A new device designed to replicate the coldest environment in the universe is currently being housed at the Colorado School of Mines. The Maybell Quantum Big Fridge, a dilution refrigerator intended for quantum computing, boasts temperatures around 270 times colder than deep space and 200,000 times colder than the coldest weather ever recorded on Earth.
The refrigerator is in the final stages of qualification inside the Labriola Innovation Hub on the Mines campus. It is scheduled to be shipped to an undisclosed customer by late January, marking the first of several units Maybell plans to test and ship from the campus over the next year, targeting customers in more than six countries.
Maybell is renting the workspace from Mines, a partnership stemming from their joint effort in Elevate Quantum, a consortium awarded $41 million in federal funding and $84 million in state support to enhance the U.S. presence in quantum technology. “This is exactly the kind of support that Colorado School of Mines hopes to provide Colorado’s quantum industry now and when the shared-use Quantum COmmons facilities in Arvada are ready in about a year,” said Mines President Paul C. Johnson.
The Quantum COmmons facility in Arvada, set to open in 2026, is a crucial part of the Elevate Quantum Tech Hub’s strategy to advance the quantum industry in Colorado and across the nation. The facility will include a 10,000-square-foot fabrication lab for prototyping and low-volume manufacturing, alongside 20,000 square feet of collaborative laboratories and offices. There is also potential for further growth with 70 acres available for shared-use facilities and company-owned buildings.
Designed to support quantum computers, which are capable of solving problems exponentially faster than traditional computers, the Maybell Big Fridge relies on modern technology that condenses an entire cooling system into three 19-inch server racks. “Maybell is fortunate to have a host of Mines graduates on our team who helped develop this new generation dilution refrigerator,” said Maybell CEO Corban Tillemann-Dick.
The Labriola Innovation Hub serves as a state-of-the-art space where students engage in creating, prototyping, testing, and iterating on diverse projects. It also supports student-led collaborations and clubs, integrating practical experience with academic learning in the broader Labriola Innovation Complex.
