SandboxAQ recently announced that it has joined the FIDO Alliance, an open industry association with the mission of reducing the world’s reliance on passwords. SandboxAQ said it will collaborate with other key FIDO Alliance members to further improve and evolve the FIDO2 protocol. It is understood that this protocol enables secure, passwordless authentication in web applications using hardware tokens with cryptographic credentials. 

Recently, a new research project named "MANTIS," led by the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF in Germany, has been officially launched with a kick-off event. This project, costing 5.11 million euros, aims to utilize modern quantum technology to safeguard critical infrastructure against hacker attacks. The MANTIS project is specifically researching the advantages of so-called MDI-QKD(Measurement-Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution) over conventional QKD methods. This research and development project is expected to continue until 2027, with 86% of funding provided by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Recently, researchers at the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) in Singapore, in collaboration with partners, have devised an approach to make efficient use of the qubits of current quantum computers for the ‘vehicle routing problem’. In this work, the team formulated the problem based on real-world transportation scenarios provided by ExxonMobil and formulated it as a Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimisation (QUBO) problem. They successfully solved problems with 128- and 3964-route problems using just 8 and 13 qubits respectively.

Starting in July, NTT Docomo, Japan's largest mobile communication operator, will deploy quantum computing infrastructure across its network of base stations to alleviate network congestion during peak traffic hours and enhance the efficiency and reliability of its base stations. NTT Docomo said that this quantum computing platform comprises multiple layers, including a solution layer for optimisation problems, middleware for application processing and specific software for problem-solving. 

Recently, researchers at UChicago Pritzker Molecular Engineering, supported by a $1.5 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, have discovered an entirely new method of fabricating superconductors. In this study, the team did not employ traditional chemical methods but instead utilized photonic crystal cavities to create superconductors. This approach sensitively controls superconductivity by changing the physical environment rather than the chemical environment, thus enabling the design of superconductors without changing their chemical composition. While this technology is still far from large-scale production, it is expected to create new, game-changing manufacturing methods.

Microsoft recently announced the launch of two new purpose-built capabilities for Azure Quantum Elements: Generative Chemistry and Accelerated Density Functional Theory (DFT), aiming to further increase the productivity and accessibility of chemistry and materials science research. Generative Chemistry can scientists discover novel, synthesizable, and useful molecules quickly. Accelerated DFT offers substantial increases in speed compared to other density functional theory codes.

Scientists from the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) have recently proposed a symbolic approach for automatic model-checking of quantum circuits, aiming to bridge the gap between model-checking quantum programs and quantum circuits. This novel method, developed using basic matrix operations in quantum mechanics laws and the Maude programming language, marks a crucial first step towards a universal framework for quantum circuit verification and specification.

Quantum Machines recently said in a blog post that in a study conducted by Alice&Bob using the Boson 3 Cat Qubit Chip System to achieve bit-flip times exceeding 10 seconds, they utilized the real-time feedback capabilities of the company's OPX quantum controller platform based on processors. This equipment was crucial for Alice&Bob to implement their newly introduced quantum tomography protocol.

Quantum information company Infleqtion announced the appointment of Dr. Pat Tang as the Chief Engineering Officer. The company said that Dr. Tang has 24 years of rich experience in technology leadership, and his expertise is set to drive Infleqtion’s mission of delivering cutting-edge, commercial-ready quantum products.

Multiverse Computing, a developer of AI and quantum software solutions, announced yesterday that it had won 800,000 hours of computing time on a supercomputer to build a large language model (LLM) in the Large AI Grand Challenge organized by the AI-BOOST project. This project, funded by the European Commission, aims to build and train an LLM from scratch using quantum and quantum-inspired technology.

The College of Science and Engineering (CSE) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The MOU will be executed by CSE’s recently established Qatar Center for Quantum Computing (QC2), and the two parties will implement a feasibility study to explore potential opportunities for collaborative development of quantum communication and networking technologies, as well as quantum sensor technologies for space-based scientific applications.

Orientom, a South Korean provider of quantum AI software solutions, announced a partnership with Quandela, a French photon quantum computing startup, to jointly develop a quantum software platform. Both companies will work to develop practical quantum hybrid applications that utilize both classical and quantum computing resources and apply them to the next-generation power grid to address both power grid optimization and security issues and increase the efficiency of distributed energy systems.

Quantum information company Infleqtion announced yesterday that the first UK commercial delivery of its groundbreaking optical atomic clock, Tiqker, to the University of Strathclyde. This marks the company's first sale and commercial delivery of an optical atomic clock within the UK, representing a historic milestone for Infleqtion. Tiqker is renowned for its stability and robustness, with expectations to revolutionize navigation and precision timekeeping, establishing a new standard in Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) technology.

The University of Connecticut and Yale University provide seed grants through a public-private partnership named QuantumCT to nine Connecticut-based research groups. These research results will help QuantumCT plan long-term research eligible for competitive funding through the National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engines. QuantumCT aims to establish the state as a globally renowned destination for quantum education, research innovation, job training and talent employment.

The cybersecurity solutions provider Lastwall has launched its first quantum encryption resilient product, Quantum Shield. This product utilizes Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) algorithms of the draft standard issued by NIST and integrates it into the Transport Layer Security (TLS) layer, thus significantly enhancing security. In addition, it also features encryption agility, allowing for rapid updates with minimal configuration changes to adapt to the algorithms that NIST will officially standardize.

QLM announces the issue of a £5m Convertible Loan Note Facility. The £5m committed facility is funded by existing shareholders and will be used for QLM’s working capital and capital expenditure requirements. Loan notes totaling £2.5m were immediately drawn down. These loan notes carry a fixed interest rate and are convertible into shares on set conversion criteria during the 3-year facility term.

Cavero Quantum, a passwordless cryptography technology company spun off from the University of Leeds, has secured £2.2 million in funding from Foresight and Northern Gritstone. This funding will be used to commercialize its technology and launch its first product. The company claims that this will be the world's first solution to replace security standards such as ECDH without affecting the architecture and customer experience. It can protect communications from attacks by classical and future quantum computers and can be deployed on any device.

Swiss company Zurich Instruments has recently signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with South Korean quantum security company Norma and Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST), aiming to deepen its partnership in South Korea. Reportedly, Zurich Instruments's cooperation with Norma is to improve the offering of full-stack quantum computing to Korean customers, and its partnership with KAIST aims to elevate quantum computing education in Korea to cultivate quantum professionals.

D-Wave Quantum announced that Jagrup Brar, B.C. Minister of State for Trade and MLA for Surrey-Fleetwood, and Janet Routledge, B.C. Parliamentary Secretary for Labour and MLA for Burnaby North, toured the company’s Burnaby-based Quantum Engineering Center of Excellence. The visit was intended to help inform the B.C. government officials about D-Wave’s latest quantum computing product developments and efforts to spur quantum adoption around the world.

According to Korean media reports, KT successfully implemented wireless quantum encryption over 1-kilometer and 2-kilometer distances in 2022 and 2023 respectively using its independently developed wireless quantum key distribution technology, and is currently pursuing the development of 10-kilometer transmission technology, the longest distance in Korea yet.