Quantum Machines Ltd., a startup with a hardware platform that makes quantum computers easier to build and operate, today announced that it has closed a $50 million funding round led by Red Dot Capital Partners.

Quantum Machines said that the round also saw the participation of more than a half-dozen other investors, including Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.’s Next venture capital arm.

A quantum computer has two main hardware components. The first is the collection of qubits it uses to carry out calculations. The second main component is a traditional server, without any quantum circuits, that is responsible for managing the qubits. It finds the optimal way to carry out each given calculation, collects calculations’ results and performs a range of other auxiliary tasks necessary for quantum computing. 

Usually, enterprises and research labs developing quantum computers have to build their own server from scratch. The task requires not only setting up hardware but also writing a great deal of custom code. Building a qubit orchestration server represents such a significant time investment that it can slow down the pace of quantum computing projects in some cases. 

Quantum Machines has developed a hardware platform for managing qubits that spares scientists the hassle of building one from scratch. The platform, which the startup calls Operator-X, runs on a field-programmable gate array chip dubbed the Pulse Processor. A field programmable gate array is a type of customizable chip that can be optimized for a specific task, in this case managing quantum computers.

Quantum computers direct their qubits to perform calculations with the help of electromagnetic pulses. The pulses are used to encode data into qubits, carry out computations on the data and then read the results. Operator-X can manage the entire process thanks to a set of specialized hardware components included in the chassis.

The system also carries out various related tasks, including qubit error reduction. Qubits are highly susceptible to making calculation errors and must be constantly recalibrated by the quantum computer to keep the number of mistakes to a minimum.

Moreover, when errors do emerge, steps must be taken to correct them in order to ensure the accuracy of results. Operator-X is capable of orchestrating both the calibration and error correction process to remove the need for scientists to build the necessary hardware from scratch.

The system comes with its own set of software development tools for writing quantum programs. Quantum Machines has developed a specialized programming language called QUA, along with a compiler that turns programs written by scientists into a form a quantum computer can understand. 

Quantum Machines will use its new $50 million funding round to expand its platform’s feature set with more capabilities. The startup says that the platform is currently used by enterprises, universities and other organizations in 15 countries. 

“Quantum processors hold the potential for immense computational power, far beyond those of any classical processor we could ever develop, and they will impact each and every aspect of our lives,” said Quantum Machines Chief Executive Officer Itamar Sivan (pictured, center). “Our latest funding represents the largest-ever investment in a non-full-stack quantum startup and is a major step forward toward implementing an effective cloud infrastructure for quantum computers.”

The startup has tripled the size of its workforce over the last 12 months. Quantum Machines plans to grow the team following the new funding round to support product development and go-to-market efforts. 

Photo: Quantum Machines