ORCA Computing has successfully delivered and installed its photonic quantum computing platform at the UK’s National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC), completing a key milestone under the UK government’s £121 million Quantum Computing Testbeds programme. The installation represents the first deployment of a photonic quantum system within a UK public-sector facility.
The system, part of ORCA’s PT Series, integrates multiple photonic sources in a single architecture designed for real-world application development. The system was delivered and operational within thirty-six hours, marking an on-time fulfillment of ORCA’s February 2024 contract with the NQCC. It will now support hybrid quantum–classical workflows and early-stage quantum algorithm research across multiple domains.
Early results have demonstrated the system’s capability to handle practical quantum workloads. Pilot users have executed an 81-parameter binary optimization task, run generative AI models for molecular chemistry, and processed over 25,000 quantum-classical jobs. These applications were showcased at the Digital Catapult’s Quantum Technology Access Programme (QTAP), including work under the NQCC’s SparQ initiative.
The installation initiates a formal testing and evaluation phase in partnership with the University of Edinburgh’s Quantum Software Lab, led by NQCC Chief Scientist Professor Elham Kashefi. The aim is to benchmark performance and prepare the system for broader R&D integration, supporting the UK’s long-term goal of achieving commercial quantum readiness.
Read the full announcement from ORCA Computing here.
June 11, 2025
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