The UK’s National Quantum Computing Center (NQCC) is running a novel cross-qubit scaling platform from US vendor SEEQC.
It is hoped the platform can be used to test technologies and supply chain systems that will enable quantum computing to be scaled up so that it’s useful for businesses.
The news comes as it was revealed that the NQCC will soon take delivery of a next-generation photonic quantum machine from UK-based Orca Computing.
Cross-qubit scaling
SEEQC, which secured $30 million in funding in January, is the developer of a novel quantum system-on-chip.
In comments to UKTN, Dr. Matthew Hutchings, co-founder and chief product officer at SEEQC, described the scaling platform as a “game-changer for quantum industrialization.”
He said: “It’s not just about adding more qubits – it’s about building the software platform, infrastructure, supply chains, and technologies needed to take quantum systems from lab experiments to scalable, enterprise-ready systems.”
Based in New York, the company was spun out of chip firm Hypres in 2019.
Baroness Gustafsson, the UK minister for investment, said: “SEEQC’s installation marks a significant step forward in the UK’s journey to be a leading quantum-enabled economy by 2033.
“This an exciting moment for the UK’s quantum sector, and our upcoming Industrial Strategy will not only help foster innovation in the industry but deliver long-term, stable growth, supporting our Plan for Change.”
NQCC harpoons Orca’s PT-2
Opened last year, the NQCC is based at the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire. It will eventually be home to 12 different quantum computers, with the aim of boosting the UK’s quantum capabilities.
One of these will be the PT-2 photonic quantum computing produced by Orca Computing. The company launched its machine, the successor to its first system, the PT-1, last year, and said at the time that one would be installed at the NQCC as part of a testbed.
Writing on LinkedIn this week, Orca CEO Richard Murray said the machine had been shipped and was en route to Harwell.
“We've come a long way since our PT-1, which we launched back in 2022,” Murray said. “This has been our workhorse, helping users integrate quantum into classical workloads, build applications, benchmark performance, educate and train users.
“The PT-2 delivers all that and more with a substantial performance improvement of 40 qumodes at industry-relevant clock cycles, all in standard 19" racks provided alongside GPUs and the suite of software integration and application tools that our customers have come to expect from us.”
Orca says the PT-2 can be integrated with Nvidia’s CUDA-Q development platform and combined with existing generative AI models to support industrial-scale quantum AI.
