Padua, 11 November 2026: Rotonium, an Italian deep tech startup, has unveiled a quantum computer prototype that operates at room temperature, with no cryogenic cooling anywhere in the quantum chain: from the single-photon source to the processor and the detectors that read the results.
The machine houses a photonic quantum processor with four effective qubits on a PIC chip measuring just 18 by 4 mm. Rotonium defines effective qubits as qubits that can be used together in a verified computation under the stated test conditions. The technology encodes quantum information in different properties of a single photon, known as degrees of freedom, making it possible to represent multiple qubits within one photon. It is protected by six patent families, with 25 patent applications and six patents granted, and is designed for manufacturing processes compatible with silicon photonics.
Rotonium’s approach targets edge quantum computing: compact quantum accelerators that can be integrated into industrial systems, robots, autonomous vehicles and satellites, where size, weight and power consumption are critical.
“Quantum computing must not become a technology reserved for a handful of large research centres,” says Roberto Siagri, co-founder and CEO of Rotonium. “What matters is not only how many qubits we can develop, but how usable they really are at the edge. This is what we call Industrial Quantum Utility.”
“The entire system operates at room temperature, without cryogenics,” explains Fabrizio Tamburini, co-founder and Chief Quantum Officer of Rotonium. “Our prototype demonstrates the feasibility of compact photonic circuits and provides the foundation for a progressive increase of computing capacity.”
The company’s roadmap foresees a desktop system with 16 effective qubits in 2028, a PCI Express accelerator card with 32 effective qubits in 2029, and 96 effective qubits with a System-on-Module by 2030, with thousands of effective qubits targeted by 2035. Rotonium has launched a Series A funding round to support miniaturisation and industrialisation.
About Rotonium
Rotonium is an Italian deep tech startup founded in 2022 by Roberto Siagri and Fabrizio Tamburini. It develops photonic quantum processors and computers that operate at room temperature, without cryogenics throughout the entire quantum chain. Its edge-first strategy aims to bring quantum computing directly into the systems that generate and use data. To date, the company has raised €3 million across its pre-seed and seed rounds.
