Xanadu Quantum Technologies Inc. has entered into a four-year research and development partnership with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to accelerate the development of silicon photonic integrated circuits for quantum computing and communications. The collaboration will support joint efforts to optimize photonic components such as entangled photon sources and squeezed light generators, which are essential for building fault-tolerant photonic quantum processors. The agreement also includes knowledge exchange around chip-scale integration and circuit-level design, with an emphasis on future military and commercial applications.
As part of the partnership, AFRL will provide Xanadu with access to its silicon photonics Process Design Kit (PDK). Xanadu will integrate the PDK into its simulation tools and provide technical feedback to align circuit designs with the needs of quantum hardware developers. This includes assessing performance in key areas such as entanglement distribution and photonic gate fidelity. The partnership builds on Xanadu’s photonic quantum computing platform, including its Aurora prototype, a modular system comprising 35 photonic chips and 13 kilometers of optical fiber demonstrated in early 2025.
The collaboration will also explore commercialization pathways for photonic quantum processors and co-develop roadmaps for scalable manufacturing. Xanadu will share insights into market demand and integration use cases, while AFRL will evaluate Xanadu’s system architectures and software toolchain, including its contributions to quantum machine learning and simulation. The project underscores the U.S. Department of Defense’s broader interest in dual-use quantum technologies and highlights how photonics may enable deployable quantum systems for national security and scientific advancement.
Read the full announcement here.
April 24, 2025
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