What It Really Costs to Build a Quantum Computer: Superconducting vs. Atoms

Most people imagine quantum computers as exotic machines so futuristic that they must cost infinity. Not true. They’re expensive - very - but not in the way you’d think. And the cost depends almost entirely on what kind of qubit you choose.

There are two major families today:

1. Superconducting qubits - built like microchips

2. Atom-based qubits - built from actual atoms trapped by lasers

   
   

Both are quantum. Both are powerful. Both can change the world.

But economically? They live in different universes.

Here’s the breakdown.

Superconducting Qubits: The Billion-Dollar Refrigerator

Superconducting systems (IBM, Google, Rigetti, IQM) behave the most like “computers” because they’re fabricated on chips.

But the chip is the cheap part. Everything around it is where the money goes.

Let’s walk through what you actually need to make one.

1. The Cryostat - The Coldest Room on Earth

Superconducting qubits only work at 10–15 milli-kelvin. That’s colder than space. To get there, you need:

• A dilution refrigerator system

• Helium-3/Helium-4 isotopes

• Multi-stage thermal shields

• Cryogenic pumps, compressors

• Magnetic shielding

  
  

A commercial dilution fridge costs:

• $500k to $2M for research-grade

• $3M–$5M for large, multi-qubit, multi-stage machines

• $10M+ for the hero systems with complex wiring and multi-fridge infrastructure

  
  

  This is the single largest line item.

2. Control Electronics - The Orchestra of Microwaves

Each qubit needs:

• Microwave generators

• AWGs (arbitrary waveform generators)

• Cryo-attenuators

• Low-noise amplifiers

• Digital-to-analog converters

• High-speed readout chains

• Multi-channel RF mixers

• Constant calibration

  
  

For a 50–100 qubit system, control hardware alone can run:

• $2M–$6M depending on vendor and redundancy

• Custom racks cost even more

• Scaling is painful: each qubit often needs multiple control lines

  
  

This is the second largest cost.

3. The Chip Fabrication

Surprisingly cheap in comparison.

A superconducting chip with 10–100 qubits:

• $10k–$200k per wafer

• Depending on fab, design complexity, and number of iterations

  
  

The hardware is not the cost. The cost is cooling it.

4. Infrastructure & Integration

To run a superconducting QC you also need:

• Vibration isolation

• RF isolation chambers

• Cryogenic plumbing

• Control-room electronics

• Wiring from room temperature to 10 mK

• Camber facilities

• Engineers (armies of them)

  
  

This adds:

• $1M–$5M depending on scale

• Plus multi-million annual operating costs

  
  

Total cost of building a superconducting QC (50–100 qubits):

$10M – $20M+, and for larger prototypes up to $30M – $100M+ (including full lab setup and multi-year staffing).

Superconducting qubits are expensive because you build the universe around them.

Atom-Based Qubits: The Laser Sculpture of Nature

Atom-based systems sound more magical: neutral atoms or ions held by light or fields, floating in vacuum.

But financially, they’re more like optical labs than refrigerators.

Here’s their cost structure.

1. The Vacuum System - The Atom Hotel

You need:

• A vacuum chamber

• Ion pumps

• Getter pumps

• Windows for lasers

• Magnetic shielding

• Vibration isolation

• Ultra-low-pressure (~10⁻¹¹ torr)

  
  

This typically costs:

• $50k–$200k depending on complexity

• Larger 2D arrays maybe $300k–$500k

  
  

Compared to a cryostat, this is pocket change.

2. The Laser Ecosystem - The Real Heart

Trapped-ion & neutral atom systems need lots of lasers:

• Cooling lasers

• Trapping lasers

• Rydberg excitation lasers

• Optical tweezers

• Beam steering

• AOMs, EOMs, modulators

• Photodetectors

• Optical tables

• Stabilization systems

  
  

This is where atom systems get expensive.

A complete laser setup can cost:

• $1M–$3M for small systems (10–50 qubits)

• $5M–$10M for scalable lattice/tweezer arrays (100–500 qubits)

• Very high-end experimental setups: $15M+

  
  

3. Control Electronics

You need:

• FPGA controllers

• DSP units

• Laser lock electronics

• Cameras

• Digital micromirror devices

• Beam-shaping optics

  
  

This typically adds:

• $500k – $2M

  
  

4. No Cryostat Needed

This is the core advantage.

You don’t need:

• Cryogenics

• Helium-3 supply

• Multi-stage fridge

• RF coax spanning 8 thermal stages

  
  

That saves:

• $3M–$10M upfront

• Millions per year in ops

  
  

Total cost of building an atom-based QC (50–200 qubits):

$3M – $10M+, or scalable & experimental high-end setups up to $10M – $20M (still cheaper than superconducting when scaling).

Atom systems are cheaper because nature supplies the qubits - you just control them.

The Short Version

Superconducting Qubits

• Cost: $10M–$50M+ to build a lab

• Why: You must recreate deep space in a refrigerator

• Biggest cost: Cryogenics + microwave electronics

• Strength: Fast gates, good integration with chip tech

• Weakness: Extremely expensive to scale

Atom-Based Qubits (Neutral Atoms / Ions)

• Cost: $3M–$15M+

• Why: You pay for lasers, not cold

• Biggest cost: Precision optics

• Strength: Naturally identical qubits and easier scaling

• Weakness: Large, complex optical setups

The Real Insight

Superconducting QC is a hardware problem. Atom-based QC is a photonics problem. Both are expensive, but in completely different ways.

Superconducting = industrial engineering, cryogenics, chip work. Atoms = optical physics, lasers, vacuum, precision control.

Both will coexist. Both cost millions. But the economics are not the same — and the future cost curves won’t be either.