(PRNewswire) C12 Quantum Electronics has announced the closing of a $10 million seed round comprising funds from 360 Capital, Bpifrance (Digital Venture Fund), Airbus Ventures, BNP Paribas Développement, and Octave Klaba (OVHcloud), with additional grants from Bpifrance and the Ile-de-France Region.
At C12 Quantum Electronics, a qubit, the fundamental functional unit of a quantum computer, is built from an ultra-pure carbon nanotube, suspended above a silicon chip containing control electrodes and a quantum communication bus. C12 Quantum Electronics’ carbon nanotubes are uniquely composed of isotopically purified 12C carbon atoms, which have zero nuclear spin, thus minimizing qubit decoherence.
“The quantum industry is still looking for the ‘ideal qubit,’ and there is a notable consensus across the scientific community that material science breakthroughs will be needed to build a scalable quantum computer,” explained Matthieu and Pierre Desjardins. “Carbon nanotubes will help scale quantum computing, in the vein of what silicon meant for classical computing. The continuing evolution of materials will help cultivate the emergence of this new industry,” they concluded.
Founded in January 2020 by Matthieu and Pierre Desjardins, alongside scientists – Takis Kontos, Matthieu Delbecq and Jérémie Viennot – C12 Quantum Electronics has crystallized a team of the world’s most accomplished experts in quantum electronics and carbon nanotube science to materialize their vision of a revolutionary quantum computing processor.
“This round will help accelerate the development of the company’s unique quantum computing technology. The groundbreaking innovation of C12 Quantum Electronics uniquely uses carbon nanotubes as the fundamental building blocks of its quantum processor. The company’s high-purity material minimizes errors and radically improves performance. Our quantum processor will have an unlimited range of applications, from optimizing transportation and logistics to transforming healthcare,” note the company’s twin founders Matthieu and Pierre Desjardins.
This funding will be used to expand its world-class team with cutting-edge tech developers and engineers, as well as establish a high-tech pilot production line. Building upon the achievement of these first milestones, the startup aims to grow a range of quantum accelerators ready to be integrated into classical supercomputers, as well as design application-specific processors within the next five years, for example for optimiz