Quantum Machines: Improving Quantum Control
QM is developing next-gen quantum controllers designed to revolutionize computing
Quantum computers are one of the most significant advancements of the century, as they solve computational problems substantially faster than traditional computer systems. A significant adoption of quantum solutions is expected across industries in the next few years, including real-world applications in pharmaceutical development, energy, logistics, data security, and other applications that rely on massive data inputs.
Alumni Ventures portfolio company Quantum Machines (QM) is gearing up for this technology shift. While the quantum computing space is well-populated with companies like IBM and Google, the quantum control market (the extension of classical control problems within the quantum space) is still largely nascent. QM is taking advantage of this industry demand by developing a hardware and software “Quantum Orchestration” platform designed to increase the productivity of quantum computers and the teams that run them.
A Universal Solution
Each quantum solution needs a controller to allow users to communicate with the computer. QM’s positioning in the quantum space differentiates it from competitors, as the company is addressing the needs of entities performing experimental research in quantum computing. These customer segments include:
- Academic Labs
- National Labs and Research Centers
- National Quantum Centers and Government Initiatives
- Startups
- Enterprises
Most of these quantum customers currently build their control systems from more than one supplier. In addition, it is common for a lab to have multiple boxes depending on the types of quantum bits (qubits) processed, increasing the need for one universal control system that can communicate across all qubit platforms.
QM is addressing this need by creating a universal system capable of communicating with any quantum device through its standardized quantum computing programming language, Qua. This product consists of hardware and software to control and operate quantum computers. A customer pays a one-time fee per device, plus an additional charge beyond the preconfigured options depending on the number of output and input channels.
Strong Founders & Competitive Moats
QM was founded in 2018 by three entrepreneurial researchers in quantum computing labs at the prestigious Weizmann Institute of Science, a graduate research institution in Israel. The founders (Itamar Sivan, Yonatan Cohen, and Nissim Ofek) envisioned a business model around quantum controllers that would enable existing players in the quantum hardware and software space to more quickly achieve their goals for market penetration.
While QM’s hardware is powerful and compact, the company’s real breakthrough is Qua control software. Qua is easy to learn and enables programming at a higher level, which reduces the need for time-consuming code editing. In addition, Qua is flexible and responsive, allowing QM to have lower feedback latency than competitor solutions.
How We Are Involved
The Yard Ventures (for the Harvard community) sponsored Alumni Ventures’ investment in Quantum Machine’s $50 million Series B alongside sibling fund Waterman Ventures (for the Brown community) and our Deep Tech Fund. Red Dot Capital Partners led the round.
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