Mohamed Abdel-Kareem

Quantum platform developer IonQ (NYSE: IONQ) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Sandia National Laboratories to pursue the co-design of quantum information science (QIS) technologies for U.S. national security applications. Operating out of Sandia’s Quantum Demonstration Facility in New Mexico, the public-private partnership will align trapped-ion hardware development, silicon photonics integration, and software optimization with mission-relevant government use cases. The collaboration builds on a historical foundation between the two organizations: Sandia fabricated the original trapped-ion chips utilized in IonQ’s earliest quantum processing units (QPUs). Under the expanded scope of the MOU, IonQ’s hardware and application engineering teams will work [...]

Enschede, Netherlands-based hardware developer QuiX Quantum has announced the commercial availability of Alquor 2.0, the second generation of its rack-mountable quantum photonic processor platform. Built on silicon nitride (Si3​N4​) photonic integrated circuits (PICs), the programmable linear optical interferometer system is offered in 8-mode, 20-mode, and 32-mode configurations. The platform is designed to transition quantum optics, boson sampling, quantum communications, and optical information processing research from manual, free-space optical table setups to a stable, rack-mountable unit. Alquor 2.0 integrates directly into QuiX Quantum's Photonic Assembly Control Unit (PACU) architecture and features a 3U 19-inch chassis designed for laboratory, data center, and high-performance [...]

French cybersecurity and defense technology firm Thales has launched Luna 8, a next-generation hardware security module (HSM) designed to safeguard enterprise cryptographic infrastructure against emerging quantum decryption threats and high-throughput AI workloads. Powered by a custom-designed Thales cryptographic processor, the hardware appliance provides high-speed key management, digital signing, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) protection, and cryptographic agility to support post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithm migrations. The deployment directly addresses vulnerabilities highlighted in the 2026 Thales Data Threat Report, which surveyed 3,120 IT and security professionals globally. According to the report, 61% of respondents cited "Harvest Now, Decrypt Later" (HNDL) attacks as their primary [...]

Midwest network infrastructure developer Quantum Corridor, optical networking provider Ciena (NYSE: CIEN), and Toshiba have completed a field trial of high-speed quantum-safe optical encryption across a live commercial network. Conducted on Quantum Corridor’s production fiber network connecting data center nodes between Chicago, Illinois, and Hammond, Indiana, the trial validated 1.6 Terabits per second (Tb/s) of encrypted optical capacity secured simultaneously by post-quantum cryptography (PQC) and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD). The field deployment utilized Ciena’s Waveserver platform powered by WaveLogic 6 Extreme (WL6e) coherent optics to deliver wire-speed, optical-layer AES-256-GCM encryption. The platform ran NIST-certified post-quantum cryptographic algorithms in tandem with Toshiba’s [...]

Quantum computing developer D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NASDAQ: QBTS) has signed an agreement with Nasdaq Verafin—the financial crime management technology unit of Nasdaq—to evaluate the use of quantum-hybrid computing in combating financial crime. The collaboration focuses on leveraging D-Wave’s quantum annealing systems and hybrid machine learning workflows to enhance predictive modeling for anti-money laundering (AML), fraud detection, and scam prevention across banking and capital markets infrastructure. The partnership will begin with a proof-of-concept (PoC) project designed to evaluate how quantum-hybrid algorithms analyze complex, non-linear data relationships. Nasdaq Verafin will utilize D-Wave’s quantum annealing hardware via the Leap™ quantum cloud service to examine [...]

Tokyo-based optical quantum startup OptQC Corp. and telecommunications giant NTT, Inc. have signed a capital and business alliance agreement to accelerate the development and commercialization of a fault-tolerant, 1-million-qubit-class optical quantum computer. Under the agreement, NTT will make a strategic equity investment in OptQC to establish a medium- to long-term collaborative framework spanning hardware architecture design, supply chain development, and real-world enterprise implementation. The alliance expands upon a initial research collaboration signed in November 2025. As part of the renewed agreement, the two organizations have launched a joint research project running through fiscal year 2027 to establish the architectural design and [...]

Students participating in hands-on STEM activities. Source: PsiQuantum Photonic quantum computing developer PsiQuantum has announced a $250,000 philanthropic investment to expand local STEM education, higher education programs, and career training in South Chicago. As the anchor tenant of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP), the company is funding workforce development initiatives across surrounding communities to build a local talent pipeline for the emerging regional quantum industry. The funding initiative allocates resources across K-12 education, higher education, and community-based STEM programs: Higher Education Infrastructure: Direct grants to Chicago State University’s Quantum Education, Science, and Technology Center (CQuEST), STEM Explorations Camp, and [...]

Tokyo-based quantum software developer JIJ Inc. has announced the completion of an 840 million JPY (approximately $5.2 million USD) equity financing round led by Global Brain. The capital raise included participation from multiple funds managed by Global Brain—including the KDDI Open Innovation Fund III, ME Innovation Fund (Mitsubishi Electric), ANA Future Frontier Fund, and KURONEKO Innovation Fund II (Yamato Holdings)—alongside follow-on investment from Fujitsu Ventures. The new funding will support the scale-up of JIJ's enterprise optimization operations, advance its cloud-based JijZept AI modeling platform, expand global subsidiaries in the UK and Germany, and accelerate the development of gate-based quantum middleware under [...]

Quantum hardware and networking company IonQ (NYSE: IONQ) and Chattanooga electric power and telecommunications provider EPB have announced plans to launch the Tennessee Quantum Communications Research Center. Based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the research and development innovation laboratory will be directly connected to an operational fiber optic communications network. The initiative aims to integrate commercial quantum memory units directly into live telecommunications infrastructure to support long-distance quantum information storage and routing. The center will be funded through a $15 million, five-year financial commitment from IonQ and staffed by IonQ research scientists. EPB will supply the live fiber optic network testbed and act [...]

Global digital services provider Fujitsu, Monash University, and Australia’s national science agency CSIRO have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to accelerate the development of practical quantum applications and build an industry-ready workforce. Signed on August 4, 2026, the strategic partnership grants Australian researchers and students direct access to Fujitsu’s quantum systems and simulators hosted in Japan to support advanced computing, quantum software, and application research. The collaboration aligns with the newly established Memorandum of Cooperation between Australia and Japan on quantum science, technology, and innovation. Joint research efforts will concentrate on three key priorities: developing practical quantum applications in optimization, [...]