Finnish startup Coherence Quantum raises €2.78 million for cryogenic control

[Tracey]

A new Finnish startup wants to solve one of the less glamorous problems in quantum computing. The Quantum Insider's Matt Swayne reports that Coherence Quantum, spun out of Aalto University, has raised 2.78 million euros in a seed round led by Helsinki's Lifeline Ventures. Open source pioneer Marten Mickos also invested

The company is building an integrated platform for signalling and control inside the cryostat, the extremely cold refrigerator that holds superconducting and other solid state qubits. Its first product will handle signal conditioning, with later products adding denser connections and moving control electronics inside the fridge

The founding team has strong credentials. Chief executive Aashish Sah leads the company, chief technology officer Suman Kundu helped build Aalto's 20 qubit Q20 computer, and chief product officer Erkki Soininen previously worked at fridge maker Bluefors. Professor Mikko Mottonen is the founding adviser

The money will fund a lab in Espoo, prototypes, a manufacturing process and hiring. Sah summed up the company's thinking neatly, saying that quantum computers will not scale by adding qubits alone

Wiring and control are some of the biggest barriers to large quantum computers, as we discussed with the RIKEN shared control line work. Every qubit needs signals, and cables bring heat into the fridge. Startups tackling that bottleneck could be just as important as those building qubits

Is wiring the biggest obstacle to scaling quantum computers? And is Finland becoming a quantum hardware hub?

Coherence Quantum Raises €2.78 Million in Seed Roundthequantuminsider.com

[Gold Terry]

Someone from Bluefors on the founding team is a big plus. They understand fridges better than almost anyone

That experience will help. Fridge expertise is rare and valuable

Few people understand cryogenics at that level. It gives the startup a head start

[DarkKnight66]

Two point eight million euros is a modest seed round. It should be enough for early prototypes. Bigger funding will be needed later. Early rounds like this test the idea before bigger investors join

[NatureBoyRyan65]

Quantum computers will not scale by adding qubits alone is exactly right. The supporting infrastructure matters just as much

Cables, control and cooling all need solving. Infrastructure always matters as much as the headline technology

Funding the plumbing of quantum computing makes sense. It is easy to overlook