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Acquired US-Based Integrated Photonics Division Strengthens Companys Immediate and Long-Term Roadmap in Quantum Computing

LONDON(BUSINESS WIRE)ORCA Computing, a leading quantum computing company, has announced the acquisition of the Austin, Texas-based Integrated Photonics Division of GXC. This division is known for delivering advanced photonics solutions to top U.S. commercial and government entities including the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Capitalizing on ORCAs momentum of market success through the deployment of four PT-1 quantum photonics systems in 2023, this acquisition leapfrogs the company ahead, bypassing years of investment in and exploration of traditional integrated photonics materials. It positions the company at the forefront of the worldwide race to deliver powerful, scalable quantum computers.

In connection with the acquisition, ORCA Computing acquired photonics-related assets of GXC, including intellectual property and existing technology. The Texas based team, bringing over a century of combined industry experience, will merge with ORCA Computings existing teams. Through this acquisition, ORCA will bring to market new and promising hybrid photonic materials, enhancing the performance of ORCAs current PT Series products and achieving significant progress toward scalable, fault-tolerant quantum computing in 2024, and beyond.

We are thrilled to welcome some of the best and brightest minds in integrated photonics to the ORCA family, expressed Richard Murray, PhD, Co-founder, and CEO of ORCA Computing. With this acquisition, we continue our strong track-record of success, pursuing and integrating cutting edge components to deliver the very best technology to our customers.

ORCAs timely absorption of an integrated photonics division that has expertise with novel materials represents a well-calculated move that could provide substantial capabilities in a key QC technology sector, stated Bob Sorensen, Senior Vice President of Research and Chief Analyst for Quantum Computing at Hyperion Research, LLC. ORCA Computing is positioning itself to face the challenges of effectively scaling quantum computing systems and leveraging low-loss integrated photonics smartly within their modular architectures. In doing so, the company has further positioned itself to be a leader in the market.

From the start, ORCA has experienced rapid growth and success. Beginning with being selected to lead the record 11.6 million grant project from the UK government to construct a quantum data center of the future. Since then, ORCA has subsequently achieved commercial success, providing PT Series units to customers such as the UK Ministry of Defence and the Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Center. Additionally, the company has undertaken numerous initiatives for major government and enterprise clients in the Energy, Defense, and HPC sectors.

Standing out among other quantum computing companies, ORCA Computing is selling real, scalable systems that can interoperate with classical HPC systems, said Steve Conway, Senior Analyst at Intersect360 Research. The addition of an in-house photonic integrated circuit design capability is a crucial differentiator for customers seeking commercially viable and performant quantum systems.

ORCA Computing has enhanced our scientific research and development by providing on-premises access to quantum computing technologies and extending our advanced photonic and quantum communication lab facilities, said Krzysztof Kurowski, Technical Director at Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Center in Poland. This strategic acquisition validates our choice of ORCA Computing, and we look forward to our collaboration as they evolve their forward-looking roadmap.

About ORCA Computing

ORCA Computing, established in 2019, is a leading developer and provider of full-stack photonic quantum computing systems. Originating from the University of Oxford, the company introduces an innovative approach to photonic quantum computing. Anchored in a modular optical fiber-based architecture, ORCAs proprietary methods of manipulating the time, frequency and switching of single photons paves the way for quantum computing using significantly fewer components.

Last year, ORCA made waves by supplying the UK Ministry of Defences first quantum computer, in addition to three other installations carried out in 2023. For more information, please visit http://www.orcacomputing.com.

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ORCA Computing Leaps Forward in Quantum Computing Race with Acquisition - Silicon Canals

In the realm of quantum computing and molecular science, a new paper by Insilico Medicine, a leader in AI-driven drug discovery, is turning heads.

The researchers, in collaboration with the University of Torontos Acceleration Consortium and Foxconn Research Institute, have unveiled a novel approach that integrates quantum computing with the study of living organisms.

This fascinating work holds the promise of deepening our understanding of complex biological processes like aging and disease.

The foundation for this innovative approach was laid in May 2023 when the collaborative team published their research on quantum generative adversarial networks in generative chemistry in the American Chemical Societys Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling.

This marked a significant stride in demonstrating the potential benefits of quantum computing in this field.

The latest paper from Insilico builds upon this foundation. It offers a comprehensive view of how a fusion of AI, quantum computing, and the physics of complex systems can lead to new insights into human health.

The researchers highlight the latest advancements in physics-guided AI, emphasizing its potential in revolutionizing our understanding of biological phenomena.

AI has been instrumental in helping scientists process and analyze vast, intricate biological datasets, uncovering new disease pathways and linking aging and disease at the cellular level.

However, applying these insights to more complex interactions within the body remains a challenge.

According to the Insilico team, overcoming this hurdle requires multimodal modeling methods that can handle the complexity of scale, algorithms, and ever-growing datasets.

While we are not a quantum company, it is important to utilize capabilities to take advantage of the speed provided by the new hybrid computing solutions and hyperscalers, says co-author Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, founder and co-CEO of Insilico Medicine.

As this computing goes mainstream, it may be possible to perform very complex biological simulations and discover personalized interventions with desired properties for a broad range of diseases and age-associated processes. We are very happy to see our research center in the UAE producing valuable insights in this area, Zhavoronkov concludes.

The paper delves into the intricate biological processes that span from cellular to organ to systemic levels, highlighting the need for simultaneous multi-scale analysis.

With the advent of projects like the 1000 Genomes Project and the UK Biobank, which have generated an unprecedented volume of biological data, the necessity for immense computing power to process and analyze this data has never been greater.

Quantum computing emerges as a game-changer in this context. Its ability to augment AI methods, thanks to the unique properties of qubits that hold values of both 0 and 1 simultaneously (unlike classical bits), provides vastly superior computing speed and capability.

This advancement is evidenced by IBMs recent developments in quantum computing, including a utility-scale quantum processor and the first modular quantum computer.

The authors advocate for a physics-guided AI approach to gain a deeper understanding of human biology.

This emerging field, combining physics-based and neural network models, is poised to unlock new dimensions of biological research.

By leveraging AI, quantum computing, and complex systems physics, scientists are better equipped to understand how interactions at smaller scales within cells, organisms, or societies give rise to emergent characteristics observable at larger scales.

In summary, this research represents a significant leap forward in computational molecular science. By harnessing the combined powers of AI and quantum computing, researchers are on the cusp of unraveling some of the most intricate mysteries of life, paving the way for revolutionary discoveries in human health and disease.

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Quantum computing can help decode the mysteries of aging and disease - Earth.com

Quantum computers have just started to enter the mainstream awareness. Although the shift from classical to quantum computers is still ongoing and the technology experimental, the potential consequences could be far-reaching once we successfully harness the technology to societys benefit. That puts the spotlight on quantum innovation stocks leading the way forward.

Note that these quantum innovation stocks are approaching the idea and unique problems of quantum computing differently. Some are taking a high-risk, experimental approach that delves deep into the unexplored regions of physics and engineering, while others are taking the more conservative track one thats better understood.

In this article, I present three companies considered quantum innovation stocks and detail their approaches and progress to get their respective quantum systems online and commercialized. Here are the companies to consider.

Source: shutterstock.com/LCV

IBM (NYSE:IBM) has been a leader in quantum computing research for years. It is one of the first companies to supply customers with cloud-based quantum computing systems, and the company recently announced it was broadening its hardware offerings, too.

The company recently announced plans to install an IBM Quantum Systems Two processor at KQCs facility in Busan, Korea, by 2028. The processor is expected to be part of the IBM Flamingo family, featuring 156 qubits per module and support for up to 7 modules.

The big picture is that this reportedly attracted the attention of blue-chip clients in the Korean financial, bio-healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. Those sectors could be heavy experimental users of quantum machines.

Quantum computers are exponentially more powerful than classical computers, and their commercialization could lead to crucial scientific developments and breakthroughs presently unreachable.

Trading at just 24.6 times earnings, IBM could be seen as undervalued in light of its progress in quantum computing.

Source: IgorGolovniov / Shutterstock.com

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL) has made significant strides in quantum computing. The company claimed to have achieved quantum supremacy in 2019. Since then, it has worked tirelessly to improve the stability and power of its quantum systems.

The company claims to be leading the quantum computing arms race, which it is apparently demonstrating by reducing the error rates of its quantum system. Last year, Googles 3rd generation Sycamore processor was reported to typically experience error rates between 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 100.

The above progress marks the second step in Googles roadmap to building an error-corrected quantum computer, and its progress seems to be accelerating.

I think quantum as an additional growth tailwind makes Alphabet a strong buy. In the short term, analysts expect its EPS to surge 16.36% in FY2024, so this may give investors something more immediate while they wait for the quantum computing market to hit its full stride.

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Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is another tech behemoth with substantial interest in quantum technologies.

MSFT, in my opinion, is one of the better stocks positioned to take advantage of this computing development. Thats because its one of the few companies to release its development toolkit Q#.

That is a highly underappreciated feature and seems to be unique to Microsoft. Q# is the programming language developers will use to develop sophisticated quantum algorithms to power applications. MSFT is already courting developers to learn and utilize this language, which interfaces with Microsofts cloud service, Azure.

Hypothetically, suppose Q# gains widespread acceptance amongst developers. That would be a significant competitive advantage and moat for MSFT to lean on due to the time investment of having to switch to a competing language and the first-mover advantage it presents for MSFT.

Q# could very well become the .NET for quantum applications, a language that needs highly specialized developers to work in the field.

Microsoft has experience building these types of ecosystems before, and I believe its capable of fostering a similar one with Q#. Its a possibility that investors should keep in mind.

On the date of publication, Matthew Farley did not hold (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.

Matthew started writing coverage of the financial markets during the crypto boom of 2017 and was also a team member of several fintech startups. He then started writing about Australian and U.S. equities for various publications. His work has appeared in MarketBeat, FXStreet, Cryptoslate, Seeking Alpha, and the New Scientist magazine, among others.

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3 Stocks at the Forefront of Quantum Innovation - InvestorPlace

Insilico researchers have presented an image of how combining methods from AI, quantum computing, and the physics of complex systems can help advance new understandings of human health.

In a new paper, the team have also detailed the latest breakthroughs in physics-guided AI.

The research is published in WIREs Computational Molecular Science.

Although AI has been helpful in processing large, complex biological datasets in order to find new disease pathways and connect ageing and disease at the cellular level, it still faces challenges in applying those insights to complex interactions within the body.

To understand the inner workings of living organisms, scientists need multimodal modelling methods. These models need to manage three key areas of complexity: the complexity of scale, the complexity of the algorithms, and the increasing complexity of datasets.

While we are not a quantum company, it is important to utilise capabilities to take advantage of the speed provided by the new hybrid computing solutions and hyperscalers, said co-author Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, founder and co-CEO of Insilico Medicine.

As this computing goes mainstream, it may be possible to perform very complex biological simulations and discover personalised interventions with desired properties for a broad range of diseases and age-associated processes.

We are very happy to see our research centre in the UAE producing valuable insights in this area.

Biological processes within living systems range from cells to organs to the whole body, with lots of interactions between systems. These processes need to be interpreted on multiple scales simultaneously, and access to biological data has reached unimaginable levels.

The 1000 Genomes Project, for example, is a catalogue of human genetic variation which has identified over nine million single nucleotide variants. As well as this, the UK Biobank contains full sequences from 500,000 genomes of British volunteers.

Massive computing power is needed to analyse and process it.

Quantum computing is positioned to augment AI approaches, allowing researchers to interpret across multiple levels of the biological system simultaneously.

Qubits hold values of 0 and 1 simultaneously, having greater computing speed and capability compared to classical bits.

The team note the major advances in quantum computing that are already underway, such as IBMs debut of both a utility-scale quantum processor and the companys first modular quantum computer.

The team believe that a physics-guided AI approach will help to increase understanding of human biology. This is a new field that combines physics-based and neural network models.

By combining quantum computing with complex systems, the collective interactions of small-scale elements can be observed at larger levels of reality.

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Insilico Medicine reveal how quantum computing can unlock understanding of ageing and disease - Innovation News Network

Quantum computing investment from VC firms declined by 50% last year, a new study has found. According to the State of Quantum 2024 report by IQM Quantum Computers, OpenOcean and Lakestar, global VC investment dropped from $2.2bn in 2022 to $1.2bn, with most of the decline coming from US funds. This fall was dwarfed, however, by government spending commitments on quantum computing amounting to $40bn over the next decade.

While venture funding temporarily cooled, our research confirms the steady momentum towards the quantum era, said OpenOceans general partner, Ekaterina Almasque. The findings signal that 2024 can become a year of growing confidence in quantum computings potential, despite still a relative lack of private capital flowing into that space. Significant use cases [are] emerging to unlock its commercial promise.

Quantum computing investment in the US tanked by approximately 80% and 17% in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the report, with small gains of 3% in the EMEA region. Waning VC interest in quantum computing could be explained by several factors, it said, beginning with inflated expectations in the technology dating back to 2022. Interviewees for the report agreed that tempered expectations were called for among investors interested in exploring quantum computing in greater depth, along with an understanding that the practical implications of quantum computing could still be years away.

Generative AI also dragged attention and funding away from quantum startups, with VC firms taking the general position that short- and medium-term returns were more likely in the former sector over the latter. Data cited in the report by investment platform Sampo also suggests quantum computing is failing to attract interest from those funds that traditionally invest in hardware startups.While there is no significant difference in average fund size between hardware and quantum computing investors, wrote Almasque in her forward for the report, there are more than [five] times as many investors in hardware than in quantum. This suggests that the quantum ecosystem, across all layers of the stack, is lacking a diverse pool of potential investors.

Despite this, however, there are signs that the broad-based decline in quantum computing investment among VC firms might be in line with declining investment in deep tech generally, with the latter also declining by 50% year on year. Several developments late in 2023 also suggested a recovery in interest among VC firms in quantum. This included a Series B fundraising round for Oxford Quantum Circuits that raised some $100m. As such, investors and vendors quoted in the report were reluctant to label the decline in quantum computing investment from VC firms as a sign that a new quantum winter has taken hold.

It is a great catchphrase, said Citi Global Insights quantum technologies lead, Tahmid Quddus Islam. Even so, investment is down across the board, so you could say we are in more of a deep tech winter.

Declining quantum computing investment levels from the private sector were also completely dwarfed by spending commitments on quantum initiatives from national governments. According to the report, some $40-$50bn has been allocated by the UK, the US, the EU and 30 other governments. 20 of these, it said, have formulated a formal coordinated policy approach to the promising technology.

The mismatch in interest between the private and public sectors in quantum computing in 2023 should not be considered surprising, argues Michael Orme, a senior analyst at GlobalData. Last year it was clear, Orme told Tech Monitor, that the private market for quantum computing startups was overcapitalized and oversupplied as far as VC firms were concerned, with few short-term prospects for commercializing the technology on the horizon. Governments, meanwhile, have different priorities.

The arrival of fully fledged fault-tolerant quantum computing willbe crucial to national security from data protection to sci-fi weaponry, and to achieving leadership in strategic science-based industries or at least staying in contention, says Orme. As such, he adds, if youre the US, China, Russia, Israel or even the UK, you must create a quantum ecosystem and stay in the vanguard.

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VC quantum computing investment crashed in 2023 - Tech Monitor