Nu Quantum Opens State-of-the-Art Trapped-Ion Qubit Networking Lab in Cambridge

Nu Quantum has opened a trapped-ion networking laboratory in Cambridge, UK. The state-of-the-art facility doubles the company's research infrastructure. It is the first dedicated industrial R&D facility for distributed quantum computing with trapped ions in the UK and Europe. The laboratory will host the company's multi-node networking testbed. Nu Quantum's Qubit-Photon Interface technology will be proven with trapped ions at the site. The interfaces are based on optical microcavity technology and integrated into custom-built ion traps to enable high-performance entanglement links between qubits in different nodes. Nu Quantum's QPI hardware pushes the performance of remote entanglement links through innovations in optical microcavity mirror fabrication, novel entanglement protocols, and a systems-level approach. The technology is part of the company's Entanglement Fabric roadmap. The new laboratory benefits from collaborations with the National Quantum Computing Centre, the University of Sussex, the University of Cambridge, Cisco, and Infineon Technologies. Dr Carmen Palacios-Berraquero, founder and CEO, said the opening constitutes the first dedicated industrial R&D facility for trapped-ion distributed quantum computing in the UK and Europe. Dr Claire Le Gall, VP Technology, said the lab opening is a major milestone and the team is preparing to test core technologies in-house with trapped-ion qubits. Professor Matthias Keller at the University of Sussex said the opening is another sign that Nu Quantum is pushing the frontier of quantum networking. Professor Mete Atatüre, head of the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge and founding advisor at Nu Quantum, said industry-led R&D is critical for the UK to stay at the forefront.