Oxford spinoff QuantrolOx raises £1.4m in funding to accelerate the development of scalable quantum computing

PRESS RELEASE

Feb 24th, 2022 / 6:00 (CET)

Oxford, UK. QuantrolOx is announcing that it has raised £1.4m in seed funding to scale quantum computing, led by Nielsen Ventures and Hoxton Ventures. Voima Ventures, Remus Capital, Dr. Hermann Hauser, and Laurent Caraffa also invested in the round. QuantrolOx is building automated, machine-learning based control software for quantum technologies to tune, stabilise, and optimise qubits, the fundamental building blocks of quantum computers..

“In the world of quantum technologies, where data acquisition is expensive and the parameter space is large, it is a massive challenge to develop software to characterise and control qubits at scale,” said QuantrolOx co-founder and CEO, Vishal Chatrath. “QuantrolOx’s software addresses this challenge and will be a key component in speeding up the development and control of quantum technologies.”

QuantrolOx is building automated machine learning based control software for quantum technologies to tune, stabilise, and optimise qubits. Quantum computers need many thousands of qubits, but due to uncertainties in control instruments, fabrication and design, qubits have subtle variations requiring different sets of control parameters to render each one usable. An intricate process is required to reach a practically useful quantum computer. As the number of qubits increases, the harder and more significant are the challenges of turning and characterising them.

QuantrolOx’s software is technology agnostic and applicable to all types of quantum technologies. However, the company is initially targeting solid-state qubits where the team has already demonstrated substantial practical benefits.

QuantrolOx was founded in 2021 by deep-tech entrepreneurs and quantum researchers Prof Andrew Briggs, Vishal Chatrath, Prof Natalia Ares, and Dominic Lennon.

“I am excited to be backing a world class team and a technology that has the potential of establishing itself as a category leader in the new and rapidly growing quantum ecosystem.” explains Niels Nielsen, Nielsen Ventures, who is also an investor in Cambridge Quantum.

“Successful tuning, optimising and stabilising of many thousands of qubits, regardless of their variability, requires intelligent automation,” says Charles Seely, partner, Hoxton Ventures. “Current solutions that depend on human expertise are not good enough and will not scale.”

“Since the first meeting I knew that the team is top-notch and has created a unique approach that can significantly accelerate the development of quantum computing”, says Jussi Sainiemi, Partner at Voima Ventures. ”You rarely see this much subject knowledge and high level of experience in a startup at this stage”

Media Contact

Vishal Chatrath

CEO, QuantrolOx

vishal@quantrolox.com

Jussi Sainiemi

Partner, Voima Ventures

jussi.sainiemi@voimaventures.com