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FROM THE EDITOR.

Welcome to the Insider Weekly. Two recent announcements offered the quantum community a quiet but powerful lesson in how this technology is moving from aspiration to realization. Always kick it off with a little rhyme.

In the first, IonQ — working with its new acquisition, Oxford Ionics — reported achieving 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity using its Electronic Qubit Control (EQC) technology. That figure, long viewed as a crucial benchmark, is more than a symbolic milestone. Many experts believe this is a step closer to building reliable, commercial-grade quantum computers capable of solving practical problems.

Quite literally a day later, Google Quantum AI announced the successful demonstration of a verifiable quantum-advantage algorithm that ran roughly 13,000 times faster than the best available classical approach.

Let’s put this together and to be clear: These advances are just that: advances. They’re not ultimate destinations. But, they do offer a sign that progress in quantum computing rarely comes from a single leap forward. It’s the product of continuous innovation across the entire stack — from qubit materials and control electronics to compilers, algorithms, and hybrid integration with classical infrastructure.

There was another development worth noting — though still unconfirmed — that points to the growing prominence of quantum technology in policy discussions. Based on several reports, U.S. government may be weighing equity stakes in domestic quantum-computing firms in exchange for federal funding. If accurate, this would mark a significant evolution in how Washington supports strategic technologies, signaling that quantum innovation has entered the top tier of national industrial priorities.

From lab performance records to federal policy considerations, quantum computing is maturing into a sector defined by coordination as much as competition.

It seems like we might just be onto something.

Have a great weekend!

— Matt, Chief Content Officer at The Quantum Insider

INSIDER BRIEF.

• Stealth-Detecting Quantum Radar Enters Mass Production?

• Ayalon Highways and Quantum Art Partner to Bring Quantum

• Computing to Urban Traffic Planning

• Rydberg Photonics Berlin Launched

• Hamburg at The Heart of National Quantum Effort

• XPRIZE’s Quantum For Real-World Impact Announces Semi-Finalists

• NYU Launches Quantum Institute

• Telecom at the Edge of Scale

• French Government Backs New Tech

• Quandela Delivers

• Universal Quantum CEO Outlines Quantum Sovereignty Plan

• Eyeing Quantum Improvements in Retinal Scans

ANALYST NOTES.

The Noteworthy & Nuanced

We’ve secretly discovered time travel - on Monday IBM will be publishing a research paper showing that it has successfully run a real-time quantum error-handling algorithm on AMD FPGA chips. The algorithm runs on affordable, widely available hardware instead of expensive, custom-built systems. This milestone brings IBM closer to its goal of developing the Starling quantum computer by 2029 and places it a year ahead of schedule on its quantum computing roadmap.

Quandela has delivered Lucy, a 12-qubit photonic quantum computer, to France’s Très Grand Centre de calcul (TGCC) as part of the EuroQCS-France consortium led by GENCI and funded by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking. Built entirely within the EU using mostly European components, Lucy will be integrated with the Joliot-Curie supercomputer to support hybrid HPC-quantum workloads in optimization, chemistry, and machine learning.

Google Quantum AI has yet again done something thousands of times faster than a supercomputer. Using its 65-qubit superconducting processor, the team performed a complex physics simulation 13,000 times faster than the Frontier supercomputer, employing a new “Quantum Echoes” algorithm to measure quantum interference effects known as OTOC(2). The experiment, published in Nature, highlights quantum capabilities that classical computers cannot efficiently replicate. — Alan Kanapin, Analyst at The Quantum Insider

The Research Rundown

Check out this week’s handpicked quantum research. These are studies headed for real-world impact: improving accuracy, reducing latency, using fewer resources, or solving problems that classical methods struggle with. These are early developments, but they hint at where quantum might earn its keep.

• Researchers from the Institute of High Energy Physics and Peking University have developed the first quantum simulation framework for sphaleron dynamics, using a lattice-based quantum rotor model to study baryon number–violating processes that may explain the Universe’s matter–antimatter imbalance on near-term quantum hardware.
  

• Researchers from BMW Group, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Saarland University, and RWTH Aachen have proposed the first fault-tolerant quantum algorithm for topology optimization, using Grover’s search and quantum linear algebra subroutines to design lightweight, high-strength structures efficiently.

• Researchers from the University of Oxford and the National University of Singapore have introduced the first fully coherent quantum neural network framework demonstrating that deep learning inference can run entirely on quantum hardware with exponential or polynomial speedups over classical methods.
  
  — Cierra Choucair, Journalist & Analyst at The Quantum Insider

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The Quantum World Tour, launched by ITU and The Quantum Insider, hosted its third episode on October 24, 2025, spotlighting Australia’s rapidly advancing quantum ecosystem.

The 90-minute online session explored how Australia is turning its national quantum strategy into progress across research, commercialization, and workforce development. Speakers and panels will feature leaders from Quantum Australia, academia, startups, and government, highlighting the nation’s strategy, science, and scale in driving global quantum leadership.

INSIDER SPOTLIGHT: Google Quantum AI Shows 13,000× Speedup Over World’s Fastest Supercomputer in Physics Simulation

.➡️ Google Quantum AI has achieved a verifiable algorithmic milestone using its 65-qubit superconducting processor, performing a complex quantum interference calculation about 13,000× faster than the world’s fastest classical supercomputer.

➡️ The experiment, published in Nature, used a method called the “Quantum Echoes” algorithm to measure a subtle phenomenon known as the second-order out-of-time-order correlator (OTOC(2)).

➡️ The result pushes computation deeper into the “beyond-classical” regime — where even exascale machines like Frontier cannot reproduce results in reasonable time.

➡️ While this marks an important technical milestone, it aligns closely with Google’s existing six-stage roadmap rather than signaling acceleration.

➡️ The work highlights a growing focus on practical quantum advantage — measurable, physically interpretable results that advance experimental science.

Analyst Commentary

Google’s latest experiment demonstrates quantum computation as a tool for science rather than a speed test. By measuring how information “scrambles” and re-emerges in a chaotic quantum system, the team confirmed that its Willow chip can perform physically meaningful calculations at scales no classical simulator can match.

Yet, in context, this is not a sudden leap forward — it’s the next expected waypoint on Google’s multi-year roadmap to practical quantum computing. Hartmut Neven, who leads the program, divides that roadmap into two tracks: hardware progress, marked by qubit fidelity and error correction, and software progress, marked by verifiable, useful algorithms. This week’s result sits firmly in the latter camp.

To break this down a little bit further… Unlike earlier “quantum supremacy” experiments that mainly showed a quantum computer could outpace a classical one, the Quantum Echoes experiment ties that raw speed to something tangible. It connects the mathematics of quantum theory with measurable, physical behavior — a bridge between abstract equations and laboratory reality.

The key quantity the team measured, called OTOC(2), reveals how quantum information moves, interferes, and re-forms inside a system. Think of it as watching ripples spread and collide across a pond, but at the level of quantum waves. By tracking those ripples, scientists can see how tiny disturbances evolve — a process that determines how materials behave, how molecules bond, or how magnetic properties emerge.

In that way, Quantum Echoes isn’t just a computing milestone; it’s a new scientific instrument. It suggests that future quantum processors could act as diagnostic tools for studying matter itself — systems too complex for even the fastest classical supercomputers to simulate. The work therefore advances both quantum computing, by proving control at larger scales, and quantum sensing, by showing that these machines can produce data relevant to real physical experiments.

Still, we have to recognize that limitations remain: the algorithm applies to a narrow class of interference problems, relies on error-mitigated circuits, and operates well below the thresholds of fault-tolerant computation.

Maybe the underlying story here — and what should be good news for quantum enthusiasts — is that the demonstration confirms that Google’s roadmap remains on track. They’re moving along steadily rather than rushed, building toward a future where quantum processors don’t just outperform classical machines, but produce data that meaningfully expands scientific understanding.

DATA SPOTLIGHT.

PacketLight Networks and NEC demonstrated quantum key distribution over a 400G dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) network using a dual-fiber setup. They integrated NEC’s QKD system with PacketLight’s PL-4000M 600G Muxponder, achieving 100% data throughput and low latency, verified via a 100GbE tester. The QKD ran over a dedicated parallel fiber, maintaining quantum signal integrity. The result: a cost-effective, scalable quantum-safe model with zero performance tradeoffs on existing high-capacity infrastructure.

INDUSTRY HIGHLIGHTS.

🏆️ XPRIZE has named 20 Semifinalists in its $5 million Quantum Applications competition, selecting teams from 31 countries developing quantum algorithms with real-world potential.

🇩🇪 Hamburg is becoming a central hub in Germany’s national quantum computing strategy, driven by the German Aerospace Center’s (DLR) Quantum Computing Initiative. Five quantum computers are under development at DLR’s innovation center in Lokstedt, targeting applications in mobility, AI, materials science, and cybersecurity.

🥇 IonQ announced a new world record of 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity using its Electronic Qubit Control (EQC) technology, surpassing the previous 99.97% benchmark.

👩‍💻 Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech has launched QiliSDK, an open-source Python framework that unifies digital, analog, and hybrid quantum algorithm development within one environment.

💡 Rydberg Technologies has launched Rydberg Photonics GmbH, a Berlin-based spin-off from the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut (FBH) that will produce compact, micro-integrated photonic engines for quantum technologies.

🤝 A delegation of Australian quantum companies visited Korea for the Korea–Australia Quantum Technology Business Roundtable, co-hosted by Austrade and the Korea Quantum Industry Association (KQIA), to explore joint R&D and commercialization opportunities in quantum computing, communication, and sensing. \

🇺🇸 The U.S. government is reportedly in talks with IonQ, Rigetti, and D-Wave to take equity stakes in exchange for at least $10 million in federal funding per firm—a rare move toward direct public ownership in private quantum companies. Though unconfirmed, the plan signals Washington’s intent to secure leadership in quantum technology amid global competition.

🇬🇧 Universal Quantum CEO Dr. Sebastian Weidt warned the UK Parliament that Britain risks losing its lead in quantum computing without faster government investment, procurement, and domestic manufacturing support. He outlined a five-step plan calling for accelerated funding, national infrastructure, sovereign production, defense integration, and international coordination.

🐈‍⬛ Quandela has delivered Lucy, a 12-qubit photonic quantum computer, to France’s CEA computing center under the EuroQCS-France consortium led by GENCI and funded by EuroHPC.

✒️ Sejong City signed an MOU with the Korea Quantum Industry Association to establish itself as Korea’s quantum industry hub through joint initiatives in policy, technology demonstration, commercialization, and talent development.

EVENTS.

Oct. 28 — “Let’s Entangle” TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 side event will bring awareness, inclusion, and collaboration among women in quantum.

Nov. 3-4 -- Chicago Quantum Summit will bring together global leaders in quantum science and engineering, hosted by the Chicago Quantum Exchange

Nov. 4-5 -- QED-C Annual Meeting will gather global quantum leaders to discuss industry challenges, encourage collaboration, and shape strategies.

Nov. 6 -- Quantum computing with atomic qubit arrays with Mark Saffman - University of Wisconsin and Infleqtion.

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

Nov. 12-14 -- Quantum Machines, the leading provider of advanced hybrid quantum-classical control solutions, will host AQC25, the second Adaptive Quantum Circuits Conference.

Nov. 16-21 -- SuperComputing 2025 (SC25) will be held n St. Louis, USA. SC25 is an international conference for high performance computing, networking, storage and analysis.

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, France.

Dec. 3-5 -- Quantum Education Summit 2025 will advance accessible, inclusive quantum education through keynotes, workshops, and a collaborative white paper on workforce development and policy alignment.

Dec. 9-11 -- Q2B 2025 Silicon Valley Q2B is back for the eighth year in a row, connecting the international quantum community computing ecosystems. The event will feature top academics, industry end users, government representatives and quantum computing vendors from all over the world.

Dec. 17-18 -- Science Diplomacy - Bridging divides in a fragmented world will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark. The conference explores how science diplomacy can bridge divides and promote innovation, competitiveness, and international cooperation.

Jan 13–14, 2026 -- Quantum.Tech: Commercial Applications of Quantum Computing, Communications and Sensing, Doha, Qatar

January 27 and 28, 2026 -- Qubits 2026 D-Wave is bringing its annual user conference, Qubits, to Boca Raton, Florida. The event will be held at The Boca Raton resort.

April 27-30 -- The Quantum Matter International Conference & Expo (QUANTUMatter2026) will take place at the Barceló Sants Hotel in Barcelona. The conference to foster the incubation of new ideas & collaborations at the forefront of quantum technologies, emerging quantum materials and novel generations of quantum communication protocols, quantum sensing and quantum simulation.