Quantum News Briefs December 6: Multiverse Computing Expands Italian Presence with New Funding for Quantum AI Initiatives • China Unveils Record-breaking 504-qubit Superconducting Quantum Computer • Pasqal Launches Global Hackathon to Solve Sustainability Challenges with Quantum AI • Classiq and AQT Partner to Deliver Seamless Ion-Trap Integration to Tackle Real-World Challenges • Spectral Releases its Quantum Bridge Strategy for a Decentralized, Sustainable Future Using Quantum-Resilient Edge Computing • IonQ Unveils Its First Quantum Computer in Europe, Online Now at a Record #AQ36
Multiverse Computing Expands Italian Presence with New Funding for Quantum AI Initiatives
Multiverse Computing, a global leader in value-based quantum and quantum-inspired AI software solutions, today announced an investment from the largest Italian investor in venture capital CDP Venture Capital Sgr, as part of the company’s Series A round. The investment was carried out through two compartments of the Corporate Partners I fund, ServiceTech and Energytech, a corporate venture capital fund participated by some of the main Italian corporates as limited partners, including Baker Hughes, BNL BNP Paribas, Edison, GPI, Italgas, Snam and Terna Forward. Financial details of the investment were not disclosed.
The new funds will go toward growing Multiverse Computing’s commercial presence in Italy which includes expanding its office in Milan, creating new public and private partnerships and attracting new talent.
Multiverse Computing is planning to use these new funds to expand existing partnerships as well, including a project with EuroHPC and the Leonardo supercomputer, located at the CINECA datacenter in Bologna, a computing consortium in Northeastern Italy that includes 103 public entities. Multiverse Computing was granted GPU node hours to further benchmark and improve CompactifAI’s performance against state-of-the-art models, like LlaMA family models. The project aims to test advanced tensor network compression techniques for LLMs and validate its performance and energy efficiency against the original model.
The new funds will go toward growing Multiverse Computing’s commercial presence in Italy which includes expanding its office in Milan, creating new public and private partnerships and attracting new talent.
Multiverse Computing is planning to use these new funds to expand existing partnerships as well, including a project with EuroHPC and the Leonardo supercomputer, located at the CINECA datacenter in Bologna, a computing consortium in Northeastern Italy that includes 103 public entities. Multiverse Computing was granted GPU node hours to further benchmark and improve CompactifAI’s performance against state-of-the-art models, like LlaMA family models. The project aims to test advanced tensor network compression techniques for LLMs and validate its performance and energy efficiency against the original model.
China Unveils Record-breaking 504-qubit Superconducting Quantum Computer
China set a new domestic record on Thursday with the launch of the “Tianyan-504” superconducting quantum computer equipped with the 504-qubit “Xiaohong” chip, marking a significant milestone in the field of quantum computing as per the announcement on the Chinese Academy of Science news site.
The quantum computer was co-developed by the China Telecom Quantum Group (CTQG), the Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and QuantumCTek Co., Ltd., a leading quantum company based in east China’s Anhui Province.
The “Tianyan-504” surpasses the 500-qubit chip threshold and also promises to match the performance of international quantum computing platforms like IBM in terms of qubit lifetime, readout fidelity and other key aspects, according to the CTQG.
This quantum computer will be integrated into the “Tianyan” quantum computing cloud platform, making it accessible to users worldwide.
“Tianyan,” China Telecom’s quantum computing cloud platform launched in November 2023, has received over 12 million visits from more than 50 countries, providing convenient and straightforward quantum computing services to global users.
Established in May 2023 in Hefei, capital of Anhui, the CTQG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Telecom, focusing on quantum technology research and development. (Xinhua)
Pasqal Launches Global Hackathon to Solve Sustainability Challenges with Quantum AI
Pasqal, a global leader in neutral atoms quantum computing, has announced a call for ideas for its “Blaise Pasqal Quantum Challenge” Hackathon. Pasqal invites students, startups, developers, researchers, and industry partners from around the world to develop quantum AI solutions that address the most pressing sustainability challenges. In April 2025, winners will be recognized during an award ceremony, with the first-place winner receiving €15,000.
A continuation to last year’s first edition, the 2024-2025 Hackathon is part of a multi-year initiative to explore and showcase inspiring use cases that contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. By contributing innovative ideas, candidates will not only compete but also become part of a global endeavor to shape a sustainable future through quantum AI applications.
Over the next eight weeks, more than 500 Hackathon participants will have access to a dedicated platform where they can form teams and submit projects and ideas. Pasqal will organize virtual masterclasses throughout the period to engage participants, inspire them on the topic, and maximize ideas. Mentors from Pasqal’s technical expert team – and from Pasqal partners including Capgemini, Sumitomo, Genci, and TCS – will provide guidance to support initiatives in all domains.
The top 15 teams will be announced in February 2025, after which they will have the opportunity to participate in a two-week virtual hackathon.
To learn more and register to participate, visit https://www.agorize.com/en/challenges/blaisepascalquantumchallenge2025.
Classiq and AQT Partner to Deliver Seamless Ion-Trap Integration to Tackle Real-World Challenges
Classiq Technologies, a leader in quantum computing software, and Alpine Quantum Technologies (AQT), a global pioneer in ion-trap quantum computing, announced a strategic partnership December to deliver seamless integration between 
Classiq’s enterprise-grade quantum algorithm design platform and AQT’s state-of-the-art ion-trap quantum computers.Through this partnership, users gain access to a unified workflow that bridges Classiq’s innovative, hardware-aware software tools with AQT’s advanced quantum hardware. Classiq’s platform automates the design, optimization and implementation of quantum algorithms, enabling users to develop, debug and execute sophisticated quantum applications. The integration with AQT’s precision ion-trap systems ensures high-performance operation, catering to the needs of enterprise teams and academic researchers alike.
Spectral Releases its Quantum Bridge Strategy for a Decentralized, Sustainable Future Using Quantum-Resilient Edge Computing
Spectral Capital (OTCQB:FCCN), a leading innovator in decentralized cloud technology and advanced quantum ledger solutions, announces expansion of its Vogon decentralized edge and hybrid cloud platform across 16 global regions. Spectral offers a revolutionary platform to help transition global enterprises from traditional cloud environments to the quantum-powered solutions of tomorrow via the Vogon Cloud.
Vogon Cloud’s value proposition rests on a meticulously designed edge computing infrastructure, where modular data centers, built from five graphene-enhanced concrete 40ft containers, bring processing power closer to end users, thereby minimizing latency and reducing network congestion. Each container serves a dedicated role-one for battery storage, one for Network Operations, and three housing an impressive array of 1,504 servers each. By positioning these modular centers in urban environments, underutilized spaces, or regions with natural cooling advantages, Vogon Cloud optimizes resource allocation and environmental impact. This infrastructure is not only agile and sustainable but also highly adaptable. Whether supporting the instantaneous needs of IoT applications or managing the heavy computational loads of AI and real-time analytics, Vogon Cloud’s DQLDB-driven architecture ensures robust, cross-regional data connectivity and quantum-level security. This framework empowers organizations to scale up their digital operations responsibly, without compromising performance or sustainability
IonQ Unveils Its First Quantum Computer in Europe, Online Now at a Record #AQ36
IonQ (NYSE: IONQ), a leader in the quantum computing and networking industry, today announced the delivery of IonQ Forte Enterprise to its first European Innovation Center at the uptown Basel campus in Arlesheim, Switzerland. Achieved in partnership with QuantumBasel, this major milestone marks the first datacenter-ready quantum computer IonQ has delivered that will operate outside the United States and the first quantum system for commercial use in Switzerland.
Forte Enterprise is now online servicing compute jobs while performing at a record algorithmic qubit count of #AQ36, which is significantly more powerful than the promised #AQ35. With each additional #AQ, the useful computational space for running quantum algorithms doubles. A system with #AQ36 is capable of considering more than 68 billion different possibilities simultaneously. With this milestone, IonQ once again leads the industry in delivering production-ready systems to customers.
IonQ’s next generation commercial quantum systems such as Forte Enterprise are optimized for data center environments, sporting a rack-mounted form factor, low energy profile, and minimal environmental isolation requirements.
Today’s IonQ Forte Enterprise system commissioning represents the culmination of IonQ’s engineering innovation, operational excellence, and enterprise-grade production capabilities.
