News Brief

QunaSys has been a member of the IBM Quantum Network for a while and has collaborated with IBM on research, published joint papers on the research, and beta-tested the Qiskit Runtime service. The company specializes in developing algorithms for quantum chemistry calculations for use in materials discovery, chemistry, drug discovery, and other applications. In 2021, they launched a cloud-accessible quantum computing development platform called Qamuy, a quantum chemistry software service that runs on the cloud and performs computational chemistry calculations for those who don't have expertise in quantum algorithms. Now, IBM Ventures has made an investment in the company which they will [...]

SandboxAQ will provide funding of $200 thousand to the City University of New York (CUNY) for setting up an  undergraduate photonics lab for students to study quantum phenomena including superposition, entanglement, manipulation, measurement, and long-range quantum communication. In addition, the company will sponsor a series of in-person quantum workshops at the CUNY Graduate Center that will cover quantum-related topics from leading industry and academic experts. A press release announcing the funding and launch of this new photonics lab can be found on the SandboxAQ website here. May 6, 2023

The Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) award was provided to Professor Daniel Lidar, the Director of the USC Center for Quantum Information Science and Technology, who will collaborate with colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Iowa State University, Dr. Robert Kosut, a quantum control expert at the company SC Solutions, and a separately funded team based in Australia led by Professor Kavan Modi to investigate over a five year period how quantum error correction intersects with quantum control. Additional information about this award can be found in a press release posted on the University of Southern California (USC) Viterbi School of [...]

The quantum computer will be built using planqc's neutral atom based technology over the next 3.5 years and will have 100 or more qubits. Helping planqc with this project will include Menlo Systems and ParityQC that will be providing critical components for the laser systems and the software architecture. This award is one of several that the DLR has made to procure different types of quantum computers. In October of 2022, the DLR award contracts of €208.5 Million ($208M USD) for five sub-projects involving various types of ion trap based quantum computers. Like some of the other projects, planqc will have [...]

QUANTier is a neural atom startup company that spun off in 2022 from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). They have received early stage funding from ParticleX, a Hong Kong based venture fund, and the HKUST Entrepreneurship Fund. QUANTier is developing neutral atom based quantum processors that operate at room temperature and are targeting to provide cloud services to universities and medium-sized businesses. The amount of funding was not disclosed. You can access a press release announcing the funding here. May 1, 2023

Strangeworks, an Austin, Texas based software startup, has updated and expanded its platform to add additional functionality. Besides offering access to over 60 different hardware platforms, the company has now added algorithm libraries from both internal and external sources that their customers can utilize to accelerate their application. Examples of libraries provided by their external partners include a quantum kernal method from Rigetti, a portfolio optimization application from Multiverse, and an airline route optimization application from BosonQ Psi. Strangeworks has also made available three internally developed algorithms for various optimization applications including QAOA (Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm) and VQE (Variational Quantum [...]

IonQ, a developer of ion trap based quantum processors, has agreed to provide access to its Aria quantum computer for Abu Dhabi’s Quantum Research Center - Technology Innovation Institute (QRC-TII) in the United Arab Emirates. QRC-TII developers will be using this access to develop, benchmark, and optimize new quantum algorithms. They will also be studying quantum device characterization and quantum error mitigation techniques. This agreement will help further IonQ's efforts to expand internationally. More recently they established two international subsidiaries in Germany and Israel and also acquired Canadian based Entangled Networks, a developer of hardware and software solutions for connecting multiple quantum processors [...]

This statement is similar to others that the U.S. has made with the Netherlands, France, Denmark, United Kingdom, Australia, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Japan, and others. It calls for promoting joint research in quantum information science and technology (QIST), personnel exchanges, sharing of QIST related methodologies and data, and developing a news generation workforce of scientists and engineers. The statement also calls for discussion of important issues including standardization efforts and technology protection considerations. For additional information you can view a posting on the U.S. Quantum.gov website here and the full text of the agreement on the U.S. Department of State's website [...]

The SEEQC System Red is a full-stack superconducting based quantum processor with 5 algorithmically available qubits that the company developed in its laboratory in Naples, Italy. The SEEQC technology has a number of advantages including very fast two-qubit gate times of 39 nsec. with average gate fidelities of 98.4%. The current system is a first generation system that uses room temperature electronics that are connected via wire to the qubits inside the dilution refrigerator, similar to the current approach from other superconducting processor manufacturers. However, the company's next generation system planned for release within 12 months will use SFQ (Single Flux [...]

The bipartisan bill, Quantum Sandbox for Near-Term Applications Act (H.R. 2739), was introduced in the U.S. Congress by representatives Jay Obernolte, Haley Stevens (D-MI), Randy Weber (R-TX) Richard Hudson would be an amendment to the National Quantum Initiative Act to encourage and accelerate near-term quantum application development. It is seeking to have near term use cases developed and deployed within 24 months. The bill calls for the National Institute of Standards to establish a public-private partnership for this quantum sandbox to accelerate the application development. No additional funding amounts have been cited so far in the proposed bill. Additional information about [...]