Sussex's 'Quantum Silicon Valley' vision moves closer after record funding

[QuietNomad]

The south coast's quantum ambitions have taken a big step forward. The BBC reports that the University of Sussex's vision of a Quantum Silicon Valley is a step closer, and the driving force is Universal Quantum, the trapped ion spin out founded by Sussex academics

According to the University of Sussex, Universal Quantum has raised more than $100 million in a Series A round, its first major investment. The university says it is the largest Series A ever raised by a UK quantum company, a record for a Sussex spin out and one of the largest for any UK university spin out

The round was co led by Firgun Ventures and DCVC, with backing from a long list of investors including EDBI, Invus, Main Sequence, Hostplus, Nauta Capital and Roblox founder Dave Baszucki. The company now has more than 100 staff across three continents

Universal Quantum was founded by Professor Winfried Hensinger and Dr Sebastian Weidt, who published the first practical blueprint for a large scale trapped ion quantum computer in 2017. Weidt, now chief executive, said the company is seen as one of the most credible paths to utility scale quantum computing. Vice Chancellor Professor Sasha Roseneil said the record investment brings the Quantum Silicon Valley vision significantly closer

The money will fund global expansion and the development of modular, error correcting machines aimed at drug discovery, new materials and energy. For Sussex and Brighton, the hope is that a successful anchor company draws in talent, suppliers and other start ups. That is how most tech clusters begin, so the region has a real chance if Universal Quantum delivers

Can Sussex and Brighton become a real quantum hub? And is modular trapped ion hardware the right bet?

Sussex 'Quantum Silicon Valley' moves closer with £76m investmentwww.bbc.co.uk