Archer Materials targets 2026 qubit demonstration milestone

Archer Materials is on track to demonstrate a working carbon-based qubit in 2026, the Sydney semiconductor company said on Monday, as it pushes its 12CQ chip program toward wafer-scale manufacturing using standard industry fabrication processes. The Australian Securities Exchange-listed company confirmed the timeline alongside progress in electrical read-out capabilities for its quantum devices.

“Our progress towards wafer-scale manufacturing represents an important technical and strategic milestone for Archer,” Ruffell said. “It demonstrates our consistent delivery and our ability to advance toward scalable manufacturing using industry-standard processes.”

Archer’s approach differs from competitors. While IBM, Google, and most quantum efforts rely on superconducting circuits that must be cooled to near absolute zero, Archer uses carbon film materials that operate at room temperature. Ruffell said the carbon-based design boosts manufacturability in a field where fabrication complexity is the main barrier to commercialisation. Archer has filed more than 40 patents globally for its carbon-based qubit technology. In 2025 it demonstrated an electron spin lifetime of 0.4 microseconds at room temperature on a 1-inch wafer. The company has since improved the electron spin lifetime for its quantum carbon film to 800 nanoseconds, up from 385 nanoseconds in 2024. Longer spin lifetimes allow more quantum operations before the qubit loses coherence.

“The qubit is the foundation in building a full quantum chip,” Ruffell said. “Showing electrical gating within our quantum single SET devices helps us improve read-out capabilities. By using carbon film materials we can boost the manufacturability of our quantum technology.”

Archer reported an electrically detected magnetic resonance breakthrough earlier in 2026. The EDMR technique measures quantum spin states in carbon devices and could eventually be integrated directly onto the chip, reducing the external equipment needed for qubit read-out.

The company held $10.3 million in cash as at 31 December 2025. Shares rose 10 per cent to 32 cents on Monday following the announcement.

The 12CQ chip is designed to be manufactured on standard semiconductor fabrication lines. If Archer can demonstrate a working qubit using processes a commercial fab already runs, the path from lab to production shortens compared with approaches that require specialised cryogenic infrastructure.

Archer has not specified a date for the qubit demonstration beyond confirming the 2026 window. Executive chair Greg English said the company would provide further updates as development milestones are reached.