In classical electrical engineering, a “tapeout” class—where students design a circuit, have it professionally manufactured, and then test the results—is a rite of passage. However, in the nascent field of quantum computing, education has largely remained bifurcated: students either learn abstract theory in the classroom or gain hands-on hardware experience only after joining a specialized PhD lab.
“Quantum computing is at a point where we are trying to convert theoretical ideas into something practical,” says Professor Alp Sipahigil, who developed the course. “In order for that to happen, coursework cannot just be about theory. There needs to be an element of: how do we actually simulate and design quantum circuits? How do we effectively train quantum engineers?”
With seed funding from the CIQC, Sipahigil set out to create the first course of its kind to offer this full-stack experience.