated systems will generate significantly less heat, require fewer wiring components, and fit more qubits into the same physical space—all important steps toward building practical, scalable quantum computers,” Quach said in a statement released by CSIRO.

Current quantum computers, particularly those using superconducting qubits, face severe limitations from the need for extreme cooling to near absolute zero and the dense cabling required to control and read out individual qubits. As qubit numbers increase, wiring overhead and heat load grow exponentially, constraining how many qubits can fit within a single cryogenic system.

The new modelling shows that a shared-resonator quantum battery design could eliminate per-qubit drive lines, reducing infrastructure demands and potentially increasing qubit capacity by up to four times. The researchers also identified potential gains in computational speed through “quantum superextensivity,” a phenomenon where performance improves nonlinearly as more qubits are added.

The proposal represents the first framework for using quantum batteries to intrinsically power quantum computation, enabling unitary gates with thermodynamic efficiency approaching zero dissipation. In a superconducting circuit implementation, the shared battery supplies energy collectively, preserving quantum coherence while simplifying control architecture.

While the work is theoretical and based on detailed simulations, the team emphasized its feasibility within existing quantum hardware platforms. Experimental validation remains a next step, but the findings align with ongoing global efforts to push qubit counts beyond current limits of several hundred toward the thousands or millions needed for fault-tolerant quantum computing.

Professor Arkady Fedorov from the University of Queensland, another co-author, highlighted the interdisciplinary nature of the advance.

“This collaboration brings together expertise in quantum thermodynamics, circuit design, and materials science to address one of the most pressing challenges in quantum technology—efficient energy management at the quantum scale,” Fedorov said.

CSIRO, which leads Australia’s quantum research through initiatives like the Quantum Batteries team, views the breakthrough as part of a broader push to position the nation as a leader in quantum technologies. The agency has invested heavily in quantum sensing, computing, and energy storage applications, with quantum batteries emerging as a dual-use technology that could also benefit classical energy systems.

The study arrives amid intense international competition in quantum computing, with companies and governments racing to achieve practical quantum advantage. Advances in qubit density and energy efficiency are seen as critical to making quantum machines viable for real-world applications in drug discovery, materials science, cryptography, and optimization problems beyond the reach of classical supercomputers.

Industry experts welcomed the findings but cautioned that translating theory into hardware will require further engineering breakthroughs.

“Quadrupling qubit density through smarter power delivery is an elegant solution to a hard problem,” said one quantum physicist familiar with the work, speaking on condition of anonymity. “If validated experimentally, it could reshape cryogenic system design and accelerate roadmaps toward error-corrected quantum computers.”

The research was supported by CSIRO’s internal funding and collaborative grants, with no immediate commercial partnerships announced. The full paper, titled “Powering Quantum Computation with Quantum Batteries,” is available open access via the American Physical Society’s Physical Review X.

As quantum technologies mature, Australian researchers say innovations like this could deliver significant economic benefits, with estimates projecting the global quantum market to reach hundreds of billions of dollars in the coming decades.