Researchers from RIKEN have demonstrated a new method to measure silicon-based spin qubits with an accuracy of more than 99% and a measurement time of just a few microseconds. Instead of measuring the spin of a single electron by detecting magnetic fields, the team converted the spin into an electrical charge before making the measurement. They built a silicon device capable of trapping two electrons and then inferred the quantum state by monitoring the current flowing through the device. Since the measurement signal results from the difference in the charge states, this method is easier to measure than magnetic fields.

IBM and Pasqal jointly announced yesterday that they plan to collaborate on developing a common approach to quantum-centric supercomputing and promoting application research in chemistry and materials science. They will work with leading institutions in high-performance computing to integrate quantum computers with advanced classical computers to create the next generation of supercomputers.

Led by a research team of scientists from the University of Nottingham’s School of Physics and Astronomy, the study measured the brainwaves of two-year-old children using a quantum-based magnetoencephalography (MEG) scanner, providing the clearest picture of early childhood brain development so far. This wearable brain scanner was utilized to map the electrical activity of the brain. This work opens up new possibilities for tracking how critical early childhood developmental events alter brain function and for studying neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism.

Quantum infrastructure software developer Q-CTRL announced yesterday that a new study reveals their performance management technology can achieve more than a 4x improvement in solving quantum optimization problems on IBM's 127-qubit quantum computer. The outperforms quantum annealers and trapped ion technologies, with a likelihood of returning correct results 1500 times higher than annealers. This signifies that we can now achieve significant practical value on utility-scale quantum computers.

ORCA Computing, a UK-based quantum computing startup, announced yesterday that it will provide Montana State University (MSU) with two PT-1 quantum photonics systems to enhance the university's research capabilities in distributed quantum computing and critical quantum technologies. These two systems will be funded by the U.S. Air Force and deployed locally within a building at MSU Innovation Campus.

Quantinuum announced yesterday that the number of fully connected qubits of its flagship product, the System Model H2 quantum computer, has increased from 32 to 56. It also released a research result achieved through collaboration with partners including JPMorgan Chase. They used the H2-1 quantum processor to solve the problem of random circuit sampling and measured the quality of their results through a suite of benchmark tests. They found that the system scored approximately 0.35 on the linear cross-entropy benchmark (XEB) test, while the XEB score of the system that Google previously used to achieve quantum supremacy was about 0.002.

Recently, researchers from BP and ORCA Computing have collaborated to explore using Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) to train a hybrid quantum/classical generator. This generator utilized a photonic quantum processor and a GPU to analyse a dataset of alkane molecules, enabling the creation of conformations with a specified energy. The researchers said that this method aims to generate low-energy conformations of small and medium size hydrocarbon molecules, potentially offering a potential solution to the computational hurdles faced in molecular exploration.

The Export and Investment Fund of Denmark (EIFO) has announced an investment of 70 million DKK (~US$10.21 million) in Atom Computing, one of the world’s leading quantum technology businesses. On the basis of this investment, the California-based company has chosen Denmark as the location of its European headquarters.

Researchers from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan, collaborating with Yokohama National University, Tohoku University, and NEC Corporation, have proposed and successfully demonstrated a new method that can control multiple qubits via a single cable using microwave multiplexing technology at low temperature. The researchers said that this circuit has the potential to increase the density of microwave signals per cable by approximately 1,000 times, thereby increasing the number of controllable qubits significantly. The achievement lays the foundation for supporting the development of large-scale superconducting quantum computers.

According to a new paper posted on the pre-print server ArXiv, researchers from Moderna and IBM Quantum have collaborated to demonstrate the use of quantum computers to predict the mRNA (messenger RNA) secondary structures. The study suggests that quantum computing is approaching a utility-scale capability for solving real-world problems. In this research, the researchers utilized IBM Eagle and Heron quantum processors to tackle the issue of predicting mRNA structure.

Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, recently announced over CAD 11 million in Regional Quantum Initiative (RQI) funding to three innovative B.C.-based organizations. Among them, quantum computing software company 1QB will receive nearly CAD 3.5 million to develop and commercialize their Topological Quantum Architecture Design, Simon Fraser University will receive CAD 4.3 million for the purchase of new quantum manufacturing infrastructure, and the University of British Columbia will receive CAD 3.25 million to enhance the commercialization capabilities of its SBQMI institute in quantum technology.

Photonic, the Canadian distributed quantum computing startup company, recently announced that it has successfully transferred quantum information between two physically separated silicon spin qubits using photons at telecom wavelengths in a point-to-point network. This accomplishment demonstrates the potential of existing telecommunication networks to enable long-distance quantum communication, and this significant milestone lays the foundation for quantum internet and distributed quantum computing.

Dutch communications security startup Q*Bird recently announced that it has raised €2.5 million of funds, which was jointly led by QDNL and Cottonwood Technology Fund, with participation from InnovationQuarter. The company stated that the new funds will be used to expand the sales of its quantum cryptography (QKD) product called Falqon and develop more quantum security products to accelerate its growth in emerging markets.

According to two recent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission by the quantum information company Infleqtion, the company raised about $10.8 million in funding from investors this month. Infleqtion's CEO, Matthew Kinsella, stated publicly that this financing is only part of a “much larger capital raise.”

Yesterday, NXP Semiconductors together with two quantum start-ups, Electron and ParityQC, revealed the first full-stack, ion-trap-based quantum computer demonstrator made entirely in Germany, based on the collaboration results of the QSea project under the DLR Quantum Computing Initiative,. It is reported that the machine, which boasts 10 qubits, combines eleQtron’s MAGIC quantum chip, ParityQC architecture and NXP’s chip design and technology.

Today, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat announced the country's first national quantum strategy at the Asia Technology Summit (ATxSG) in Singapore, which aims to build the country into a leading quantum technology center. It is reported that the National Research Foundation of Singapore will provide SGD 295 million in funding for this five-year national strategy through the 'RIE 2025' Plan. This strategy will support four major initiatives: the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT), the Quantum Engineering Programme 3.0 (QEP 3.0), the National Quantum Processor Initiative (NQPI), and the National Quantum Scholarships Scheme (NQSS), to promote progress in quantum research, engineering, and talent cultivation.

The Canadian national nonprofit organization IQC Canada Inc. recently announced that it has received CAD 18.4 million in funding from the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canadian Strategic Science Fund (SSF). It is reported that the company is committed to collaborating with the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) in Canada to strengthen Canadian quantum development and maintain the country's global leadership in quantum technology.

Yesterday, British quantum computing company Oxford Quantum Circuits (OQC) announced that Dr. Ilana Wisby would step down from her role as CEO. Gerald Mullaly will serve as the interim CEO while the company's board is searching for a replacement candidate.

IQM Quantum Computers, a quantum computer developer, announced yesterday that it is establishing its seventh global office in Warsaw, Poland, to accelerate the adoption of quantum solutions for enterprises, research institutions, and academia, and to better collaborate with quantum stakeholders. In addition, IQM has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Gdańsk University of Technology, a leading technical university in Poland, to develop cutting-edge quantum applications, focusing on application fields such as personalized medicine.

ID Quantique (IDQ) announced yesterday that it has completed the acquisition of Nutshell Quantum-Safe located in Austria in response to the strong demand for the development and operation of quantum networks in Europe. It is understood that IDQ divested its Austrian operations in 2021 and formed IDQ Europe, which changed its name to Nutshell Quantum-Safe in June last year.