Q-CTRL, an enabler of quantum sensing and control engineering solutions aimed at accelerating the development of quantum computing technology, has raised $25 million from a Series B funding round led by Airbus Ventures, which invests in start-ups that are expected to have an impact on the aerospace industry.
That industry already is becoming a fertile field for quantum technology innovations, according to Q-CTRL founder and CEO Michael Biercuk. “Quantum technology is shifting the strategic landscape in defense and aerospace right now,” he told Fierce Electronics via email. “This sector requires advanced computing and surveillance technologies to maintain battlefield superiority. Quantum technology can deliver a strategic edge to every aspect of modern aerospace, now and into the future.”
He added that as it develops further quantum sensing technology could enable navigation without the need for GPS, an area of innovation that Q-CTRL already has been exploring through a partnership with Advanced Navigation announced in mid-2020. Quantum sensors also are powerful enough in their detection capabilities that they can be used to find hardened underground structures, hidden weapons systems or submarine, Biercuk said.
The company is currently developing space-qualified quantum sensors via the Moon-to-Mars supply chain capability program and through the Seven Sisters Consortium led by Fleet Space. In addition to Advanced Navigation, Q-CTRL’s quantum sensing client portfolio also already includes engagements the Australian Department of Defence, the Air Force Research Lab, and the Australian Space Agency, among other commercial and government groups.
Q-CTRL said the new funding, which comes a little over two years after the firm’s over-subscribed Series A round, “will augment the team’s quantum control efforts, enabling Q-CTRL to realize new data-as-a-service markets powered by quantum sensing for acceleration, gravity, and magnetic fields.”
Airbus Ventures is joined by a range of existing syndicate members in leading the investment round, including new investor Ridgeline Partners.
In addition to the military applications, Lewis Pinault, Airbus Ventures Partner based in Tokyo, highlighted other areas of potential in the aerospace sector. “At Airbus Ventures, we’re particularly excited about Q-CTRL’s widening span of advanced applications and solutions, including lunar development, geospatial intelligence, and Earth observation, all increasingly critical in the global effort to address the accelerating planetary system crises we now face,” he said in a statement.
Q-CTRLs’s funding announcement also comes days after the company announcing an interesting promotion: a Black Friday sale for subscriptions to its Black Opal online learning platform, an effort aimed at encouraging more people to train on quantum skills and enter quantum technology fields. Q-CTRL’s core technology also was used in technical demonstrations using core Q-CTRL technology showing how performance of quantum algorithms executed on real quantum computers could be improved by greater than 2500%.
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