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  • 🔵 The Quantum Insider Weekly | Photonic Inc. Nine-Figure Raise. D-Wave M&A. And More News in Quantum!

🔵 The Quantum Insider Weekly | Photonic Inc. Nine-Figure Raise. D-Wave M&A. And More News in Quantum!

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FROM THE EDITOR.

I hope your New Year’s resolutions didn’t have anything to do with taking it easy…

It has been a heck of a start to the New Year for the quantum industry.

The big news this week ran the gamut — from mergers and acquisitions to major funding rounds to important national quantum initiatives.

Links and analysis are below, but, first, D-Wave announced its plan to acquire Quantum Circuits, Inc. The deal — if successful — will tie a leader in quantum annealing with a major force in superconducting gate-based quantum devices.

On the funding front, Photonic Inc. raised $180 million CAD — about $130 million USD.

And the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act appears to be back on track.

So… I hope you enjoyed your vacation — let’s go to work!

— Matt, Chief Content Officer at The Quantum Insider

INSIDER BRIEF.

The Noteworthy & Nuanced

Wordplay, wordplay everywhere! QUDORA Technologies has introduced Qamelion, a quantum computing emulator for testing algorithms under realistic, hardware-like noise conditions. Some features include adjustable noise models, hybrid classical quantum execution, and compatibility with OpenQASM, Qiskit, and QIR, enabling thorough evaluation of near-term and future algorithms. Available through QUDORA’s cloud with a free trial, Qamelion will also be offered in Japan through Fixstars Amplify.

“Pan-European Quantum Corridor” - sounds fancy, doesn’t it? SEALSQ has expanded its Quantum Investment Fund from $35M to more than $100M. All in order to create the aforementioned corridor and advance Europe’s post-quantum security and sovereign quantum computing ambitions. The company is deploying capital across PQC hardware, secure satellites, blockchain identity systems, QKD, and quantum-ready semiconductors in multiple countries.

Illinois is pumping out support for quantum startups. The Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP) and Silicon Catalyst have formed a partnership that will give companies in Silicon Catalyst’s accelerator access to lab space, specialized equipment, cryogenic infrastructure, and the National Quantum Facility. This is all facilitated by the Illinois EDC, as part of a strategy to attract and retain quantum firms in the state. — 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.

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. 👇️

Australia’s quantum sector is moving from research to deployment, with more than 40 companies delivering products across computing, sensing, navigation, and secure infrastructure, supported by strong university spinouts and sustained government investment. Several firms are already working with global customers and defense partners, demonstrating export-ready capabilities backed by a dense national research base. Alignment with the U.S. and U.K. through AUKUS is accelerating collaboration and easing pathways for joint development and commercialization. Austrade plays a coordinating role by connecting international partners with Australian quantum companies, research institutions, and government programs to support trade, investment, and market entry.

INSIDER SPOTLIGHT: D-Wave Announces Agreement to Acquire Quantum Circuits Inc.

➡️ D-Wave Quantum has agreed to acquire Quantum Circuits in a $550 million transaction, combining annealing-based systems with superconducting gate-model technology under a single commercial platform.
➡️ The deal brings together two historically distinct quantum modalities, signaling that the companies are forming a strategy that welds complementary architectures rather than convergence on a single dominant approach.
➡️ Quantum Circuits’ dual-rail superconducting technology is positioned as a pathway toward earlier error-corrected gate-model systems, with an initial system planned for availability in 2026.
➡️ The acquisition establishes a new D-Wave research and development center in New Haven, integrating Yale-linked talent and strengthening the company’s presence in the New England quantum ecosystem.
➡️ Company statements frame the transaction as both a technical acceleration and a long-term positioning move aimed at expanding addressable use cases and customer profiles.

Analyst Commentary

The way we see it, D-Wave’s agreement to acquire Quantum Circuits represents more than a straightforward technology add-on. The transaction suggests the commercial quantum sector is increasingly moving away from single-modality narratives and toward portfolio strategies designed to serve different computational needs.

D-Wave is best known for pioneering quantum annealing and for operating one of the most mature quantum cloud platforms in the market. Quantum Circuits, on the other hand, is a newer entrant focused on superconducting gate-model systems with built-in error detection. Bringing the two together allows D-Wave to present itself less as an annealing specialist and more as a multi-modal quantum infrastructure provider.

That distinction should matter because, for years, industry debates, often intense industry debates, have centered on which modality — annealing, gate-based superconducting systems, trapped ions, photonics — would ultimately dominate. This acquisition implicitly challenges that premise. Rather than betting on a single architectural winner, D-Wave appears to be positioning for a market in which different quantum approaches coexist, optimized for different classes of problems and business requirements.

From a technical standpoint, the appeal of Quantum Circuits lies in its dual-rail qubit design, which incorporates error detection directly into hardware. Company materials argue this could reduce the overhead typically required to construct logical qubits, potentially shortening the path to useful error-corrected systems. D-Wave, meanwhile, brings experience in scalable control electronics, system integration, and production-grade cloud operations — areas that have often proven as challenging as qubit physics itself. D-Wave has also been intensely focused on building quantum systems that have real-world practical value.

The roadmap outlined by the companies points to an initial gate-model system becoming generally available in 2026. That timeline places the effort in the near-to-mid term, but still well ahead of fully fault-tolerant machines capable of broad algorithmic advantage. As with most quantum roadmaps, the gap between prototype demonstrations and sustained commercial performance will be the critical test.

Beyond technology, we would be remiss not to point out the geographic angle to this merger. The deal anchors D-Wave more firmly in the Yale–New Haven–New England research corridor, a region with deep roots in superconducting quantum science and impeccable quantum research in general. Establishing a research and development center there gives D-Wave access not just to Quantum Circuits’ team, but to a broader academic and industrial community that has shaped much of the field’s foundational work.

As with any acquisition announcement, the framing deserves scrutiny. Claims about accelerated timelines, expanded use cases and industry leadership are forward-looking and remain unproven. Regulatory approvals are still pending, and performance benchmarks for the combined platform have yet to be independently validated.

Still, members of the quantum community should recognize that rather than narrowing its focus, D-Wave is broadening it — betting that the future quantum market will reward flexibility, hybrid approaches and ecosystem depth over allegiance to a single technological path.

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.

🇯🇴 Jordan’s central bank has released a sector-wide roadmap to guide banks and financial institutions in transitioning to quantum-resistant encryption ahead of future cybersecurity risks from advanced computing. The phased plan emphasizes governance integration, pilot testing, and coordination.

🧊 Quantum Design has completed its acquisition of Oxford NanoScience, combining two long-established cryogenic technology providers with more than a century of combined experience. The deal expands Quantum Design’s portfolio to include sub-kelvin cryostats, dilution refrigerators, and high-field superconducting magnets.

🇺🇸 Pennsylvania lawmakers are being urged to support a proposed $40 million, two-year Pennsylvania Quantum Initiative starting in 2026 to rebuild the state’s competitiveness after missing key federal quantum funding rounds. The plan focuses on workforce development, applied research, shared infrastructure, and early commercialization.

🤝 SuperQ Quantum and Aegis Critical Energy Defence have signed an MOU to explore integrating hybrid quantum-classical optimization into secure, policy-governed energy infrastructure for critical and decentralized systems. The partnership will advance technical due diligence and development using SuperQ’s Super™ platform and ChatQLM.

🇮🇳 SEALSQ will conduct a strategic roadshow across India in early January 2026 to advance plans for a post-quantum semiconductor personalization center and expand collaboration on post-quantum satellite initiatives with WISeSat.

💰️ Viewbix has received majority stockholder approval to move forward with its acquisition of Quantum X Labs, a quantum technology hub spanning algorithms, navigation, and atomic clocks. The transaction would give Viewbix an 85%–100% stake in Quantum X Labs, pending remaining closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

💡 Photonic Inc. raised $180 million CAD in the first close of a new funding round led by Planet First Partners, bringing total capital raised to $375 million CAD as the company advances its distributed, fault-tolerant quantum architecture.

🔐 After quantum technology entered the strategic mainstream in 2025, The Quantum Insider is designating 2026 as the Year of Quantum Security, shifting focus toward post-quantum cryptography, protection of quantum intellectual property, and operational resilience. The initiative launches January 12, 2026, in Washington, D.C., bringing together government, industry, and investors to align policy, security practices, and global coordination.

🦋 Monarch Quantum has launched as a privately held San Diego–based company developing integrated photonics systems that consolidate complex laser and optical components into factory-aligned modules for quantum computing, sensing, and communications.

⚠️ A new NSF-funded ERVA report warns the U.S. risks losing leadership in quantum-enabled technologies without targeted engineering research to move systems from lab demonstrations to scalable, deployable platforms. The roadmap calls for coordinated investment across academia, industry, and government, prioritizing quantum and materials, biology, computing, and AI.

📈 Infleqtion and Churchill Capital Corp X have filed a Form S-4 with the SEC, moving their proposed business combination closer to a planned Q1 2026 close that would take Infleqtion public as the first listed neutral-atom quantum company. The transaction is expected to raise over $540 million to support scaling of Infleqtion’s quantum computing and sensing products.

🦅 Lawmakers have introduced the bipartisan National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act to restore and extend federal coordination of U.S. quantum research, addressing growing security risks and the transition from basic research to early deployment. The bill would renew funding and oversight for agencies like NIST, NSF, and NASA, while strengthening workforce development, supply chains, and post-quantum security planning through 2034.

EVENTS.

Jan. 26-27 -- QuARC 2026, hosted by MIT’s Center for Quantum Engineering (CQE) in partnership with MIT’s Interdisciplinary Quantum Information Science and Engineering (iQuISE) student organization, will be held at the Omni Mount Washington resort in New Hampshire.

Jan. 27-28, 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.

Jan. 29 - Feb. 2, 2026 -- Isfahan University of Technology is hosting Quantum Frontiers in Science and Technology, a five-day, two-part program that integrates foundational education in quantum sensing with a research-focused conference on cutting-edge quantum technologies.

March 16-20 -- Quantum Resources will be held in Tokyo, Japan. The conference brings together leading experts and emerging voices in the field to explore the latest theoretical insights, operational applications, and future directions of quantum resource theories.

Apr 22–23 -- Mathematics & Physics Frontiers 2026 in Frankfurt, Germany is an international forum uniting mathematicians, physicists, engineers, data scientists, and technology innovators from across the globe to explore groundbreaking advances at the intersection of theory and application.

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.

June 4-5 -- Q2B Tokyo 2026 will be held exclusively in-person and presented in Japanese and English, with real-time interpretation.

June 16 -- France Quantum -- the premier event showcasing the French Quantum ecosystem to the world.

June 22-24 -- IQT Nordics: Oslo, Norway

June 24-26 -- Quantum. Tech World: Boston, Mass

June 25-26 -- Quantum.Tech World -- Empowering Quantum, AI & HPC at Enterprise -- Scale, co-located with Quantum.Tech World will be held at Encore Boston Harbor in Boston, United States.

June 25-26 -- Quantum.Tech World -- Empowering Quantum, AI & HPC at Enterprise -- Scale, co-located with Quantum.Tech World will be held at Encore Boston Harbor in Boston, United States.

July 1-3 -- The 2026 IEEE International Conference on Quantum Control, Computing, and Learning (IEEE qCCL 2026) will take place from Wednesday to Friday, July 1-3, 2026