January 30, 2024 -- ORCA Computing, 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 ORCA’s 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 Computing’s existing teams. Through this acquisition, ORCA will bring to market new and promising hybrid photonic materials, enhancing the performance of ORCA’s 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.”

“ORCA’s 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.”