Advancements and Challenges in Color Center‐Based Quantum Computing Architectures

ABSTRACT Quantum computing leverages the principles of quantum mechanics to perform computations that are infeasible for classical computers. Color centers, which are point defects in a crystal lattice where vacancies in the lattice and/or an impurity atom replace a host atom, exhibit unique optical, electronic, and nuclear spin properties that make them suitable for quantum information and communication processing as well as for quantum computations with quantum memory. Among the color centers, nitrogen‐vacancy centers in diamond, the most developed, silicon vacancy (V Si ) centers in silicon carbide (SiC), and boron vacancy (V B ) centers in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) have emerged as leading candidates. Diamond and SiC material hosts are particularly promising due to the long spin and photon coherence times, optical addressability, compatibility with various quantum operations, while SiC promises higher compatibility with scalable industrial fabrication processing, and 2D materials are better suited for hybrid photonics and electronics integration. This paper provides a detailed overview of the advantages, challenges, and recent advancements in using these color centers for quantum computing. In addition, it discusses other potential color centers of interest, such as silicon (SiV) and germanium (GeV) vacancies in diamond, tin vacancies (SnV) in diamond, chromium and nickel centers in diamond, and rare‐earth ions in host materials like yttrium orthosilicate and calcium fluoride. By understanding and utilizing the properties of these diverse color centers, researchers aim to develop more efficient, scalable, and versatile quantum computers, which could lead to hybrid quantum‐classical systems that combine the strengths of different platforms and potentially transform fields like cryptography, material science, drug discovery, and complex system simulations (climate modeling, fusion energy).