A guide to Quantum Computing companies in 2023

15/12/23·11 min read

Purpose

This is a review of the notes I've taken about quantum computing companies throughout the year (2023). I've included links to what I feel are the notable paper published by these companies. Neither the listing nor the papers is considered thorough or anything other than my own perspectives as a technical product manager in the industry who tries to keep up with the market and announcements. It's been a great year and I've enjoyed getting to know more teams across these organisations since leaving Quantum Brilliance. A trend I hope continues into and through 2024.

Companies

Alice&Bob

Alice&Bob is a French startup developing fault-tolerant quantum computers with an interesting approach to error correction. The company's "cat qubits" are designed to be intrinsically error-resistant. By focusing on hardware-level error correction, Alice&Bob aims to create quantum computers that can perform long, complex calculations without being overwhelmed by errors. This approach could significantly accelerate the timeline for practical, large-scale quantum computers, making them useful for real-world applications sooner than other architectures. The company's work is particularly important because error correction is widely considered the primary bottleneck in scaling up quantum computers to tackle problems beyond the reach of classical supercomputers.

Alpine Quantum Technologies

Focuses on trapped-ion quantum computing for industrial applications. Alpine Quantum Technologies (AQT) is an Austrian company spun out from the University of Innsbruck, a longtime leader in quantum research. AQT specializes in trapped-ion quantum computing for industrial applications. Their approach is notable for its high coherence times and all-to-all connectivity between qubits, which can be advantageous for certain algorithms. AQT is focused on creating compact, commercially viable quantum computers that can be used in real-world industrial settings. Their systems are designed to operate at room temperature, unlike many other quantum technologies that require extreme cooling.

Atom Computing

Atom Computing uses optically trapped neutral atoms as qubits, allowing it to operate at room temperature. Their technology uses lasers to trap and manipulate individual atoms, allowing for precise control and measurement. One of the key advantages of Atom Computing's approach is the potential for creating large arrays of qubits with long coherence times. Their first-generation machine, Phoenix, already claims 100 qubits, and the company has ambitious plans for rapid scaling.

AWS Braket

Amazon Web Services (AWS) Braket is not a quantum hardware manufacturer, but rather a quantum computing service that provides access to different types of quantum hardware through the cloud. AWS Braket provides a unified development environment for building quantum algorithms and testing them on a range of quantum hardware from providers like D-Wave, IonQ, and Rigetti. This multi-hardware approach is valuable because different quantum computing technologies have different strengths and are at different stages of development. By providing access to various systems, AWS Braket enables users to compare and choose the best hardware for their specific problems. The service also includes classical quantum simulators, allowing users to test and debug quantum algorithms before running them on actual quantum hardware.

Bleximo

Develops superconducting quantum processors for specific industry applications. They are a California-based startup developing application-specific quantum processors. They use superconducting qubit technology, similar to that used by Google and IBM, but tailor their processors for specific industry applications such as quantum chemistry simulations for drug discovery or optimization problems in finance. This focused approach allows Bleximo to optimize their hardware for particular types of quantum algorithms, potentially achieving practical quantum advantage in specific domains sooner than general-purpose machines. Bleximo's quantum processors operate at extremely low temperatures, requiring specialized cooling systems.

ColdQuanta

ColdQuanta specializes in cold atom technology, using ultra-cold atoms for quantum computing, sensing, and timekeeping. Their quantum computers use neutral atoms trapped by lasers as qubits. This approach offers advantages in scalability and operates at room temperature. ColdQuanta's technology has potential applications beyond computing, including in quantum-based navigation and timing systems.

D-Wave Systems

D-Wave is known for producing quantum annealing systems, a specialized type of quantum computer optimized for solving certain classes of optimization problems. Unlike gate-based quantum computers, D-Wave's systems use quantum fluctuations to find low-energy states of a problem, which correspond to optimal or near-optimal solutions. While not universal quantum computers, D-Wave's systems have found applications in areas like logistics, finance, and materials science.

Entropica labs

Entropica Labs is a quantum software company that focuses on developing algorithms and software tools for near-term quantum computers. They aim to bridge the gap between quantum hardware and real-world applications by developing software solutions that can run on today's noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices. The company was established in 2018 by Ewan Munro, Joaquin Keller, and Tommaso Demarie in Singapore. Entropica Labs specializes in quantum machine learning and quantum optimization, with a particular emphasis on making these technologies accessible and practical for businesses and researchers.

Google Quantum AI

Google's quantum computing efforts focus on superconducting qubit technology. They've made significant strides in this area, including the claim of achieving quantum supremacy in 2019 with their 53-qubit Sycamore processor. Google continues to develop larger and more capable superconducting quantum processors, aiming to create practical quantum computers for various applications, including quantum chemistry and optimization.

IBM Quantum

IBM is a major player in quantum computing, focusing primarily on superconducting qubit technology. They provide cloud-based access to their quantum systems through the IBM Quantum Experience platform. IBM has been steadily increasing the number of qubits in their processors and improving qubit quality. They're also heavily involved in developing quantum software and applications, with a strong focus on building a quantum computing ecosystem.

IonQ

IonQ specializes in trapped-ion quantum computing. Their approach uses individual atoms suspended in electromagnetic fields as qubits. Trapped-ion systems are known for their high-fidelity operations and long coherence times. IonQ's quantum computers operate at room temperature, which can be an advantage for scaling. They provide cloud access to their quantum processors and are working on increasing the number of qubits while maintaining high-quality operations.

Microsoft Azure Quantum

Microsoft's quantum efforts are two-fold. First, they provide a cloud platform, Azure Quantum, which offers access to various quantum hardware providers and quantum inspired algorithms. Second, Microsoft is pursuing the development of topological qubits, a novel but still theoretical approach to quantum computing. Topological qubits, if realized, could offer significant advantages in error correction and scalability.

OQC (Oxford Quantum Circuits)

OQC is a UK-based company that builds superconducting quantum computers. They've developed a unique qubit architecture called the "coaxmon," which aims to simplify the design and improve the scalability of superconducting quantum processors. OQC provides access to their quantum computers through cloud services.

ParityQC

ParityQC is an Austrian quantum computing company that specializes in quantum optimization and quantum architecture design. They aim to develop efficient quantum computing architectures and algorithms, particularly for optimization problems. The company was established in 2020 by Wolfgang Lechner and Magdalena Hauser, and have shipped thevParity Quantum Computing architecture, also known as the LHZ architecture (named after Wolfgang Lechner, Philipp Hauke, and Peter Zoller who invented it). This architecture is designed to be particularly efficient for solving optimization problems.

PASQAL

PASQAL develops quantum processors based on neutral atoms in optical arrays. Their approach uses laser-controlled neutral atoms as qubits, allowing for flexible qubit arrangement and scalability. This technology operates at room temperature and is particularly well-suited for quantum simulation tasks. PASQAL's processors have potential applications in areas such as quantum chemistry, optimization, and machine learning.

PsiQuantum

PsiQuantum is working on building large-scale silicon photonic quantum computers. Their approach uses photons as qubits, manipulated using waveguides and other photonic components fabricated on silicon chips. PsiQuantum aims to use existing semiconductor manufacturing techniques to scale up to millions of qubits. While still in development, their technology promises room-temperature operation and potential integration with existing fiber optic infrastructure.

Q-CTRL

Q-CTRL doesn't build quantum hardware directly but provides quantum control solutions to improve the performance of various quantum computing hardware. Their software tools use techniques from control theory to reduce errors and noise in quantum systems, effectively extending coherence times and improving gate fidelities. Q-CTRL's solutions are hardware-agnostic and can be applied to different quantum computing architectures.

Quantinuum

Formed from the merger of Honeywell Quantum Solutions and Cambridge Quantum Computing, Quantinuum offers both hardware and software solutions. On the hardware side, they develop trapped-ion quantum computers, known for their high-fidelity operations. They also provide quantum software solutions, including tools for quantum chemistry, quantum machine learning, and quantum-enhanced cybersecurity.

Quantum Brilliance

Quantum Brilliance is developing room-temperature diamond-based quantum accelerators. Their approach uses nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in synthetic diamond as qubits. This technology allows for quantum computing at room temperature and pressure, potentially enabling quantum capabilities in a wide range of environments, including data centers, laboratories, and even mobile devices.

Quantum Machines

Quantum Machines creates classical control hardware and software for operating various types of quantum computers. Their Quantum Orchestration Platform provides a comprehensive solution for controlling and operating quantum processors, regardless of the underlying qubit technology. This includes ultra-fast classical processors designed specifically for quantum control tasks.

QuEra Computing

QuEra builds programmable quantum computers and simulators using neutral atom arrays. Their technology uses individual atoms trapped by lasers as qubits, allowing for flexible qubit arrangement and scalability. QuEra's systems are particularly well-suited for quantum simulation tasks and can operate at room temperature.

Qunnect

While not strictly a quantum computing company, Qunnect is relevant to the quantum ecosystem. They focus on developing hardware for quantum communication networks, including quantum memory devices and other components necessary for creating quantum-secured communication systems. Their work is crucial for the development of future quantum internet infrastructure.

Rigetti Computing

Rigetti produces superconducting quantum processors and provides cloud access to their quantum systems. They've developed a unique approach called quantum-classical hybrid computing, where quantum and classical processors work together to solve problems. Rigetti offers access to their quantum computers through their Quantum Cloud Services platform.

Riverlane

Riverlane is a software company that develops operating systems and applications for quantum computers. While they don't produce quantum hardware, their software is designed to work across different quantum computing platforms. Riverlane's focus is on creating a hardware-agnostic software layer that can optimize the performance of quantum algorithms on various quantum processors.

Strangeworks

Strangeworks provides a quantum computing ecosystem that enables organizations to start developing quantum applications. Their platform offers access to various quantum hardware providers and quantum software tools. Strangeworks aims to simplify the process of quantum programming and provide a unified environment for quantum software development across different quantum technologies.

Xanadu

Xanadu creates photonic quantum computers and provides cloud access to their quantum photonic chips. Their approach uses squeezed states of light as qubits, manipulated using photonic circuits. Xanadu's technology operates at room temperature and has potential advantages in scaling. They're also known for developing PennyLane, an open-source software framework for quantum machine learning.