Nu Quantum working with UK’s National Quantum Computing Centre as partner on Project IDRA
Nu Quantum is working with the UK’s National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) on Project IDRA – the first phase of a four-year project to build a pioneering optically connected, multi-node distributed quantum computing system.
Project IDRA is singularly focused to address head-on the key technical risks limiting the development of distributed quantum processors. Removing this barrier will unlock the distributed quantum computing paradigm.
The Cambridge company has opened an office at the NQCC facility in the Harwell Innovation Centre at the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire. The co-location – Nu Quantum’s main facility remains on JJ Thomson Avenue – will help remove scientific blocks to scaling quantum computers and place the UK in a world-leading position.
Scaling quantum computers to commercial utility requires billions of coherent operations across millions of qubits.
Individual quantum cores, or quantum processing units (QPU), will soon offer access to thousands of qubits per device. The most promising route to scale these devices further – and the main focus of Project IDRA – is to network multiple QPUs together.
Nu Quantum, which was founded in 2018, is building the quantum entanglement fabric essential to scaling quantum computers. Quantum computers must go from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of qubits in order to achieve transformational impacts.
The Nu Quantum approach is to interconnect many smaller cores using a quantum networking unit (QNU) capable of efficiently scaling discrete quantum processing units (QPU) to form a larger and more useful quantum computer. The company’s full hardware solutions are designed to create entangled qubit networks, including a unique high-speed computer network interface, photonic switching fabric, and control systems to build towards multi-core quantum supercomputers and quantum data centres.
The networking involved in quantum computing to create entanglement between two distant qubits inside different QPUs is the same sort of entanglement that exists between qubits inside a QPU, which powers the computation. A quantum networking layer creates entanglement between qubits inside multiple QPUs, which can then carry out complex computations by acting as one larger and more powerful machine.
Thanks to these initiatives, the Harwell campus is expected to grow a flourishing quantum ecosystem over the next few years anchored by the NQCC as a new national laboratory. NQCC’s involvement with IDRA is supported by NSSIF, the National Security Strategic Investment Fund, a joint effort between the UK government and British Business Bank aiming to help advance technology firms by supporting patient capital.
Once deployed, the NQCC will become a unique centre in the world, with commercial QC systems across multiple qubit modalities available to researchers for the exploration of NISQ-era algorithm development, verification and benchmarking.
“We are pleased to be collaborating with Nu Quantum to deliver the IDRA project, aimed at building an innovative, optically-connected distributed quantum computing system,” said Dr Michael Cuthbert, NQCC director. “This is an important step towards a quantum data centre of the future.
“We at the NQCC extend our hearty welcome to the Nu Quantum colleagues to set up their lab in our facility at Harwell and share the NQCC’s goal of making the UK a quantum-ready economy.”
Carmen Palacios, co-founder and CEO of Nu Quantum, said: “The UK continues to lead in the field of quantum computing, which is set to be truly transformational for our society and the planet.
“We’re proud to be building on that base by collaborating with the NQCC to accelerate the usability and commercialisation of quantum computers, and to work together to build pioneering companies for a better future.”
