OQC has announced the public availability of OQC Toshiko, the world’s first enterprise-ready quantum computing platform. The 32-qubit platform is deployed to commercial data centres, allowing businesses worldwide to access the technology. SBI Investment, Japan’s venture capital fund, is leading OQC’s $100m funding round. The platform is named after Toshiko Yuasa, the first female Japanese physicist. OQC is collaborating with global companies, including Equinix, NVIDIA, AWS and McKinsey to bring quantum computing out of the lab and into the enterprise.
OQC Launches Quantum Computing Platform
OQC, a company specializing in quantum compute-as-a-service (QCaaS), has announced the public availability of OQC Toshiko, the world’s first enterprise-ready quantum computing platform. The platform is a powerful 32-qubit system, deployed to commercial data centres, which allows businesses to access this innovative technology from anywhere in the world, securely and seamlessly.
The launch of OQC Toshiko is a significant step in making quantum computing more accessible to businesses. Currently, quantum computers are predominantly located in labs, which makes secure access a significant barrier to wider business adoption of this technology. By bringing quantum computing to commercial data centres, OQC is enabling secure and easy access for customers, particularly those handling sensitive data in sectors such as financial services, pharmaceuticals, energy, defence and government.
OQC Toshiko is named after the first female Japanese physicist, Toshiko Yuasa, reflecting OQC’s commitment to promoting diversity in tech. The platform is available today in private preview, with expanding availability across public cloud and data centre fabric in the coming months.
Quantum Computing: A $1.3 Trillion Opportunity
Quantum computing represents a world-changing $1.3 trillion opportunity with the power to reshape and transform entire industries and even catalyze entirely new ones. The integration of quantum computing into data centers offers the possibility of hybrid computing, combining quantum and high-performance computing (HPC), to the market.
OQC has achieved this integration by adopting an advanced networking infrastructure, Digital Fabric Interconnect, to enable secure, hybrid compute for customers. This development is particularly significant for customers handling sensitive data, in sectors such as financial services, pharmaceuticals, energy, defence and government.
Collaboration with Global Companies
To bring quantum computing out of the lab and into the enterprise, OQC is collaborating with global companies, including Equinix, NVIDIA, AWS, and McKinsey. These partnerships are crucial in facilitating secure, high-bandwidth access to cutting-edge technology, such as quantum computing, for thousands of organizations worldwide.
SBI Investment Leads $100m Funding Round
At the Global Investment Summit, OQC announced that SBI Investment, a venture capital fund from Japan, is leading OQC’s $100m Series B funding round. This funding round is the UK’s largest ever Series B in quantum computing, enabling industry-leading research and development that paves the way to quantum advantage and furthers OQC’s ability to bring next-generation platforms of hundreds of qubits to businesses globally.
UK’s Quantum Capability
The UK government has expressed support for OQC’s efforts in quantum computing. Science and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan stated that OQC is leading the way in seizing the potential of quantum computing, which can help discover new drugs, boost cybersecurity, and manage financial systems to improve our lives and drive growth. The UK’s National Quantum Strategy is backed by £2.5 billion over the next ten years to help unlock advances in healthcare, green tech, and beyond.
“Commenting on the news, Ilana Wisby, Chief Executive Officer at OQC, said: “To solve the world’s most pressing challenges – from climate change to accelerated drug discovery – we need to put quantum computers in the hands of humanity and at the fingertips of our most brilliant minds. We’re proud to be pioneering enterprise ready quantum with our customers, partners and investors.”
Yoshitaka Kitao, Representative Director, Chairman, President & CEO of SBI Holdings, Inc., a wholly owning parent company of SBI Investment Co., Ltd., said: “Quantum computing is a game changer for financial services and many other sectors, unlocking unprecedented power, speed and accuracy that will redefine the industrial landscape. As Japan’s premier venture capital firm, SBI Investment is proud to lead a $100m Series B round of OQC, a global leader in quantum computing.”
Eugene Bergen President, EMEA at Equinix, said “As the world’s digital infrastructure company, Equinix continues to partner with the very best to accelerate innovation by facilitating secure, high-bandwidth access to cutting-edge technology such as quantum computing for thousands of organisations worldwide. The inclusion of OQC’s quantum computer into our global interconnection ecosystem on Platform Equinix® reinforces our dedication to fostering innovation and continues to push the boundaries of what is possible. We are thrilled by the great partnership with OQC that enables us to stay ahead in innovation to help organisations across the globe address some of the world’s most pressing challenges.”
“Addressing the grand challenges of tomorrow requires the seamless integration of quantum with the GPU-accelerated supercomputing of today,” said Tim Costa, director of HPC and quantum at NVIDIA. “By combining OQC Toshiko with the NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper Superchip through NVIDIA CUDA Quantum, a platform for integrated quantum-classical computing, OQC can better empower businesses and researchers to make breakthroughs across industries and in critical scientific domains.”
Mike Sewart, Chief Technology & Operating Officer, QinetiQ said: “QinetiQ is delighted to welcome the latest innovation from Oxford Quantum Circuits (OQC). QinetiQ regularly conducts experimental studies on a range of problems including optimisation, chemistry and machine learning and we’ve seen great results from OQC’s technology to date. QinetiQ’s focus is very much on identifying the areas where quantum computing can add real value for our government and defence customers. This involves mapping complex customer requirements to currently available hardware and algorithms, as well as considering the practical elements of future solution design, including the validation and assurance of quantum applications in real-world operational scenarios. QinetiQ’s quantum team looks forward to working closely with OQC and their technology in order to drive future capability developments in this emerging but important field for defence.”
Science and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan, UK Government, said: “OQC is leading the way in seizing the potential of quantum computing, which can help discover new drugs, boost cybersecurity and manage financial systems to improve our lives and drive growth. “Today’s news will support businesses to scale up by tapping into this technology and is another vote of confidence in the resounding strength of the UK’s quantum capability. “Our National Quantum Strategy will help us go even further, backed by £2.5 billion over the next 10 years to help unlock untold advances in healthcare, green tech and beyond.”
Minister for Investment Lord Johnson, UK Government, said: “We are a global leader in quantum computing, and the levels of innovation from companies like OQC is exactly why we are fast on the way to becoming a Science & Tech Superpower. The UK has a rapidly growing quantum sector which is no.1 in Europe for the number of start-ups and in attracting private investment – around $850m in the past 10 years. In March we published a National Quantum Strategy which more than doubles our public investment in quantum to £2.5 billion over the next 10 years, and already we are investing £100 million into new quantum research hubs to ensure the UK stays at the forefront of this vitally important technology.”
Quick Summary
OQC has launched the world’s first enterprise-ready quantum computing platform, OQC Toshiko, a 32-qubit system that can be accessed from commercial data centres globally. This development, backed by a $100m investment led by Japan’s SBI Investment, aims to make quantum computing more accessible and could transform industries by offering unprecedented computational power.
- OQC, a global leader in quantum compute-as-a-service, has announced the public availability of OQC Toshiko, the world’s first enterprise-ready quantum computing platform.
- The platform is a 32-qubit system that can be deployed to commercial data centres, allowing businesses worldwide to access this groundbreaking technology securely and seamlessly.
- SBI Investment, Japan’s leading venture capital fund, is leading OQC’s $100m funding round. This funding will support industry-leading research and development and enhance OQC’s ability to deliver enterprise-ready quantum technology to businesses globally.
- OQC Toshiko is particularly beneficial for customers handling sensitive data in sectors such as financial services, pharmaceuticals, energy, defence, and government.
- To make quantum technology more accessible, OQC is collaborating with global companies including Equinix, NVIDIA, AWS, and McKinsey.
- The platform is named after Toshiko Yuasa, the first female Japanese physicist, reflecting OQC’s commitment to promoting diversity in tech.
- Ilana Wisby, CEO of OQC, and Yoshitaka Kitao, CEO of SBI Holdings, both emphasised the transformative potential of quantum computing in addressing global challenges and reshaping industries.
- The UK government, represented by Science and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan and Minister for Investment Lord Johnson, expressed support for OQC’s efforts and highlighted the UK’s leading role in quantum technology.
