Nu Quantum's CEO on building the networks that will link quantum computers

[Scout]

SDxCentral has interviewed Carmen Palacios-Berraquero, chief executive of Cambridge based Nu Quantum, which builds networking technology to link quantum processors together. The company raised a 60 million dollar Series A last December, which the article describes as "the largest funding round ever raised for a quantum networking company anywhere in the world at any stage." Since then, Nu Quantum has doubled its headcount as it moves from research towards selling products. It is one of the UK companies in our quantum directory

Palacios-Berraquero explained the difference from ordinary networking clearly. Classical networks send packets of data, but "quantum networking is about creating quantum entanglement between two qubits in different processors." That matters because many believe large quantum computers will be built from smaller modules linked together, rather than as one giant chip. Whoever builds the best links could become essential to the whole industry

Nu Quantum partners with Atom Computing and works with Cisco through the Quantum Datacenter Alliance. Palacios-Berraquero said more partnerships are on the way and singled out Nvidia as one to watch for its work connecting quantum processors to GPUs. She also warned that standardising quantum networking too early could limit innovation. That is an interesting position, since standards usually help industries grow

On funding, the article suggests Nu Quantum plans another round in 2027 that would be an order of magnitude larger, though the quote as printed is a little garbled. She also said she expects quantum computing to have a breakthrough moment like the one AI had in recent years. That is a common hope in the industry, and it may well be true, but nobody knows when it will come

Will modular quantum computers linked by networks beat single giant chips? And is it too early to set standards for quantum networking?

Nu Quantum CEO on the $15B Q-day networking propositionwww.sdxcentral.com

[CrimsonFury]

Entanglement between processors is the bit that excites me. If that works reliably, you could have quantum computers in different buildings working as one machine. A quantum internet linking machines across cities is still a long way off. Linking racks in one building is the first step

[QuantumLeap53]

Partnering with Atom Computing and Cisco is a strong combination. Hardware on one side, networking expertise on the other. Nu Quantum sits right in the middle

[Isabella80]

The AI breakthrough comparison gets made a lot. AI had decades of slow progress before suddenly taking off. Quantum might follow the same path, or it might not. ChatGPT launched on the back of decades of research. A quantum equivalent could arrive the same way, suddenly after a long build up

[TheLegendBrett88]

Her point about standards is fair. Lock in a standard too early and you might bake in the wrong approach for decades. Once the technology settles, then standardise

[IronFist38]

Doubling headcount in a year is impressive growth. Cambridge is a good place to hire quantum talent, with the university and companies like Riverlane nearby