Image credits: QuantWare
Quantum technologies have been around for a while now! Quantum mechanics was discovered at the beginning of the 20th century and have contributed to small-scale developments and improvements.
Towards the 20th century end, scientists learned to manage the building blocks of quantum systems at the atomic level, opening doors for many transformative technologies. One such is Quantum Computing.
Recently, the winners of the 2021 Future Hamburg Award were announced.
In the recent past, technology for building quantum computing is gaining momentum. Tech giants including IBM, Intel, Google are pumping hundreds of millions of dollars towards attaining Quantum supremacy.
Accelerating quantum computing revolution
As the race is ongoing, Dutch startup QuantWare has launched the world’s first commercially available superconducting processor for quantum computers (QPU).
This move from a Delft-based startup comes to accelerate the quantum computing revolution. It’s worth mentioning that it is the first time superconducting quantum processors have been available ‘off the shelf.’
Raised €1.15M
On the other hand, QuantWare has raised €1.15M funding in a pre-seed round from FORWARD.one, UniiQ, Quantum Delta NL, Rabo Innovatie Lening (RIL), and Angel investors
The company is planning to use the funding to expand its team and upgrade its processors towards higher qubit numbers. The company is already looking for new operational facilities, as they expect to outgrow their current building within months.
How QuantWare’s superconducting QPUs will help?
In general, Quantum computing is a combination of quantum physics, computer science, and information theory. The technology can significantly expand the amount of data that a computer can process, which could have implications for AI, medicine, business intelligence, and cybersecurity. However, the quantum industry is still young, and scaling is difficult.
Companies building parts for quantum computers need qubits, the microscopic objects that make quantum computing possible, but it is often cost-prohibitive for them to produce them themselves. And here’s where the Dutch startup comes into play.
The company’s superconducting QPUs eliminate that barrier and may be instrumental in accelerating the development of the quantum computing market.
“Superconducting is the leading and most mature approach to quantum processors – Google achieved “quantum supremacy” in 2019 using superconducting QPUs. While other QPUs are already available “off the shelf”, this is the first time a superconducting QPU has been easily available in the productised form, levelling the playing field for quantum experimentation,” says the company in the press release.
The company’s proprietary product, Soprano, is a 5-qubit QPU. According to the Dutch company, the fidelities of each qubit will be 99.9 per cent, which should keep the error rate manageable.
“Our Soprano QPU is what the Intel 4004 was for the semiconductor business,” says QuantWare co-founder Matthijs Rijlaarsdam. “Superconducting qubits are highly customisable, easy to control, and very scalable. That practicality makes superconducting QPUs by far the most likely candidate for near-term quantum computing applications.”
Aims to make processor for all companies
Founded in 2020 by quantum engineer Dr Alessandro Bruno and Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) graduate MSc Matthijs Rijlaarsdam, QuantWare aims to make quantum research accessible to researchers and startups through cost-efficient products.
The company builds superconducting quantum processors and related hardware. So far, the company has launched two products — Crescendo and Soprano, which are now available for pre-order.
“The race towards useful Quantum Computation is heating up, but still reserved to a small group of companies. By making QPUs more available, we will speed up the development of practical quantum-driven solutions to the world’s biggest problems,” says QuantWare co-founder Dr Alessandro Bruno.
