Device that replicates ‘coldest place in universe’ at home on Colorado School of Mines campus

Reaching the ultra-low temperatures required for quantum computing and advanced cryogenic research traditionally meant filling a room with a complex tangle of tubes and wires and staffing it with teams of PhD scientists. Now, thanks to a new system currently being housed at Colorado School of Mines, you just need a fridge.

The Maybell Quantum Big Fridge can create the world’s coldest environment – roughly 270 times colder than deep space and 200,000 times colder than the coldest weather ever recorded on Earth – while looking more like a kitchen appliance than a scientific instrument. 

Photos by Tim Meyer/Colorado School of Mines

The device is currently in the final stages of qualification in a space inside the Labriola Innovation Hub on the Mines campus. The fridge is set to be shipped out by late January to an undisclosed customer, the first of a series of devices Maybell will test and ship from the Mines campus to customers in more than six countries over the next 12 months.

Maybell is renting the space from Mines, a partnership that grew out of their joint participation in Elevate Quantum, a Mountain West consortium that was awarded $41 million in federal funding and $84 million in state support with the mission to secure the U.S.’ lead 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. “To grow, quantum startups require access to space that meets their unique fabrication, testing and manufacturing needs. They can also benefit from engaging students in projects related to their company’s needs. Both are happening with this partnership with Maybell in our Labriola Innovation Hub on campus."

Quantum COmmons at Arvada, which will open in 2026, is a key component of the Elevate Quantum Tech Hub’s strategy for rapidly growing the quantum industry in Colorado and nationwide. It will initially start with a 10,000-square-foot fabrication lab/cleanroom building to support prototyping and low-volume manufacturing and another 20,000 square feet of open-access labs and offices with a collaborative community design. The campus also has 70 acres available for growth in shared-use facilities and construction of company-owned buildings.

The Maybell Big Fridge is a new type of dilution refrigerator designed to house a quantum computer. Quantum computers can solve problems trillions and trillions of times faster than today’s computers. They are expected to revolutionize computing, helping tackle some of society’s biggest challenges.

“What used to fill an entire room is now housed on just three 19-inch server racks,” said Maybell CEO Corban Tillemann-Dick. “Maybell is fortunate to have a host of Mines graduates on our team who helped develop this new generation dilution refrigerator.”

The Labriola Innovation Hub at Mines provides state-of-the-art makerspaces where students create, prototype, test, and iterate on their ideas. Home to student-led collaborations, student maker-oriented clubs and project-based competition teams, the Labriola Innovation Hub is part of the greater Labriola Innovation Complex, which includes adjacent classroom facilities and large work bays for student projects.