Press release QuantrolOx, 7 March 2023
The race toward functional quantum computers is on – and startups are the ones paving the way to success. Through automating some of the most time-consuming processes in quantum computing, anglo-finnish startup QuantrolOx aims to make qubit control truly scalable.
For quantum computing to become a reality, there are still many roadblocks to iron out. In practice, practical quantum computers will need hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of qubits to sustain stable qubit gate performance.
However, qubits are extremely fragile and today’s quantum computers require constant intervention from quantum scientists in order to keep them tuned. Most of the time and effort in quantum labs currently goes towards tuning and maintaining the quantum computers. As a result, there’s very little time left for further development.
As the number of qubits gets to hundreds and beyond, the problem of qubit control gets exponentially more challenging and current techniques relying on expert intervention simply do not scale.
Born from the desire to make qubit control truly scalable, QuantrolOx is pioneering the development of automated control software bringing stable and sustained gate performance to qubits. Simply put, the software enables scientists to spend more time actually using quantum computers, rather than always fixing them. By automating the tuning, stabilisation, and optimisation of qubits, QuantrolOx is removing a key bottleneck in scaling of quantum computers – thus allowing businesses to properly harness the true advantages of quantum computing.
In order to bring their new product to market and gain customer traction, QuantrolOx raised a new seed round of €3.5 million. The round is led by deep tech VC Voima Ventures, with participation from existing investors such as Nielsen Ventures and Hoxton Ventures. Joining the round as new investors are 2xN Ventures, Serendipity Capital and Oxford Science Enterprise. In addition to the funding round, QuantrolOx has also received the prestigious EIC accelerator financing package of 10.5m and is mentioned as a company of strategic importance to Europe.
As Finland has quickly become one of the capitals of the European quantum ecosystem, QuantrolOx has moved its headquarters to Finland to properly take advantage of the excellent talent pool and support from the Finnish and European agencies. QuantrolOx’s Oxford office will continue to grow to remain, and will stay as the primary hub for applied quantum research.
“While still years away from commercially available solutions, the quantum computing field is constantly evolving – in part thanks to the startups innovating in the field. Since Voima Ventures’ initial investment in late 2021, QuantrolOx has made significant progress both in team building and product development, and we’re excited to see their product hit the market. With an innovation enabling increased uptime and efficiency, QuantrolOx’s is paving the way to truly scalable quantum computers”, says Jussi Sainiemi, Partner at Voima Ventures.
About QuantrolOx
QuantrolOx is an Anglo-Finnish company that spun out from the University of Oxford. It is pioneering the development of automated qubit control software that brings sustained and stable gate performance to qubits. This enables scientists to focus on using quantum computers rather than constantly fixing them. This is achieved by automating the tuning, stabilisation, and optimisation of qubits, thereby removing a key bottleneck in the scaling of quantum computers.
With QuantrolOx, quantum scientists get a stable platform for sustained experimentation and get more out of their expensive quantum infrastructure.
QuantrolOx’s software is applicable across many types of quantum technologies, however initially the company is targeting solid-state qubits where the team has already demonstrated substantial practical benefits.
About Voima Ventures
Voima Ventures is a deep tech fund that invests purely in startups with a background in deep tech and science. Voima Ventures’ mission is to solve major global problems by combining science, entrepreneurship, and capital. Voima Ventures’ industry domains include bio and new materials, medical technologies and life sciences, imaging and optics, IoT and electronics, robotics, software & ICT and AI. In addition, Voima Ventures is managing a portfolio of VTT Ventures with 20 prominent deep tech companies including Solar Foods, Paptic, and Dispelix. Cornerstone investors include VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and European Investment Fund (EIF), backed by Finnish private and institutional investors.
