Nu Quantum leverages NQCC alliance to launch Oxbridge quantum computing initiative

Cambridge’s Nu Quantum and the National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) in Harwell, today announce Project IDRA – the first phase of a four-year venture to build a pioneering optically connected, multi-node distributed quantum computing system. Nu Quantum has opened an office at NQCC, in addition to its Cambridge headquarters to maximise the collaboration.

Work on the new project will be based at the NQCC facility, removing scientific blocks to scaling quantum computers and placing the UK in a world-leading position. NQCC's involvement with IDRA is supported by NSSIF (the National Security Strategic Investment Fund).

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. In quantum computing, the term ‘networking’ means to create entanglement between two distant qubits inside different QPUs – the same sort of entanglement that exists between qubits inside a QPU, and which powers the computation.

In this case, 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.

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.

Nu Quantum is developing a complete distributed quantum processor system, comprising high-efficiency qubit-photon interfaces and low-loss, high-rate, high-fidelity Quantum Networking Units (QNUs) as well as networking control and orchestration architectures.

The collaboration aims to demonstrate entanglement rates and fidelities significantly beyond the academic state-of-the-art. The technologies created by Nu Quantum will be assembled, evaluated and tested in collaboration with the NQCC at the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire.

There are multiple long-distance entanglement-based quantum networking testbeds - notably at TU Delft (Netherlands), Argonne and FermiLab National Labs (Chicago, Illinois), and Caltech-JPL (Los Angeles, California) around the world.

This project will set the UK apart in that it is the first specifically targeted at the networking of quantum processors toward scalable fault tolerant quantum computing within quantum data centres developed by an industrial partner.

The work is complementary to the NQCC’s ‘SBRI: Development and Delivery of Quantum Computing Testbeds’, delivered in partnership with Innovate UK, which saw seven award winners announced in February.

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.

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.

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.”

Dr. Michael Cuthbert, NQCC Director, added: ”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.

“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.”

Founded in 2018, Nu Quantum is a spin-out from the University of Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory. In November 2023, the company raised an £7 million pre-series A round from main investors Amadeus Capital Partners, Expeditions Fund and IQ Capital.

The NQCC is the UK’s national centre for quantum computing, dedicated to accelerating the development of QC by addressing the challenges of scaling the technology.

The centre is working with businesses, government and the research community to deliver quantum computing capabilities for the UK and support the growth of the emerging industry.

The NQCC’s programme represents a £93m investment and is being delivered jointly by the research councils, EPSRC and STFC, as part of UKRI. The centre is headquartered in a purpose-built facility on STFC’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory site at the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire.