Portfolio stories

This month, Prosus-backed Oxford Ionics announced two exciting pieces of news.

First, the company has set a new record in quantum state preparation and measurement (SPAM); demonstrating SPAM fidelities of 99.9993%, and reflecting a 13x reduction in SPAM errors compared to the next best approach.

Second. The company has won a contract, alongside Infineon Technologies AG, to build a state-of-the-art portable quantum computer for 'Cyberagentur', that will leverage the mobile version of Oxford Ionic’s line of quantum computers – MinIon – for applications in national security and defence.

You can read the news below.

Oxford Ionics sets new world record in qubit readout

Oxford Ionics, a leader in trapped-ion quantum computing, has announced it has set a new record in quantum state preparation and measurement (SPAM). The results, experimentally implemented at the University of Oxford, demonstrate the highest recorded SPAM fidelities of any quantum computing platform at 99.9993%.

In partnership with the University of Oxford’s Department of Physics, Oxford Ionics has shattered the previous world record - demonstrating a 13x reduction in SPAM errors compared to the next best approach on the market. The team achieved this groundbreaking result through developing a novel protocol that can detect and discard qubits in the wrong state. This protocol was validated through experiments performed at the University of Oxford.

Quantum computing promises to solve complex computational problems far beyond the capacity of any classical supercomputer. However, errors – whether caused during the preparation of the qubit into the desired state, during single- or two-qubit gates, or when reading out the qubit state at the end of the computation – are among the most significant obstacles to realising this power.

Low errors in SPAM, along with two-qubit and single-qubit gates, are therefore among the three most important metrics when evaluating the precision and accuracy of a quantum computer. With these latest results, Oxford Ionics has now achieved record performance in all three.

Combined with Oxford Ionics’ recent record-breaking single- and two-qubit gate fidelity results, this latest record indicates the company now has the highest performing and most reliable quantum platform in the industry. The new SPAM protocol developed will be applied to the next generation of Oxford Ionics’ quantum computers.

Oxford Ionics’ quantum computers are unique owing to its patented ‘Electronic Qubit Control’ which relies on electronics, not lasers, to perform quantum gates. This approach gives the company a fundamental engineering advantage – by using electronics, Oxford Ionics can rapidly scale its quantum chips by replicating identical unit cells using the existing semiconductor manufacturing supply chain. The world records set by Oxford Ionics, in tandem with this unique approach, bring it one step closer to delivering quantum computers capable of delivering widespread commercial impact.

Dr Chris Ballance, Oxford Ionics co-founder and CEO, commented: “Reliable and high-performing quantum computers hold the key to unlocking extraordinary solutions to critical problems. But to deliver a quantum computer capable of realising this future, the error rates across SPAM, single- and two-qubit gates are critical. Our team’s latest result means that Oxford Ionics has now demonstrated world-leading performance on all three of these fundamental metrics. This is an exciting leap forward for the quantum computing industry at large, and we’re excited to accelerate our efforts to put this technology in the hands of end-users.”

Oxford Ionics and Infineon Technologies to deliver portable quantum computer to Cyberagentur as part of €35M investment

Oxford Ionics, a world leader in trapped-ion quantum computing, has announced that it has won a contract, alongside Infineon Technologies AG, to build a state-of-the-art portable quantum computer for Agentur für Innovation in der Cybersicherheit GmbH, or 'Cyberagentur'. Oxford Ionics and Infineon are one of three independent contractors selected by Cyberagentur, who is investing a total of €35M into the project.

Founded by the German Federal Government, Cyberagentur aims to progress research and innovation in the field of cybersecurity to promote the country’s internal and external security. Cyberagentur will use Oxford Ionics’ portable quantum computer, called MinIon, for application development in national security and defence.

Quantum computers are of particular interest for governments, as they can prove integral to national security and digital sovereignty. Government bodies around the world are already exploring different applications of quantum computing, from enhanced computing power to cryptography. Cyberagentur is specifically focused on applying quantum computing to ‘mobile defence’, meaning it can leverage a compact, lightweight, and energy-efficient mobile quantum computer for security and defence scenarios. These smaller systems are easily deployed, transported, and upgraded in the field – giving nation-states a crucial advantage.

Oxford Ionics is uniquely positioned in the industry to deliver a mobile quantum computer. The company has developed a proprietary technology called ‘Electronic Qubit Control’ - meaning it uses electronics, not lasers, to control its qubits. This inherently robust technology can then be integrated onto a standard, thumbnail-sized chip produced in today’s semiconductor fabrication facilities. Through this unique approach, Oxford Ionics’ quantum computers can deliver powerful computational capabilities within an industry-leading small physical footprint where that is important for the particular needs of an organisation.

MinIon will be the sixth quantum computer delivered by Oxford Ionics, following a contract won earlier this year with the UK’s National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC). As an R&D partner of Oxford Ionics, Infineon AG will contribute its expertise in microfabrication of highly reliable, large-scale ion trap chips. The two companies will work together to develop increasingly powerful quantum processor units (QPUs) that leverage Oxford Ionics’ scalable manufacturing and world-leading position in qubit quality. This quality was recently demonstrated with Oxford Ionics’ world-record performance in single- and two-qubit gate fidelity and quantum state preparation and measurement (SPAM).

Dr Roman Bansen, Head of Quantum Technologies at Cyberagentur, commented: "Mobile systems are particularly important for security and defence scenarios, as they can operate independently of a data connection to stationary data centres. Especially in crises or defence situations, this is essential. At the same time, mobile quantum computers also potentially offer considerable advantages for civilian applications."

Dr Chris Ballance, Oxford Ionics co-founder and CEO, commented: “We are thrilled to be delivering the first mobile variant of our product line to Cyberagentur. Since our inception, we have viewed the challenge of building powerful quantum computers as an engineering project – not a science project. This approach has yielded both the highest performing chips in the world and a robust technology that can deliver industry-leading performance within a small physical footprint based on customer needs. MinIon represents the first of these small systems, which is uniquely engineered to suit the dynamic, fast-paced nature of national security and defence.”