Quantum News Nexus

TGIF, and let’s take in more quantum news to end the week:

• Qolab, the quantum computing hardware firm co-founded by recent Nobel Prize winner John Martinis, announced it has picked up a strategic investment from data storage and networking giant Western Digital. This seems to be Western Digital’s first move into quantum computing, so it will be worth watching for future efforts–or maybe it just wanted to be in business with a Nobel winner. In any case, a press release stated, “The partnership combines Western Digital’s world-class expertise in materials science, precision manufacturing, and nanofabrication with Qolab’s breakthrough approach to quantum hardware design… Together, the companies aim to advance next-generation nanofabrication processes that improve qubit performance, reliability, and scalability, paving the way for practical quantum systems that bridge scientific research and real-world application.”

• SandboxAQ, the Quantum AI company spun out of Google parent Alphabet a few years ago, landed a deal with the US Department of War CIO office for its AQtive Guard platform, which will help the agency manage cryptographic discovery across its enterprise and then guide its adoption of post-quantum cryptography (PQC). SandboxAQ has long talked about the importance of the discovery or inventory phase to assess what kind of security you have in place and where before you start prioritizing where to implement PQC. This deal means federal government departments are finally moving ahead with their PQC transitions.

• Algorithmiq, a quantum software company with a keen focus on supporting scientific applications that has collaborated with Nvidia and IBM in the past, has gained another big partner in Microsoft. A press release from the Finnish company said the pair “will integrate Algorithmiq’s advanced simulation and measurement methods with Microsoft’s Quantum platform and Quantum Development Kit (QDK), enabling the next generation of cloud-deliverable quantum solutions for chemical sciences from drug discovery to materials design.”

• French quantum computing company Quobly has been working with French semiconductor firm Soitec, and just announced “the first custom 28Si FD-SOI wafers provided by Soitec [are] now cycling inside STMicroelectronics’ 300 mm manufacturing facilities” in Crolles, France. Quobly said the advancement with wafers engineer to approach single-qubit gate fidelities in the 99.999% range, “confirms the strong potential for accelerating the industrialization of quantum processor units (QPUs),” as it proceeds down a roadmap toward 1 million qubits. Nicolas Daval, Chief Engineering Officer of Quobly, added, “The industrial availability of purified isotope 28 FD-SOI wafers is a game changer for quantum technologies. It allows us to anchor our developments in a solid and proven supply chain from purified gas to quantum chip delivery – a key enabler for achieving our quantum performance targets.”

Image source: Qolab

Quantum News Nexus is a site from freelance writer and editor Dan O’Shea that covers quantum computing, quantum sensing, quantum networking, quantum-safe security, and more. You can find him on X @QuantumNewsGuy and doshea14@gmail.com.