The surprisingly swift commercialization of quantum computing is signaled by the emergence of three startups originating from Harvard research over the last decade. LightsynQ, co-founded in 2024 by Mihir Bhaskar, was acquired by IonQ last year, and Bhaskar now serves as senior vice president for research and development, demonstrating a clear trajectory from academic innovation to industry leadership. QuEra has already shipped its second commercial quantum computer, built on Harvard technology, to Japan, while CavilinQ recently secured $8.8 million in seed funding to further develop quantum networking. “Where are we now compared to where we thought we’d be in 2018? We are so much farther ahead than I think any of us could have imagined,” says Evelyn Hu, Tarr-Coyne Professor of Applied Physics and of Electrical Engineering, reflecting a sentiment that this once theoretical science is rapidly approaching practical application.
LightsynQ, QuEra, and CavilinQ: Harvard Quantum Startups Emerge
These ventures, LightsynQ, QuEra, and CavilinQ, demonstrate a rapid transition from theoretical physics to tangible technology, exceeding expectations set as recently as 2018. LightsynQ, co-founded in 2024 by Harvard Ph.D. Mihir Bhaskar, exemplifies this trend. Bhaskar acknowledges the surprising pace of development, stating, “I couldn’t have predicted this…the pace of innovation, the pace of development, the pace of—honestly—capital going into the technology has far exceeded what I could have possibly imagined.” QuEra, established in 2018 by Mikhail Lukin and Markus Greiner with partners from Harvard and MIT, recently shipped its second commercial quantum computer to Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, showcasing the practical application of research. Brandon Grinkemeyer, a postdoctoral fellow and CavilinQ founder, explains the importance of quantum networking, drawing parallels to classical computing: connecting processors increases computational power, enabling solutions to problems beyond the reach of single processors.
Harvard Quantum Initiative Fuels Fault Tolerance Advances
The field of quantum computing is rapidly transitioning from theoretical physics to tangible technology, evidenced by a surge in commercial ventures originating from Harvard University research. Over the past decade, three startups, LightsynQ, QuEra, and CavilinQ, have emerged, demonstrating a swift move toward practical applications of what was once considered a distant scientific pursuit. This acceleration is particularly notable given expectations surrounding the field in 2018, a benchmark against which current progress is being measured. A critical factor driving this progress is improved fault tolerance, a recent breakthrough from Mikhail Lukin’s lab, co-director of the Harvard Quantum Initiative in Science and Engineering. Errors inherent in quantum calculations previously threatened to render results unusable, but this advancement has overcome a significant hurdle.
Lukin predicts that “People initially thought that this sort of fault-tolerant, large-scale quantum computers would be coming some time by the end of the next decade, and I think it’s quite likely that actually they will be here — at least in some form — by the end of this decade.” This suggests a potential arrival of functional quantum computers five to ten years ahead of previous estimates, fueled significantly by the work within the Harvard Quantum Initiative. The initiative’s entrepreneurial environment, coupled with partnerships like those with Amazon Web Services, has fostered a vibrant ecosystem supporting the development of these startups and accelerating the realization of quantum computing’s potential.
Where are we now compared to where we thought we’d be in 2018? We are so much farther ahead than I think any of us could have imagined.
Quantum Networking Enables Scalable Computational Power
The emergence of CavilinQ, a startup focused on quantum networking technology, illustrates a critical step beyond simply building more powerful quantum processors; it’s about connecting them. This principle translates directly to the quantum realm, allowing networked processors to tackle problems beyond the reach of any single unit. The need for interconnected quantum processors stems from the inherent limitations of individual quantum systems. While quantum computers harness the unique properties of the atomic world, including entanglement, their power is maximized through collaboration. “Connecting processors can offer fundamentally new functionality beyond just scaling up,” Grinkemeyer said, highlighting potential applications like quantum-enhanced imaging and fully secure quantum computation. This isn’t merely about increasing processing speed; it’s about unlocking entirely new computational paradigms. “I have never seen a science that is so theoretical go out into the commercial sphere so quickly,” she noted, reflecting on the advancements made over the past decade.
People initially thought that this sort of fault-tolerant, large-scale, quantum computers would be coming some time by the end of the next decade, and I think it’s quite likely that actually they will be here – at least in some form – by the end of this decade.
This acceleration is driven not only by academic breakthroughs but also by increasing industry investment and a supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem. This progress isn’t merely about building more powerful computers; it’s about unlocking fundamentally new capabilities.
This is completely new technology. A quantum computer is different from any kind of classical computer that’s ever been built.
