UPDATED 22:57 EDT / JUNE 12 2018

EMERGING TECH

Strangeworks lands $4M funding to teach developers quantum computing

Quantum computing startup Strangeworks Inc. is hoping to make the potentially revolutionary technology more accessible to developers after landing a $4 million seed funding round.

Announced Tuesday, the round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with participation from Ecliptic Capital, GreatPoint Ventures, Lux Capital, BoxGroup and Amplify Partners.

Austin, Texas-based Strangeworks, which was founded only last year, said it’s building tools that make it easier for developers and researchers to work with quantum computers. The company reasons that if quantum computing ever takes off — and many organizations have already begun experimenting with it — developers will need to learn an entirely new set of skills to write software and applications for it.

Quantum computing refers to a fundamentally different computer architecture, one in which processing can occur in multiple states simultaneously. Whereas traditional computers use binary digits or “bits,” which can be represented as 1 or 0, quantum computing uses “qubits” that can be “superpositioned,” allowing them to be represented as 1s, 0s or both states at the same time.

In addition, qubits can use a method called superdense coding that allows them to hold two bits simultaneously. So two superpositioned bits held in one qubit means they can process four times the data of ordinary computers.

The other important distinction of quantum computers is something called “entanglement,” or the ability of qubits to correlate with each other so that each is aware of the state of all the others. That means that quantum computers grow in power exponentially as qubits are added. So, in theory, a 200-qubit system is 2,200 times as powerful as a 100-qubit system.

By comparison, the power of classic digital computers grow linearly. In short, quantum computers are far more powerful than their classic cousins, able to perform intense calculations many, many times faster. There are still numerous scientific hurdles that need to be overcome for the development of quantum computers that are significantly more powerful than their traditional cousins, but there’s no doubt the idea holds enormous promise for systems that are far more powerful.

Strangeworks said it is aiming to create quantum computing tools for four specific industries to begin with: aerospace, energy, finance and pharmaceuticals. The plan is to sell these tools as a subscription service.

“I’ve been working with the Strangeworks team for several months now, and I’m confident that their approach to building a business around quantum and other forms of unconventional computing is the most audacious and forward-thinking I’ve seen,” Lightspeed partner Adam Goldberg said in a statement. “Strangeworks has enormous potential, and I’m excited that Lightspeed has partnered with such an accomplished team.”

Strangeworks has already established a partnership with one of the pioneers of quantum computing, IBM Corp., which introduced its IBM Q Network last year. IBM Q offers researchers and developers the chance to remotely access IBM’s quantum computers in order to learn how they work and test different applications. Strangeworks is also working with the developer resource website Stack Overflow.

Image: Strangeworks

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