UK quantum startup ORCA Computing has made its second sale to a national government in consecutive months, to aid development of the new Israeli Quantum Computing Centre
Tel Aviv-based Quantum Machines has purchased an ORCA PT-1 model — the first computer of its kind able to work at room temperature and on-site — with the sale being announced by the Israel Innovation Authority.
With this agreement, ORCA will look to help develop a research and development base for industry and academia in Israel, to produce new applications and use cases.
The deal marks the second sale of an ORCA machine to a national Government, the first being to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), last month.
“We’re delighted to help establish quantum computing in Israel and look forward to developing applications and uses,” said ORCA Computing CEO, Richard Murray.
“This is a significant milestone for us as the second sale we’ve made to a government. It also involves a commitment beyond the initial computer to future upgraded models.”
Orit Farkash-Hacohen, Israeli Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, described the new centre as “a substantial leap in the Israeli civilian technology’s fortitude.”
Global collaboration
The newly announced Israeli Quantum Computing Centre is establishing a global network of partners to support three different quantum processing technologies: superconducting qubits; cold ions; and photonic qubits.
ORCA, the only UK-based startup in the network, allows small scale photonic processors — which use single units of light — to be applied to complex machine learning and optimisation tasks.
Quantum Machines is also partnering with US-based ColdQuanta and QuantWare, a developer based in the Netherlands.
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