Quantinuum, recently public as a spin-out of Honeywell, and PsiQuantum, still private, are two of the more interesting entrants in the quantum computing races. Here's the former, symbol QNT via Asia Times, June 27:
Helios quantum computer brings together scale, accuracy, connectivity and programmability in a near revolutionary advance
In a laboratory in Broomfield, Colorado, 98 atoms are suspended in mid-air, held in place by electric fields and cooled to temperatures close to absolute zero.
Each atom is far smaller than anything the naked eye could ever see, yet each carries information in a form that has no counterpart in classical physics.
Together, they form Helios, a new quantum computer built by the British-American company Quantinuum. Quantum computers use the power of quantum mechanics, the rules that govern how physics operates at atomic and sub-atomic scales. Those that use Helios’ model of suspended atoms are known as trapped-ion.
A paper published in Nature describes it as a 98-qubit processor with very high accuracy and performance that pushes beyond what can easily be simulated on classical machines. That sounds impressive, but the important question is not simply whether this is a bigger quantum computer (the previous biggest, System Model H2, had 56 qubits). It is whether it is a better one.
Quantum computers are not just faster versions of ordinary computers. The qubits (quantum bits) that they use to process information can exist in quantum states that do not behave like the ones and zeroes of conventional digital technology.
This allows some calculations to be arranged in ways that may eventually outperform even the largest supercomputers. The possible applications are fascinating: new materials, better optimization methods, improved chemistry simulations and new approaches to cryptography.
The difficulty is that qubits are extremely fragile. They are disturbed by temperature variations, imperfect control, unwanted interactions with the environment and, in some systems, even the act of moving information around the device.
For this reason, the race in quantum computing is not only about having more qubits. It is about having more good qubits, controlled accurately enough to perform long and meaningful calculations....
....MUCH MORE
Previously:
January 2024 - "JPMorgan latest to pile into quantum upstart with $5B valuation"
June 3 - "Quantinuum Prices IPO at $60 a Share. It’s Slated to Go Public Thursday" (QNT)
Here's the amended S-1 dated June 1.
And the upsize dated June 3 - Registration adding securities to prior Form S-1 registration [Rule 462(b)]
And on PsiQuantum:
March 11 - Quantum Computing Startup Backed By Nvidia, Lockheed Martin, Breaks Ground On Major Chicago Computing Center
As the young people say: "Shit just got real."
....Seven acres under roof is pretty big for a startup.
PsiQuantum is different. March 24, 2025 - "Quantum computing startup PsiQuantum raising at least $750 million, sources say"
September 11, 2025 - A Name To Know: "PsiQuantum Raises $1 Billion, Says Its Computer Will Be Ready in Two Years"
November 7, 2025 - "Quantum Leap: Lockheed Martin & PsiQuantum"
November 17, 2025 - "Former Top [Australian] Spy, Nick Warner Sounds Warning On Quantum Arms Race In Defence Tech"
If PsiQuantum's approach works, this is the one to decrypt Bitcoin and other blockchain based systems. From CoinTelegraph, March 5:
Construction begins at quantum facility big enough to break Bitcoin
April 27 - "Quantum photonics roadmap — how Xanadu and PsiQuantum are looking to transfer qubits through beams of light"
Possibly also of interest, at Barron's:
