Welinq, a Paris-based French quantum computing startup known for developing the quantum memory that allows for the storage and instant release of quantum information without affecting its properties, has secured a $5 million investment round to help address the scaling-up of quantum computing.
“At Quantonation, we believe that the development of efficient quantum interconnects is a pillar for the whole quantum infrastructure and a path to accelerate real-world applications. The founding team has groundbreaking expertise and a clear path to be impactful. We are excited to start this journey with Welinq.”
Christophe Jurczak
Quantonation will lead the first seed round. Runa Capital, the Paris Region, the French National Quantum Initiative, the BPI (French Banque Publique d’Investissement), and the European Commission have also shown their support towards Welinq.
The resources will be used to scale up quantum computing and enable the deployment of a quantum internet.
Getting to know Welinq, the French-Startup company
Welinq was created in 2022 by Tom Darras (CEO), who received his Ph.D. in quantum physics from the Sorbonne Université, Julien Laurat (CSO), Eleni Diamanti, and Jean Lautier-Gaud. Welinq provides solutions for quantum memory and quantum processor interconnection to drastically increase those processors’ computational power and make them quantum accessible at a distance.
“When I first met Welinq’s team I was very impressed by their unique technology and the major impact that it can have on quantum computing scale-up. We are happy to stand with this founding team that gathers diverse backgrounds and a common strong ambition for the future of quantum interconnects.”
Dmitry Galperin, a Berlin-based General Partner at Runa Capital
To further explain, Interconnecting Quantum Computers will interlink physically-separated Quantum Processing Units (QPUs) from each other, using photons synchronized by Quantum Memories to share Quantum Information and create entanglement between QPUs. These interconnections will potentially increase the number of qubits available for computation and eventually exceed the current limitations of quantum processors.
The company is working on its first product, a highly efficient quantum memory that can be integrated, transported, and deployed in quantum computing and quantum communication infrastructures.
Using laser-cooled neutral-atom technology, the team set a world record in storage-and-retrieval efficiency – a measure that indicates how much information is preserved through the process without being lost along the way – with a qubit fidelity of more than 99%.
“Quantum memories have been identified today as the key missing hardware for the scale-up of quantum technologies. Not only must these devices be deployed on the market at the earliest, but they also need to show extremely high performance and robustness if we want them to truly impact industry and society. We are happy to be joined in this project by investors with strong expertise in quantum technologies and who are sharing our ambitions for the future of quantum technologies.”
Tom Darras, CEO and co-founder of Welinq
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