Quantum Art raises $140M to scale quantum computing with a unique ‘multicore’ architecture

Quantum Art Ltd., a quantum computing startup focused on enhancing computational throughput, said today it has extended its Series A funding round to $140 million following a surge of interest from investors.

The company originally raised $100 million in a December early-stage funding round led by Bedford Ridge Capital, but the extension round saw the likes of Hudson Bay Capital, Poalim Equity, LIP Ventures, Wolverine Global Ventures and IDA Ventures join in.

Quantum Art is trying to solve the problem of the scaling up quantum computers, which has long befuddled the sharpest minds in the industry. The world has seen endless demonstrations of small-scale quantum computing prototypes, but most architectures struggle to scale their performance once they add more than a handful of qubits, which are to quantum computing what traditional “bits” are to classical computers. The problem is that adding to the qubit count increases the amount of noise, leading to excessive error rates and wiring complexities that make the machines too unreliable when it comes to solving real-world problems.

The startup is using a trapped-ion quantum computer, in which the qubits are represented by individual atoms suspended in electromagnetic fields. These systems, pioneered by the likes of IonQ Inc., are known for providing higher fidelity and longer than average coherence times. But like other kinds of quantum computers, they still struggle to scale up.

That’s because it becomes increasingly difficult to add to the ion count. The problem is that it becomes impossible to pack more than a thousand or so ions into a single “trap,” because the laser systems required to control each ion become an unmanageable mess.

To get around this challenge, Quantum Art has pioneered a new system called “Perspective,” which uses a unique multicore architecture. Most trapped ion-based quantum machines are based on a fixed layout, where the qubits can only talk to their immediate neighbor. I contrast, Quantum Art’s dynamically reconfigurable multicore system uses lasers to slice a long chain of ions into independent cores and shift them around in microseconds, enabling any qubit along that chain to interact with any other. This means the individual qubits can run different parts of the same algorithm, or even multiple algorithms in parallel, without suffering from noise and decoherence.

The result is that Quantum Art’s system has the potential to increase computational throughput, meaning each qubit becomes more capable, while also scaling beyond 1,000 qubits much more easily.

Another aspect of Quantum Art’s work involves rethinking the way the optical technologies used to control the individual trapped ions work. It’s working on the development of an integrated photonics and automated optical delivery system that reduces the overall footprint of the hardware used, while increasing precision.

Co-founder and Chief Executive Tal David (pictured) said the round reflects “strong confidence” in the company’s ability to scale quantum computers. “The funding will accelerate development of our 1,000-qubit multi-core system, Perspective, and enable us to strengthen the core technologies behind our architecture,” he said.

Additionally, Quantum Art is focused on commercializing its technology with the launch of its new Quantum-as-a-Service platform. It’s a cloud-based offering that gives enterprises and researchers the opportunity to experiment with early quantum systems. The startup imagines a staged model, where customers begin with algorithm exploration using simulators, before migrating these workloads to its trapped-ion hardware.

Poalim Equity Managing Director Etai Kramer said Quantum Art appears to have developed a viable solution to overcome one of the most difficult challenges in quantum computing – scaling up without compromising performance. “We believe its approach and the pace of execution to date positions the company well within Israel’s growing quantum ecosystem and the broader global market,” he said.

Photo: Tal David/LinkedIn