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  • 🔵 The Quantum Insider Weekly | Commercializing Quantum, Predicting Quantum, And More News.

🔵 The Quantum Insider Weekly | Commercializing Quantum, Predicting Quantum, And More News.

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FROM THE EDITOR.

News that a combined research team using Quantinuum’s trapped ion quantum computer to complete a commercial task earned global headlines.

Essentially, and we’ll break this down more below, Researchers from JPMorgan Chase, Quantinuum, national labs, and UT Austin have demonstrated the first successful use of a quantum computer to generate certified randomness, establishing a critical milestone in applied quantum computing. The team relied on a method called Random Circuit Sampling, which showed that quantum systems can expand randomness beyond what classical computers can achieve. That could lead to potential applications in cryptography, fairness and privacy — among the more obvious use cases.

Obviously, all disclaimers apply, but one thing is clear — as it is appearing in stories over and over, particularly about Quantinuum — the focus is on commercialization for quantum and it’s on commercializing now and with what quantum devices we have. Nobody is waiting around for perfect fault tolerance.

Expect things to get even more interesting as quantum business and research teams lock in on this goal.

While we’re putting a lot of focus on these big stories of research leaps, let’s not forget the new talent that is appearing on The Quantum Insider’s radar, because they are key to the success of this effort to unleash quantum on real-world challenges. This week, amidst a flurry of activity surrounding Quantum Australia, the country’s own Iceberg Quantum announced both $2 million in pre-seed money and a partnership with PsiQuantum. And another Australian up-and-comer DeteQt, Quantum sensing startup, said it has raised $750,000 in pre-seed funding.

We wish them all good luck — and wish you a great weekend!

— Matt, Chief Content Officer at The Quantum Insider

INSIDER BRIEF.

ANALYST NOTES.

The Noteworthy & Nuanced

Quantum computing companies using photonic qubits promise a lot. PsiQuantum, with a goal of rushing straight towards 1 million qubits is no exception, but as we can see from recent funding, investors are willing to wait. The Palo Alto-based firm is raising at least $750M at a $6B pre-money valuation to build a fault-tolerant machine through its photons-on-silicon method. Leveraging traditional chipmaking infrastructure is key behind the promise of scalability.

In contrast to promises, a recent benchmark from researchers at Forschungszentrum Jülich and Purdue University shows meaningful progress achieved by existing processors. The study found Quantinuum’s H2-1 QPU maintained coherence on a 56-qubit MaxCut problem, pushing beyond classical simulation limits. Using over 4,600 two-qubit gates without degrading into noise, this result could have easily been spun into the latest “quantum supremacy” headline. For now though, there’s only mild coverage and an arXiv paper.

Lastly, if you’ve ever struggled to grasp quantum entanglement, soon quantum computers might be able to explain it for you. A new algorithm developed by researchers in Japan and the UK allows quantum systems to both detect and protect entanglement without damaging it. The algorithm even has a philosophical air to its name - “Variational Entanglement Witness”. Now that quantum computers are seeking self-awareness, we can reserve a spot for them alongside our future AI overlords. — Alan Kanapin, Analyst at The Quantum Insider

The Research Rundown

Quantum sensing made its presence known this week—not just in synthetic systems, but in living ones. Two studies, one in molecular biology and the other in cellular activity, illustrate how quantum tools are probing life at the subatomic level. In one, researchers at the University of Chicago used diamond nanoprobes to detect inflammation in immune cells by monitoring shifts in electric fields; real-time, label-free biosensing based on subtle changes in the zero-field splitting of nitrogen-vacancy centers.

In the other, Northeastern University physicist Paul Stevenson is investigating whether proteins and DNA themselves exhibit spin-based electron transfer, a function essential to spintronics. His team is using quantum sensing to uncover whether nature has already solved one of spintronics' biggest challenges: developing room-temperature, low-energy, scalable spin-based materials by leveraging the chiral structures of biomolecules. All in all, a bet that evolution has already engineered solutions we’ve spent decades trying to build from scratch.

Together, these projects may (hopefully) prompt us to reconsider the lack of overall attention (and funding) we’ve allocated for sensing.

Switching gears a bit, finance also shared in on the research spotlight. The team behind HQNN-FSP brought us a hybrid quantum-classical model for financial forecasting—specifically, stock forcasting, and who doesn’t want to be more adept at that? This model features a tailored quantum ansatz for time-series data as a way to decode markets using high-dimensional correlations instead of just chasing noise. While the hybrid network doesn’t yet outperform classical models in speed or stability, it does offer a clearer picture of what quantum-enhanced finance might eventually look like.— Cierra Choucair, Journalist & Analyst at The Quantum Insider

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➡️ JPMorganChase, Quantinuum, and researchers from U.S. national labs and UT Austin have achieved a long-theorized application of quantum computing: the generation of certified randomness using a real quantum device.

➡️ The team ran a randomness-expansion protocol on Quantinuum’s 56-qubit H2 trapped-ion system — performing a task that cannot be replicated by any classical supercomputer.

➡️ Over 71,000 bits of quantum-generated entropy were mathematically certified using 1.1 exaflops of classical compute power, marking one of the clearest demonstrations of a quantum system solving a practical problem beyond classical reach.

➡️ This protocol, proposed by UT Austin’s Scott Aaronson in 2018, is the first proven instance of a quantum computer being used to deliver real-world, provably secure random numbers for cryptographic and statistical applications.

➡️ Certified quantum randomness has immediate commercial potential in secure encryption, financial simulations, blockchain protocols, and digital identity systems—anywhere that verifiable, tamper-proof randomness is critical. But these are the known-knowns — and there could be other uses lurking in the unknown-unknown category

Analyst Commentary

This announcement quietly shifts the center of gravity in quantum computing from theoretical benchmarks toward practical, certifiable and commercially useful applications. While quantum advantage headlines have largely focused on contrived demonstrations, this experiment delivers a product: entropy with a cryptographic pedigree.

Certified randomness is more than a science fair project. It’s a foundational layer for secure encryption, statistical modeling, blockchain systems, financial simulations and any domain where tamper-proof unpredictability matters. Unlike pseudo-random number generators (PRNGs), which are deterministic and require seeding, certified randomness offers verifiable unpredictability backed by quantum physics—and now, a working prototype running on live hardware.

What makes this even more significant is how the system was tested. The protocol required a real-time response from an untrusted quantum system—meaning the quantum machine had to perform under conditions that classical systems couldn’t fake in time. The certification step, run across three of the world’s leading supercomputers, confirmed the results, effectively showing a full-stack workflow between quantum and classical high-performance computing.

The short-term commercial implication is clear: companies handling sensitive data—banks, insurers, intelligence agencies, or even cloud providers—could start replacing or supplementing their randomness sources with quantum-certified entropy. There is no wonder why JPMorganChase — a quantum leader in its own right — is spearheading this project. Forward thinking companies aren’t waiting for fault-tolerant systems—they’re looking for commercially viable edge cases today.

Quantinuum says this functionality will be launched later this year with its Helios platform, further indicating this isn’t a science experiment—it’s a product release roadmap.

Longer-term, certified quantum randomness opens speculative but credible doors. Smart contracts or digital identities could be seeded with entropy that is provably secure against tampering. Complex simulations in pharma or finance could embed quantum-derived randomness — or stochasticity — for more robust uncertainty modeling. Even quantum-enhanced voting systems, where fairness and unpredictability must be auditable, could eventually draw on this kind of entropy source.

From a technical perspective, the experiment also underscores the strength of Quantinuum’s trapped-ion architecture. All-to-all connectivity, long coherence times, and high fidelity remain decisive advantages in executing deep circuits like those used in Random Circuit Sampling (RCS).

Perhaps most importantly, this work illustrates how hybrid quantum-classical infrastructures are already emerging. Rather than an all-at-once leap to full quantum supremacy, what we’re seeing is a functional symbiosis: quantum systems doing what they’re uniquely suited for (entropy, entanglement, verification tasks), and classical systems doing the heavy lifting on verification and integration.

This is what commercialization looks like in quantum’s early innings: initial but meaningful workflows that build trust, deliver real output, and create the scaffolding for bigger applications to come.

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DATA SPOTLIGHT.

Microsoft released Majorana 1, the first iteration of their QPU based on topological qubits. Topological qubits are based on Majorana quasiparticles, made by superconducting nanowire devices made of InAs (indium arsenide). The chip has 8 qubits, but by design is intended to house 1,000,000 qubits in the future. Core to the chip architecture are tetrons: next steps from Microsoft involve a 4×2 tetron array which should be equivalent to 2 logical qubits. This low ratio (physical to logical qubits) highlights the superior error correction benefits of topological qubits - for comparison, IBM’s Condor QPU with 1121 physical qubits is equivalent to 12 logical qubits. Fidelities for the QPU have not been disclosed, though from Microsoft’s paper in Nature we know that their assignment error probability in parity measurements is 1%.

INDUSTRY HIGHLIGHTS.

🚀 At GTC 2025, NVIDIA positioned itself as a foundational enabler of the quantum ecosystem—not by building quantum hardware, but by providing the AI and accelerated computing infrastructure needed to scale it. Announcements included the NVIDIA Accelerated Quantum Center and partnerships with companies such as QC Design, Pasqal, and SEEQC.

👩‍💻 Fujitsu has released a major open-source quantum operations software on GitHub, enabling customizable end-to-end system control for cloud-based quantum computing and reducing the need for institutions to build infrastructure from scratch.

💰️ Iceberg Quantum, founded by three University of Sydney PhD alumni, raised $2 million in pre-seed funding led by Blackbird and partnered with PsiQuantum to develop low-overhead fault-tolerant architectures for photonic quantum computing.

🤝 Nokia, Honeywell Aerospace Technologies, and Numana have partnered to advance quantum-safe networks, beginning with deployments and testing at Numana’s Kirq Quantum Communication Testbed in Montreal. The initiative combines Nokia’s post-quantum networking infrastructure, Honeywell’s satellite-based quantum encryption, and Numana’s ecosystem leadership.

🇷🇺 Q Deep, a Russian quantum firm, announced plans to accelerate the country’s quantum computing timeline from 2030 to 2027 and expand access through its Qonquester Cloud platform, offering free optimization capabilities. The company also introduced QGPT, a quantum-enhanced language model for solving optimization problems, with both tools set to launch in March 2025. Read more about Russia’s current quantum ecosystem here.

💸 The Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund is investing up to CA$675,000 in QAI Ventures over three years to develop quantum talent and support local startups through pre-accelerator and accelerator programs.

🇵🇭 The Technological Institute of the Philippines has launched QISLaP, the country’s first quantum computing lab dedicated to energy applications, with PHP 18 million in funding from DOST-PCIEERD. Focused on hybrid quantum models for optimizing energy production, distribution, and forecasting, the lab builds on national workforce development efforts.

⏩️ Oxford researchers demonstrated a 25-nanosecond controlled-Z gate with 99.8% fidelity using a simplified superconducting circuit that avoids tunable couplers by pairing qubits with opposite anharmonicities, improving gate speed and fidelity simultaneously.

🤑 Sources say PsiQuantum is raising at least $750 million at a $6 billion pre-money valuation to build a fault-tolerant quantum computer using photonic chips fabricated at GlobalFoundries.

💎 Quantum sensing startup DeteQt has raised $750,000 in pre-seed funding to commercialize its diamond-on-silicon magnetometer technology for use in GPS-denied navigation, critical mineral detection, and portable medical imaging.

✍️ SES and SpeQtral have signed an MoU to co-develop an interoperable Optical Ground Station in Singapore that will enable long-distance satellite-based QKD between Asia and Europe. The collaboration intends to reduce infrastructure costs, support integration with local fiber-QKD networks, and support the global deployment of secure quantum communication services.

🌊 Entanglement Inc. has announced plans to acquire Applied Ocean Sciences, with an intention to combine its quantum-inspired AI capabilities with Applied Ocean Sciences’ expertise to accelerate innovation in areas such as weather prediction, marine conservation, and sustainable ocean solutions.

🧪 ASP Isotopes Inc. has begun commercial production of enriched Silicon-28 at its facility in South Africa. Silicon-28’s lack of nuclear spin makes it ideal for reducing quantum decoherence in qubits, and its superior thermal conductivity may enable faster, cooler chips; commercial shipments to U.S. customers are expected to begin in Q2 2025.

🇮🇹 The EuroHPC Joint Undertaking has awarded a €13 million contract to Pasqal to deliver EuroQCS-Italy, a neutral atom-based quantum simulator to be hosted by CINECA in Bologna. The system will initially offer at least 140 analog qubits, with a planned 2027 upgrade to hybrid analog/digital capabilities.

🔒️ Unisys has launched a new post-quantum cryptography assessment service to help organizations identify vulnerabilities in their cryptographic environments and prepare for future quantum threats. This is the first in a series of planned PQC offerings, including strategy consulting, infrastructure modernization, and crypto-agility services.

💸 Main Sequence Ventures has launched a targeted investment thesis focused on full-stack quantum computing, committing up to 6% of its fund across multiple startups spanning diverse qubit architectures. The Australian deep tech firm is backing hybrid quantum-classical systems and quantum sensing technologies.

🔐 The European Telecommunications Standards Institute has introduced a new post-quantum security standard featuring Covercrypt, a hybrid encryption system that secures data by binding access to user attributes while ensuring resistance to both current and future quantum threats.

🇨🇭 Switzerland’s financial sector faces rising quantum-related risks, prompting the Swiss Financial Innovation Desk to release a seven-step action plan urging immediate migration to quantum-safe cryptography. The plan highlights threats like “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later” and calls for coordinated governance, legacy system reduction, and alignment with global standards.

EVENTS.

March 31-April 1 -- Qubits 2025, D-Wave’s annual user conference is themed “Quantum Realized” and will spotlight customer success stories, technical roadmap updates, scientific achievements, and advancements in quantum AI. The event takes place at the Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.

April 2-4 -- NQCC’s Scalability in Quantum Computing Conference from 2nd-4th April 2025 in Oxford, UK.

April 14 -- C4IR Saudi Arabia, in partnership with KACST and Saudi Aramco, will host Discovering Quantum Possibilities in Riyadh, to mark World Quantum Day and the UN’s International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. The event will bring together global leaders from academia, government, and industry, as well as announce winners of the “UpLink Quantum for Society” challenge.

April 14 -- The 2025 Global Industry Challenge officially launches on World Quantum Day, bringing together innovators, researchers, and industry leaders to tackle real-world problems in life sciences, financial services, energy, and beyond

April 14-16 -- QuantumTech Washington D.C. April 15-16 - Main Conference and Expo. April 14 - Cryptography Spotlight Day. Conrad Hotel, Washington D.C.

May 13-14 -- The Economist Impact's 4th Annual Commercialising Quantum Global 2025 at London UK. Be among 1000+ leading quantum professionals, global leaders, policy makers, business executives and more to attend this in-person event in London.

May 14-15 -- Q2B Tokyo 2025 The conference will cover a broad range of quantum technology themes including QC Computing, Communications & Sensing, Quantum AI, Error Correction, & Quantum in HPC.

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.

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 MontrĂŠal, QuĂŠbec, Canada.

October 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.

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