Oxford Quantum Circuits (OQC) has marked its latest milestone in the world of quantum computing with the launch of Toshiko, a groundbreaking 32-qubit quantum computing services platform. This announcement comes in tandem with a significant $100-million Series B funding round, spearheaded by Japan's SBI Group's investment arm.
Toshiko, according to OQC, is positioned as the "world’s first enterprise-ready quantum computing platform." The company is determined to collaborate with industry giants such as Equinix, Nvidia, Amazon Web Service, and McKinsey to propel quantum computing out of the confines of the laboratory and into practical application, aiming to achieve what they term as "quantum advantage."
Quantum advantage represents a pivotal point in technological advancement where a quantum computer can solve problems that traditional binary computers cannot feasibly address within a reasonable timeframe. While the past decade has seen numerous claims of quantum advantage, the industry still lacks a unanimous consensus.
In a bid to revolutionize the quantum computing landscape, OQC is forging partnerships and leveraging the expertise of Equinix, Nvidia, Amazon Web Service, and McKinsey. The goal is to foster the integration of quantum computing into practical applications, making strides towards achieving quantum advantage.
Tim Costa, the director of HPC and quantum at Nvidia, emphasized the importance of seamless integration between quantum and GPU-accelerated supercomputing in addressing future challenges. By combining OQC Toshiko with the NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper Superchip through NVIDIA CUDA Quantum, a platform for integrated quantum-classical computing, OQC aims to empower businesses and researchers to make breakthroughs across various industries and critical scientific domains.
The quantum computing sector is gradually shifting its focus from experimental systems to enterprise solutions, with the advent of hybrid and cloud-based classical/quantum systems. OQC's commitment to developing the first on-site commercial quantum platforms underscores the industry's move toward practical and scalable quantum computing solutions.
In addition to the groundbreaking technology announcement, OQC has also disclosed the initiation of a $100-million Series B funding round, with Japan’s SBI Investments leading the charge. Other prominent participants in the funding round include Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE), University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners (UTEC), Lansdowne Partners, and OTIF. Notably, this follows OQC's earlier success in raising approximately $43 million in Series A funding, marking both funding rounds as the largest in the history of quantum computing startups in the United Kingdom.
Oxford Quantum Circuits continues to position itself at the forefront of quantum computing innovation, with Toshiko and the substantial Series B funding setting the stage for a new era in quantum computing capabilities. As the industry awaits further developments, OQC's initiatives hold the promise of reshaping the future of computing and problem-solving on an unprecedented scale.
