Track data in and out of your QPUs.
Keep your QPUs calibrated and optimized.
I found The Quantum Dragon up on a lighthouse, tracking ships as they proceeded inbound and outbound from a harbor. Of all the things I’ve caught him doing, that’s a peculiar activity for a fire-breathing dragon.
It turns out that he was thinking hard about “Quantum Machines Acquires QHarbor to Strengthen its Software Platform and Expand European Footprint” and learning that Quantum Machines expanded into Delft, The Netherlands. The cited benefits included attracting top local talent, working more closely with the European quantum community, and establishing a permanent regional R&D base at a major hub.
But a Quantum Machines press release focuses on Quantum Machines. You can’t blame them. Who else are they going to talk about?
But in this case, he wanted to know more about QHarbor. Of all the companies that QM could have acquired to get into Delft, including those with talented software developers, what was so special about QHarbor? Was there any intellectual property that would add value to QM’s control systems?
Okay, fine, I’ll ask them. I gotta get him back into his cave, you know what I mean?
Tracking Data
It turns out that he wasn’t that far off. Instead of tracking what’s going in and out of a harbor, he should’ve been tracking what’s going in and out of QPUs with QHarbor. Easy mistake. Any of us could’ve made it.
To clarify: the QHarbor team will indeed be incorporating its technology into the QM platform and creating one unified control system instead of separate product lines. In order to keep QPUs calibrated and optimized, users need to track and capture the data going in and out of them. They need to track the parameters. QHarbor’s software will allow QM’s customers to do just that. The team will integrate what exists and then use their skillsets to improve QM’s stack further.
Now that The Quantum Dragon was satisfied, I still had the fine folks from Quantum Machines on a call. What else can we find out?
The Leading Provider
Indirectly related to the acquisition, the press release claimed that Quantum Machines is the leading provider of hybrid quantum-classical control solutions. Of course, in quantum, everyone is the self-proclaimed leader of something. Verbally, however, they claimed to count more than half of global quantum computer builders as customers. And in between that conversation and this article, I gathered information for a market report that just so happened to include control systems. It turns out that it’s not just Quantum Machines saying it; it’s the quantum computer builders, too. That’s called validation, folks.
An American Company
Also indirectly related to the acquisition, the press release claimed that Quantum Machines is an American Company. I don’t know about you, but I always thought it was an Israeli company. It turns out that that is a common misperception because of a large office in Israel, but QM is actually an American company with a presence in 21 countries. They want to hire the best talent, regardless of where it is, including Delft.
Prof. Scott Aaronson
Quantum Machines first caught my attention years ago because I saw Prof. Aaronson listed as an advisor. Since I asked the question, I noticed that all the advisors are no longer listed. Fascinating, right? Intriguingly, other than confirming that he was on the website, everything else about Prof. Aaronson was strictly confidential. I learned nothing. Maybe someday I’ll have a chance to bump into Prof. Aaronson and ask him about it, but until then, I’ll leave this dangling in our collective imagination.
Conclusion
QHarbor ain’t just a Dutch software company with skilled developers. It is, or was, but that affects Quantum Machines moving forward. The missing piece of information that The Quantum Dragon had been trying to figure out the hard way is that QHarbor’s existing software immediately improves QM’s software stack and immediately benefits QM’s customers.
Like a lighthouse, you can count on The Quantum Dragon to help you steer in the right direction.
Quantum Machines is a Diamond Sponsor of IQT Nordics: Quantum Technology in a Changing World, coming to Oslo June 22-24, 2026.
