Quantum News Briefs: February 23, 2024:
Multiverse Computing Wins ‘Future Unicorn’ Award 2024
Multiverse Computing, a frontrunner in quantum computing solutions, was honored with the 2024 Future Unicorn award by DIGITALEUROPE, a prominent association for digital industry transformation in Europe. This accolade highlights Multiverse’s potential to achieve a valuation of $1 billion, recognizing its significant contributions and future promise in the quantum computing sector. The company’s leadership, including Co-founder and CEO Enrique Lizaso Olmos, CFO Marta Garcia, and Chief Growth Officer Iraia Ibarzabal, accepted the award, underscoring the achievement as a testament to the talent and innovation within their diverse team of 130 professionals from 26 countries. Multiverse Computing is making strides in various sectors, including finance, energy, and cybersecurity, through quantum and quantum-inspired solutions, and recently launched CompactifAI for more efficient Large Language Models. The award, judged by an expert panel including representatives from Nokia and NATO, reflects Multiverse’s societal impact, commitment to sustainability, and the overall significance of the European quantum industry.
Terra Quantum Researchers Demonstrate New Superconducting ‘Flowermon’ Qubit Boosts Stability of Quantum Information
Terra Quantum has announced the discovery of a new superconducting qubit, dubbed the “flowermon,” poised to revolutionize quantum computing by significantly extending coherence times. Detailed in a collaborative research paper with prestigious institutions such as the Institute of Complex Systems of Italy and the Max Planck Institute, the flowermon qubit utilizes a novel approach with twisted cuprate van der Waals heterostructures to create a Josephson junction. This design maintains high coherence without the need for precise fabrication controls or susceptibility to environmental noise, marking a significant advancement in the scalability of superconducting quantum processors. The breakthrough, supported by funding from the European Union and other notable organizations, represents a leap forward in quantum materials science, with the potential to enhance quantum information processing and the development of practical quantum computers by offering a robust platform against decoherence and fabrication imperfections.
Quantum Industry Canada Introduces All-New Affiliate Program to Bolster the Country’s Quantum Ecosystem
Quantum Industry Canada (QIC) has launched an affiliate program to bolster the country’s quantum technology sector, incorporating CANARIE, ACET, and Quantacet as its first affiliates. This program aims to enhance collaboration across Canada’s quantum ecosystem, emphasizing economic growth and national security. With over 45 quantum companies and organizations, QIC’s initiative extends its reach beyond industrial entities to include technology adopters, accelerators, and academic institutions. This broadened consortium underlines Canada’s commitment to becoming a global leader in quantum technology. Including CANARIE, a national research network; ACET, a tech business incubator; and Quantacet, a venture capital fund specializing in quantum technology, signifies the diverse support for Canada’s quantum industry. QIC’s CEO, Lisa Lambert, highlights the program as a step towards a unified quantum sector poised for significant advancement and economic benefits.
The Platform for Digital and Quantum Innovation of Quebec (PINQ2) launches the Harfang computing platform
The Platform for Digital and Quantum Innovation of Quebec (PINQ2), in collaboration with Exaion, has launched the Harfang computing platform, a significant advancement for Quebec’s digital and quantum computing capabilities. Harfang, situated in the environmentally conscious Bellevue Data Centre in Sherbrooke, offers high-performance and hybrid quantum computing services, aiming to support sectors such as healthcare, energy, and sustainable development through advanced computing technologies. This initiative, backed by Quebec’s Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy and the Université de Sherbrooke, accelerates digital transformation and technological integration for Quebec companies, reducing the barrier to accessing cutting-edge technologies. The project aligns with environmental values, notably through the innovative reuse of heat generated by the servers to warm the Humano District. Harfang’s establishment marks a pivotal step towards Quebec’s sustainable digital and technological evolution, fostering a dynamic ecosystem for digital innovation.
InfinityQ Technology Releases TitanQ: Revolutionizing Problem-Solving with Quantum-Inspired Computing
The TitanQ platform, developed by InfinityQ Technology Inc., represents a leap in Quantum-Inspired computing, promising to significantly enhance computational speed, integration ease, and environmental sustainability. Built around an advanced “Ising Machine,” TitanQ leverages quantum mechanics principles to deliver solutions up to 1000 times faster than traditional methods. Its user-friendly design and straightforward API access facilitate seamless integration into existing systems without requiring specialized infrastructure, making advanced computing accessible to a broader audience. Furthermore, TitanQ emphasizes green computing, aligning with sustainable practices by minimizing environmental impact. The platform caters to various applications, including scheduling, supply chain, and energy grid optimization, offering special programs to support researchers and startups. As InfinityQ Technology, a woman-led company, prepares to showcase TitanQ at the Quantum Innovation Summit 2024 in Dubai, this platform redefines problem-solving across various sectors, from logistics to life sciences, by providing fast, flexible, and eco-friendly optimization solutions.
Toshiba and Orange demostrate quantum-safe fiber optic network data transmission
Toshiba and Orange have made significant strides in quantum-secure data transmission, demonstrating the practical application of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) technology over fiber optic networks. In a series of laboratory evaluations, they successfully transmitted quantum-secure data at 400Gbit/s across a 184km fiber link, integrating QKD with conventional Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) signals. This breakthrough showcases the ability to secure data against the potential threats posed by quantum computing, using the principles of quantum mechanics for cryptographic key generation and propagation. The collaborative effort proves QKD’s compatibility with existing fiber networks, offering a cost-effective solution for enhancing data security without needing dedicated quantum transmission fibers. These achievements, underpinned by Toshiba’s Quantum Key Management System and supported by technologies from Adtran and Adva Network Security, highlight the viability of deploying QKD in real-world network scenarios, marking a significant step forward in quantum-secure communications and demonstrating a commitment to safeguarding data in the face of advancing quantum computing capabilities.
Novo Nordisk Foundation Researchers aim to advance quantum sensing to transform disease diagnosis and prevention
The Novo Nordisk Foundation has awarded a DKK 150 million grant to establish the Copenhagen Center for Biomedical Quantum Sensing, aiming to revolutionize biomedical and health sciences by developing novel quantum sensing technologies for the early detection of diseases. This international research collaboration, involving experts from the University of Copenhagen, the Technical University of Denmark, and the University of Texas at Austin, seeks to harness the unprecedented precision of quantum sensing to identify diseases at their nascent stages, potentially outperforming existing diagnostic methods. Quantum sensing’s ability to detect minute changes in motion and electromagnetic fields could lead to breakthroughs in diagnosing metabolic disorders, cardiovascular conditions, and brain diseases by sensing faint signals from within the body. The initiative underscores Denmark’s leadership in quantum sensing and aims to transition these advancements from the lab to clinical settings, promising a future where medical diagnostics are significantly more precise and effective in disease prevention and treatment.
In Other News: The Verge article: “Apple is already defending iMessage against tomorrow’s quantum computing attacks”
Apple’s security team has announced a significant enhancement in iMessage’s security with the introduction of a new cryptographic protocol named PQ3 in the forthcoming updates iOS 17.4, iPadOS 17.4, macOS 14.4, and watchOS 10.4, explains a recent The Verge article. Designed to bolster encryption and fortify defenses against potential quantum computing attacks, PQ3 represents a proactive measure against future threats that could compromise current encryption standards. Apple asserts that PQ3 elevates iMessage to “Level 3 security,” a benchmark it claims exceeds the protections offered by all other widely used messaging apps, including Signal. This development reflects Apple’s commitment to advancing the state of end-to-end encryption and safeguarding user data against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, including those posed by quantum computers capable of decrypting stored encrypted data in the future, a strategy known as “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later.”
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry is the Managing Editor at Inside Quantum Technology and the Science Communicator at JILA (a partnership between the University of Colorado Boulder and NIST). Her writing beats include deep tech, quantum computing, and AI. Her work has been featured in National Geographic, Scientific American, Discover Magazine, New Scientist, Ars Technica, and more.