Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe below to never miss a qubit. 👇️

FROM THE EDITOR.

See below for more details, but the big news — in a week with a lot of big news pieces — was the Quantinuum joint venture in Qatar.

A few things stand out: First, this is a testament to the credibility that Quantinuum has gained in the market, and not to take anything away from that, but the implications stretch out from the company. The fact that a quantum company was named in this historic White House effort alongside stalwarts, including Boeing, GeoAerospace, Qatar Energy, Al Rabban Capital, etc. etc., shows how far quantum has come. In a blink of an eye — in terms of industry growth — quantum has emerged from lab to startup to industry.

Second, this is just a hint of the massive potential for quantum innovation in the MENA — Middle East and North Africa — region. Quantum still requires patient capital and the MENA region has patient, smart capital.

So, we can just call it a game, then?

There’s so much more work to do, especially in proving the value of quantum technologies for real world challenges and opportunities.

But this is a sold step in gaining the credibility and respect in that direction.

Have a great weekend!

— Matt, Chief Content Officer at The Quantum Insider

INSIDER BRIEF.

• Quantinuum And Al Rabban Capital Join Venture

• Beating Break Even

• One Break Is All It Takes

• Classiq Raises $100 Million

• Rigetti Reports

• SilQ Connects Pre-Seed

• U.S. Wants Agencies to Consider PQC

• EU And Japan Collaborate on Quantum

• IQM Expands to South Korea

ANALYST NOTES.

The Noteworthy & Nuanced

Partnerships and funding galore this week. Opening the news, Classiq has secured $110M in Series C funding, reportedly the largest to date for a quantum software firm, bringing its total to $173M. The funding will support global expansion of its R&D and commercial operations. Its platform automates hardware-agnostic quantum programming and is underpinned by over 60 patents. With clients like BMW and Citi and ties to Microsoft and NVIDIA, Classiq aims to build the “Microsoft of quantum computing”.

IQM is continuing its global expansion, this time to South Korea. Following the delivery of its 5-qubit Spark system to Chungbuk National University, the company will open a Seoul office in June 2025. The move deepens collaboration (and, judging by press release photos with Finnish Moomins, cultural exchange) with South Korea’s research institutions and aligns with the country's national quantum goals. The expansion reflects IQM’s intent to support applied R&D, quantum education, and cross-industry adoption of quantum technologies.

Lastly, Pasqal is partnering with Google Cloud to offer access to its 100-qubit neutral-atom QPU via Google Cloud Marketplace. The integration provides users with on-demand access to quantum computing through Pasqal’s cloud platform, featuring tools for job management and result analysis. The service caters to both specialists and newcomers and supports a flexible pricing model. Further product releases in optimization and simulation are planned for 2025, broadening Pasqal’s reach. — Alan Kanapin, Analyst at The Quantum Insider

The Research Rundown

This week in quantum machine learning, two papers advanced the conversation around how to make QNNs more practical and performant under real hardware constraints.

The first study, from researchers at the University of Bonn and Bayer, works toward resolving a long-standing bottleneck in quantum convolutional neural networks, which is the need for classical pre-processing. Most QCNN architectures today require dimensionality reduction to fit image data into small quantum circuits, which makes it unclear whether observed performance gains are due to the quantum model or the classical pipeline. This team introduces a method called fragment encoding, which allows full-sized image data to be processed directly on a 49-qubit system.

The second paper, from Seton Hall, Brookhaven, and Wells Fargo, addresses another limitation in QNNs: the use of fixed measurement operators. Most QNNs rely on predefined Pauli measurements applied locally to individual qubits, which limits expressivity and makes it harder to model complex, non-local data relationships. This research introduces adaptive non-local observables, a framework that treats the measurement process as a learnable component of the model. By dynamically adjusting multi-qubit observables during training, the QNN can capture more nuanced correlations without increasing parameter count or circuit depth.

Together, these papers signal a trend toward improving both the input and output interfaces of quantum learning models. One focuses on more realistic and scalable data ingestion, the other on more expressive and adaptive measurement. As hardware capabilities grow, techniques like fragment encoding and ANO could help close the gap between theoretical quantum advantage and real-world applications, especially in machine learning tasks where both data richness and model flexibility matter. — Cierra Choucair, Journalist & Analyst at The Quantum Insider

Want more research insights? Get them delivered straight to your inbox Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with The Daily Qubit. Subscribe below or use the link to update preferences at the end of this email. 👇️

INSIDER SPOTLIGHT: Quantinuum and Al Rabban Capital Launch Joint Venture to Accelerate Quantum Computing Adoption

➡️ Quantinuum has established a Qatari joint venture with Al Rabban Capital to expand the commercial use of quantum computing across the Gulf region.

➡️ The partnership aims to deploy Quantinuum’s quantum technologies in sectors such as new energy, precision medicine and finance — with a focus on regional relevance and commercial value.

➡️ The deal was announced during a U.S. state visit to Qatar and includes provisions for training local quantum talent, co-developing applications, and deepening ties between Qatari and U.S. tech ecosystems.

➡️ The move follows Quantinuum’s prior partnerships in Qatar and expands its growing international footprint, which now includes operations across North America, Europe, and the Indo-Pacific.

➡️ Leaders from both companies framed the agreement as a long-term commitment to turning quantum research into real-world economic growth and strengthening global alliances in emerging tech.

Analyst Commentary

If you follow this column, you know I am a sucker for big numbers. It’s carved into the journalistic marrow of my being — probably yours, too. I have to catch myself sometimes because, by focusing too much on the sheer monetary size of a deal, I can miss the more subtle points of a story. This is one example.

Quantinuum’s joint venture in Qatar is more than a big number, it could very well mark an important step along the the strategic evolution in the commercialization of quantum computing. This isn’t just a bilateral partnership — it’s an indication that quantum players are beginning to operate like hyperscalers, embedding their platforms in geopolitically significant markets with tailored regional strategies.

The structure of the deal echoes the model that large tech companies use to expand cloud infrastructure, for example: plant a regional stake, localize development, train talent, and align with national ambitions. It’s notable that this quantum JV was highlighted during a presidential state visit — signaling its weight not just in commercial terms, but in diplomacy and long-range tech policy.

There’s more at play here than just expanding access, though. The joint venture’s focus on co-developing applications — from genomics to financial modeling — reflects growing pressure for quantum to prove near-term value. Hype is no longer sufficient; companies like Quantinuum must show that quantum solutions can deliver measurable outcomes in real-world sectors. That makes this an important test case.

Qatar, for its part, has been steadily building out a quantum research base — including the Qatar Center for Quantum Computing and partnerships with academic institutions like Hamad Bin Khalifa University. The venture with Quantinuum plugs that effort directly into the commercial layer, offering both infrastructure and market pull for quantum applications.

Another aspect that should grab you is not just the scale, but the seriousness. This isn’t a research MOU or pilot project — it’s a commercial entity with defined objectives, backed by one of Qatar’s most prominent holding companies and one of the world’s most technically advanced quantum firms. The message: quantum is no longer just a science experiment. It’s a geopolitical asset.

Looking ahead, this may be the first of many such arrangements. As quantum matures, companies that want to lead will need to globalize — and national governments will increasingly view quantum partnerships as instruments of influence and economic strategy.

The commercial frontier for quantum computing isn’t just technical anymore. It’s geographic. Quantinuum’s move into Qatar may set a precedent — but the test will be whether these global ventures — and we expect more… many more to follow — can deliver not just visibility, but tangible value.

DATA SPOTLIGHT.

Quantinuum has achieved a major milestone in quantum computing, becoming the first commercial system to reach a 2-qubit gate fidelity of 99.914(3)%, surpassing the “three nines” threshold of 99.9% fidelity. Additionally, its Quantum Volume—a key performance benchmark—has reached 1,048,576 (2²⁰), setting a new high in the industry and significantly outpacing competitors. These advances place Quantinuum at the forefront of scalable, high-fidelity quantum computing technology. Will the company also be the first to breach the “four nines” (99.99%)? That remains to be seen.

INDUSTRY HIGHLIGHTS.

💰️ Classiq has raised $110 million in Series C funding (reportedly the largest ever for a quantum software company) as it scales global operations and deepens industry adoption.

🥼 Eli Lilly has signed a research and licensing deal with Creyon Bio worth up to $1 billion to develop RNA-targeted therapies using Creyon’s AI platform, which integrates quantum chemistry to model drug-RNA interactions with higher precision.

🇺🇸 A bipartisan group in the U.S. House has introduced the Quantum Sandbox for Near-Term Applications Act, creating a public-private testbed program to accelerate real-world quantum and hybrid applications in sectors like energy, healthcare, and defense.

🤝 QuantWare has partnered with Q-CTRL to integrate autonomous calibration software into its quantum processors, reducing QPU tuning time from days to hours and enabling faster deployment of high-performance systems.

🇮🇳 C-DOT and Synergy Quantum India have signed an MoU to co-develop drone-based QKD systems using the BB84 protocol, aiming for Technology Readiness Level 6 or higher. The partnership supports India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative and includes joint work on research proposals, academic publications, and events.

🇦🇺 Australian quantum company Diraq has signed a letter of intent to join the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park through its On-Ramp program, expanding its U.S. footprint as it scales silicon spin qubit-based quantum processors.

💰️ Rigetti reported a Q1 2025 net profit of $42.6 million due to non-cash financial gains, despite a $21.6 million operating loss and modest $1.5 million in revenue. The company emphasized progress toward utility-scale quantum systems through new government-backed research on error correction and chip fabrication, alongside technical milestones.

🤝 The EU and Japan signed a Letter of Intent on 13 May 2025 to enhance cooperation in quantum science and technology, establishing joint funding mechanisms and reciprocal research access under the EU-Japan Digital Partnership.

💸 SilQ Connect has raised pre-seed funding from Quantonation, Quantacet, and QV Studio to accelerate its development of microwave-optical quantum interconnects.

🇰🇷 IQM will open a new office in Seoul in June 2025 to deepen partnerships with South Korea’s research institutions and industries, following the rapid four-month deployment of its 5-qubit IQM Spark system at Chungbuk National University.

🐟️ QuTech, TNO, and four Dutch startups launched Tuna-5, a modular superconducting quantum system now available on Quantum Inspire, showcasing open-architecture integration across chips, control electronics, software, and system calibration.

🖥️ Keysight Technologies’ Quantum Control System has been selected to operate Fujitsu and RIKEN’s new 256-qubit quantum computer in Japan, supporting efforts toward fault-tolerant quantum computing.

☁️ L&T-Cloudfiniti and QpiAI have partnered to scale global quantum computing applications by combining cloud infrastructure with QpiAI’s quantum hardware and AI capabilities.

EVENTS.

May 20-22 -- Join us for the 3rd annual IQT Nordics, May 20-22, 2025 in Gothenburg, Sweden, and contribute to scaling quantum computers towards real world applications.

May 26 -- Grand Opening: QAI Ventures Accelerator Batch III Switzerland. Join us at uptownBasel to celebrate the launch of our third startup cohort and kick off the QAI Ventures Accelerator in true QAI style: Come for the vision. Stay for the rooftop vibes.

June 1-5 -- Optica Quantum 2.0 Conference and Exhibition will be held at Hilton San Francisco Union Square, San Francisco.

June 9-12 -- Adiabatic Quantum Computing (AQC) 2025 Conference will be held at the campus of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada from June 9-12, 2025. The AQC conference series, now in its 14th year, is an annual international gathering of researchers working on diverse aspects of quantum computing.

June 18-19 -- Quantum Now|ICI Quantique will be held in Montréal, Québec, Canada. Where strategic leaders secure their quantum future!

Aug. 31– Sept. 5 -- IEEE Quantum Week 2025 will be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Sept. 16-18 -- Quantum World Congress 2025 will be held at Capital One Hall in Greater Washington. The event is a chance for the world’s quantum ecosystem comes together to bring a quantum-ready future into focus.

Sept. 24-25 -- Q2B25 Paris at Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie, Paris, France.

Sept. 29-Oct. 1 -- Quantum.Tech Europe is taking place in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The event will bring together the whole quantum supply chain to drive forward the commercial applications of Quantum Technologies.

Oct. 8 -- The Fifth Anniversary of The City Quantum & AI Summit at the Mansion House in the City of London takes place this year with the subtitle Race for Growth.

Nov. 10-12 -- European Quantum Technologies Conference 2025 will be held at Øksnehallen, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Dec. 1-4 -- QUEST-IS 2025 Quantum Engineering Sciences and Technologies for Industry and Services From Quantum Engineering to Applications for Citizens. EDF Lab, Paris-Saclay, FranceParis-Saclay, France