Quantum Xchange recently released version 11.0 of its CipherInsights, the company’s network monitoring, crypto-discovery, and risk assessment tool. The new version includes several new features: it can pinpoint any weaknesses in enterprise cryptographic systems, ease the process for organizations migration to quantum-safe encryption, and replace their legacy encryption methods with the upcoming Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) standards to be published by NIST.

UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering Prof. Andrew Cleland has been selected as a recipient of a flagship basic research funding program by the U.S. Department of Defense. The Department of Defense will provide $3 million over five years to support Professor Cleland's innovative quantum computing research project based on phonons, aiming to develop a quantum computer built on mechanical vibrations based on phonons.

On Tuesday (July 16th) local time, JB Pritzker, the Governor of Illinois, announced that Illinois had signed a memorandum of agreement with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to create a Quantum Proving Ground within the state's quantum computing campus. DARPA will use the proving ground to test quantum computing prototypes as part of its new Quantum Benchmarking Initiative. Pritzker also said that Illinois and the federal government would contribute up to an additional $140 million in funding for the proving ground.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to coordinate efforts to move the needle on quantum computing. The MOU establishes a framework for planning and coordinating future research, development, engineering, and test and evaluation activities related to quantum computing. Part of that work will include deep analysis of the current status of quantum computing and where it is going.

Quantum design automation software developer QC Design announced yesterday that it has been selected for the Accelerator program by the European Innovation Council (EIC) and has received €4 million in funding from the program. The company said that the Accelerator program provides it with €2.5 million in the form of a grant and an additional €1.5 million in seed-round equity investments.

According to Australian media reports, tech giant Microsoft has shut down its quantum computing research facility in Australia after seven years of collaboration with the University of Sydney. Microsoft also confirmed this week that it would close Microsoft Quantum Sydney, which it has been running in collaboration with the University of Sydney since 2017, and relocate its quantum research and commercialisation efforts to its headquarters in the United States. A source familiar with the matter at the University of Sydney has also confirmed the information and stated that the research team from the center will continue to conduct related research in Australia.

Quantum chip testing equipment supplier Orange Quantum Systems announced yesterday the opening of a new factory named Production 2 in Delft. The company said it is a new facility for assembling and producing OrangeQS Racks. Racks are control hardware designed by the company for quantum researchers in academia and industry. They are part of the company's full-stack OrangeQS research and development system and are now available as a separate product for customers.

The Italian Eni Group has recently announced that it has partnered with ITQuanta to establish a joint venture named Eniquantic. This quantum technology company aims to develop an integrated hardware and software quantum machine capable of solving complex problems, as well as specific and significant quantum computing applications to support Eni's energy transition plans. It is understood that Eni will initially hold 94% of the shares in Eniquantic, with the remaining shares held by ITQuanta.

Quantum information company Infleqtion announced yesterday the installation of a cutting-edge neutral atom quantum computer at the National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC). This marks a significant milestone as Infleqtion becomes the first company to deploy hardware at the NQCC under their quantum computing testbed programme. 

The European Quantum Flagship Initiative announced that the Ariane 6 carrier rocket was successfully launched a few days ago, carrying the advanced Diamond Quantum Magnetometer developed by its project AMADEUS, which can detect magnetic fields with incredible sensitivity. This device, named Oscar-Qube Plus, is a miniature quantum magnetic field sensor. Its first-generation version was launched to the International Space Station in August 2021 for scientific research.

Oxford Ionics, a quantum computing startup, recently announced that it has successfully developed the world's highest-performing quantum chip, with a fidelity of 99.97% for its two-qubit gates and a fidelity of 99.9992% for single-qubit operations, both setting new industry records. The company said that by developing a patented Electronic Qubit Control system, it has eliminated the scalability obstacle of traditional ion trap quantum computers that require lasers to control qubits. Because it has integrated the components required for ion trap quantum computing into a silicon chip, the chip can be mass-produced in standard semiconductor manufacturing plants.

Horizon Quantum, a Singapore-based quantum computing startup, announced yesterday that retired Lieutenant Colonel Eoin Scanlon has joined the company as a vice president of operations. Eoin served in the Irish Defence Forces for 22 years, he holds a Master's in Mathematical Physics, Data Analytics and Communications Technology Management.

Crypto Quantique, a provider of quantum-driven security for the Internet of Things (IoT), has announced three new partnerships with intellectual property (IP) distributors in the Asia-Pacific region, Kaviaz Technology for Taiwan, LoMicro for China, and KRM for Japan and Korea. The distributors will support semiconductor makers in implementing on-chip, quantum-driven IoT security and regulatory compliance.

Archer Materials, a company specializing in quantum and biochip technologies, recently announced that its CEO, Mohammad Choucair, has resigned as of last Friday. Archer Simon Ruffell, who joined the company in February this year, has been promoted to Chief Technology Officer.

PsiQuantum, a company specializing in optical quantum computing, announced yesterday that it will collaborate with five leading universities in Queensland to build out targeted educational programs to meet the skills requirements for the rapidly growing sector of quantum computing and other advanced technology industries, as well as to explore research projects in adjacent fields. The five universities include The University of Queensland, Griffith University, Queensland University of Technology, University of Southern Queensland, and the University of the Sunshine Coast.

QuEra announced yesterday that Alex Keesling will transition from CEO to take on a new role in leading QuEra's efforts to achieve higher-volume production and enhance its technology leadership, a critical strategic priority for the company. The Board of Directors appointed board member Andy Ory as the acting CEO while the company searches for a permanent replacement.

IQM Quantum Computers, a developer of quantum computers, has achieved an important milestone in the field of superconducting quantum computing. The company has demonstrated improvements in two key metrics used to determine the quality of quantum computers. By demonstrating a fidelity of approximately 99.91% for the CZ gate between two qubits, the company achieved a record-low error rate for two-qubit operations. In addition, its qubit relaxation time T1 reached approximately 0.964 milliseconds, and the dephasing time T2 echo was approximately 1.155 milliseconds. These data indicate that IQM's qubit device has the most advanced coherence time lifetime and high-fidelity two-qubit gate quality.

Quantum eMotion, a provider of quantum network security solutions, recently announced that it has obtained the ISO/IEC 27001:2022 cybersecurity certification. This certification covers the application and security management systems of its quantum-based network cybersecurity software and hardware solutions. The ISO 27001 standard for information security management systems is one of the most widely recognized, rigorous, and internationally accepted information security standards in this field.

The European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) recently announced that it has signed a procurement contract with quantum computer supplier AQT to install a EuroHPC quantum computer named EuroQCS-Poland at the Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Center (PSNC) in Poland. This computer is a digital, gate-based quantum computer with more than 20 physical qubits based on trapped ions, and it will be integrated into the local HPC infrastructure of PSNC. It is understood that the total procurement cost is 12.28 million euros, and EuroHPC JU will fund 50% of the cost, while the remaining 50% will be funded by the Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland. The installation of the system will start in the middle of 2025.

The Ministry of Science & Technology of India recently announced that researchers at the Raman Research Institute (RRI) in Bengaluru demonstrated the violation of the Leggett-Garg Inequality (LGI) in a loophole-free manner through a photonic experiment. They successfully utilized the temporal correlations violating LGI to devise a new method for generating unpredictable random numbers. In this experiment, researchers generated over 900,000 random bits at a rapid rate of nearly 4,000 bits/second.