Dear Qubit Community,
Welcome to the latest edition of Qubit.IL’s weekly newsletter, where we dive into the fascinating world of quantum technologies, explore groundbreaking advancements, and connect with our vibrant quantum community. Whether you’re a seasoned researcher, a curious student, or simply quantum-curious, this is your gateway to staying informed and inspired about the quantum landscape.
Best Regards,
The Qubit.IL Team
Business, Technology and Engineering Highlights
SandboxAQ Secures $150 Million with Google and Nvidia Backing – Quantum-AI startup SandboxAQ has raised an additional $150 million in funding, bringing tech giants Google and Nvidia on board as strategic investors. This infusion boosts SandboxAQ’s Series E round to $450 million (valuing the company at $5.75 billion) and pushes its total funding near $1 billion. SandboxAQ, a spin-off from Alphabet, develops quantum-inspired AI solutions for enterprise applications in security and advanced modeling. The participation of Google and Nvidia underscores growing confidence in quantum technologies intersecting with AI. SandboxAQ’s CEO noted that the startup’s progress in delivering real-world solutions helped attract these major backers, reflecting broader industry excitement about practical quantum computing breakthroughs.
For further information: https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/ai-startup-sandboxaq-adds-nvidia-google-backers-raises-additional-150-million-2025-04-04UK Launches £42 M Integrated Quantum Networks Hub – The UK has launched the Integrated Quantum Networks Hub, led by Heriot-Watt University and backed by £42 million (≈$54 million), to develop a scalable, secure quantum communication infrastructure. Part of the UK’s 2035 quantum strategy, this new Hub brings together 12 universities, two national laboratories, and over 40 industry partners to accelerate quantum networking breakthroughs. The collaboration will tackle challenges in interoperability, security protocols, and integration with existing fiber networks. Key R&D targets include advanced quantum memories, single-photon light sources, efficient detectors, and satellite-based links to enable both metropolitan and intercontinental quantum-secure communication. By uniting academia and industry at scale, the initiative also aims to train specialized talent and drive commercialization, solidifying the UK’s position in the global quantum communications race.
For further information: https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/04/10/uk-launches-54m-integrated-quantum-networks-hub-to-develop-advanced-quantum-network-infrastructure/QpiAI Debuts 25-Qubit Superconducting System under India’s Quantum Mission – Indian startup QpiAI has unveiled a 25-qubit superconducting quantum computing system as part of India’s National Quantum Mission. This new quantum processor directly supports the mission’s goal of building intermediate-scale quantum computers with homegrown technology. QpiAI is one of eight startups selected under the national initiative to bridge research and industry, and its 25-qubit launch marks a significant step in advancing India’s quantum ecosystem. The system’s development aligns with the country’s broader effort to establish core quantum infrastructure and reduce reliance on foreign technologies. By achieving this milestone, QpiAI helps pave the way for practical applications of quantum computing in India, from cryptography to optimization, and demonstrates the growing momentum of the Indian quantum industry.
For further information: https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/04/15/qpiai-launches-25-qubit-superconducting-system-under-indias-national-quantum-mission/NASA Plans First Space-Based Quantum Gravity Sensor Mission – NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is developing the world’s first space-based quantum gravity sensor to map Earth’s subtle gravitational shifts from orbit. The Quantum Gravity Gradiometer Pathfinder (QGGPf) mission will use ultra-cold rubidium atom interferometers to detect gravitational anomalies with unprecedented precision. Scheduled for launch later this decade, QGGPf is expected to be up to ten times more sensitive than classical gravity gradiometers, enabling new insights into geological structures, water resources, and other “hidden” mass changes beneath Earth’s surface. The project is supported by quantum technology companies like AOSense, Infleqtion, and Vector Atomic, which are contributing advanced hardware (atomic sensor heads and laser systems) for the satellite. If successful, this mission will demonstrate quantum sensing in space and pave the way for quantum-enhanced Earth observation and navigation in future space exploration.
For further information: https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/04/16/nasa-to-launch-first-space-based-quantum-gravity-sensor-to-map-earths-hidden-shifts/IonQ and Intellian Partner on Quantum Satellite Communications – IonQ, a leading quantum computing company, has signed an MoU with Intellian Technologies to explore quantum-secure networking for satellite communications. The partnership will investigate how quantum encryption and entanglement-based networking could enhance the security of satellite-to-satellite and ground-to-satellite links. Intellian (a major satellite communications provider) brings expertise in antenna and space communication systems, while IonQ contributes its quantum technology know-how. This collaboration builds on IonQ’s growing presence in South Korea – where it has alliances with government, academia, and industry (including Hyundai, Samsung, and SK Telecom) – highlighting a convergence of quantum computing and aerospace sector. In the long term, IonQ envisions quantum networks enabling capabilities like clock synchronization for GPS-like timing via quantum means. The move underscores the expanding scope of quantum tech beyond computing, into secure communications for global connectivity.
For further information: https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/04/16/ionq-and-intellian-partner-to-explore-quantum-networking-for-secure-satellite-communications/Q-CTRL Demonstrates GPS-Free Quantum Navigation with 50× Accuracy Boost - Australian quantum tech firm Q-CTRL has achieved a significant milestone by demonstrating a quantum-assured navigation system that operates independently of GPS. Through ground and airborne trials, the system outperformed high-end inertial navigation systems (INS) by up to 50 times in positioning accuracy. This advancement leverages quantum sensors to detect subtle variations in Earth's magnetic field, serving as "magnetic landmarks" for navigation. The technology is entirely passive, immune to jamming or spoofing, and compact enough for integration into various vehicles, from drones to commercial aircraft. Q-CTRL's proprietary AI-driven software enhances the resilience of these quantum sensors, ensuring reliable performance in real-world conditions. This breakthrough addresses the growing need for secure navigation solutions amid increasing GPS denial incidents globally. Collaborations are underway with defense agencies and aerospace companies to deploy this technology across multiple platforms.
For further information: https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/04/14/q-ctrl-overcomes-gps-denial-with-quantum-sensing-reports-quantum-advantage/
For the research paper: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2504.08167
QuantX Labs to Launch Optical Frequency Comb for Space-Based Precision Timing - QuantX Labs, an Australian leader in quantum timing systems, is set to launch an optical frequency comb—a critical component of its TEMPO optical atomic clock—into low Earth orbit. Scheduled for late 2025 aboard a SpaceX mission via Exotrail’s spacevan™, this will mark the first deployment of such technology in space. The optical frequency comb has undergone rigorous space-readiness testing, including thermal, vacuum, vibration, and radiation assessments. This initiative, supported by a $3.7 million grant from the Australian Space Agency's Moon to Mars program, aims to enhance space-based precision timing, navigation, and communication systems. The success of this mission could pave the way for Australia to establish a sovereign alternative to existing global navigation satellite systems, bolstering resilience against potential GPS disruptions.
For further information: https://quantxlabs.com/quantx-labs-to-launch-pioneering-optical-atomic-clock-technology-into-space/
Research Highlights
Heralded Storage Links Rydberg Superatoms without Intermediate Nodes – Researchers led by Jian-Wei Pan have demonstrated a new method to entangle distant quantum nodes using “heralded” photon storage in Rydberg superatoms. In an experiment reported on April 7, 2025, the team used a pair of Rydberg superatoms (each a mesoscopic ensemble of atoms in a strong blockade regime) and achieved entanglement between them without a direct intermediary node. A single photon was stored in one superatom via electromagnetically induced transparency, and a second photon was emitted only upon successful storage of the first – effectively heralding the process. This conditional approach produced high-efficiency entanglement between the two remote atomic ensembles. The result showcases a novel technique for quantum networks, eliminating the need for traditional interference-based entanglement swapping. It opens up new possibilities for building quantum repeaters and networked quantum computing, as it brings cavity-QED-like entanglement capabilities to scalable atomic systems.
For further information: https://quantumzeitgeist.com/heralded-photon-storage-with-rydberg-superatoms-for-quantum-networks-without-intermediate-nodes/
For the research paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.05021“Hot” Schrödinger Cat States Created at 1.8 Kelvin – A team of physicists in Innsbruck, Austria has achieved a breakthrough by observing Schrödinger cat states at temperatures as high as 1.8 K. Schrödinger cat states – superpositions where a quantum system holds two classically exclusive states simultaneously – typically require ultra-cold, ground-state conditions. In this new study (published in Science Advances, April 2025), researchers used a superconducting transmon qubit inside a microwave resonator to generate quantum superpositions from a thermally excited (or “hot”) starting state. By employing two specially adapted protocols, they produced clear quantum interference patterns even when the resonator was 60 times warmer than usual quantum circuit temperatures. This finding challenges the assumption that thermal noise inevitably destroys quantum coherence. Demonstrating quantum effects in less-than-perfect conditions suggests that future quantum processors and sensors might operate with more tolerance to temperature, easing some engineering constraints.
For further information: https://phys.org/news/2025-04-hot-schrodinger-cat-states.html
For the research paper: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adr4492Messenger Qubits Enable All-to-All Connectivity in Rydberg Arrays – On April 7, 2025, researchers Ivan Dudinets et al. proposed a novel architecture to overcome connectivity limitations in Rydberg atom quantum processors. Rydberg atom arrays are a promising platform for quantum computing, but interactions are typically short-range, making multi-qubit operations challenging as systems scale. The team’s solution introduces messenger qubits – additional mobile qubits (potentially a different atomic species) that ferry quantum information between distant qubits in the array. They outlined four design architectures where messenger qubits can move or mediate interactions, effectively providing an all-to-all communication network among stationary computational qubits. This approach could drastically improve circuit connectivity and reduce the depth of quantum algorithms on Rydberg-based machines. While introducing new technical complexities (such as controlling moving qubits and crosstalk), the messenger scheme showed the potential to maintain high fidelity and even reduce error rates by extending the Rydberg blockade range. If experimentally realized, this concept could accelerate the development of more scalable and programmable quantum simulators and computers using Rydberg atom technology.
For further information: https://quantumzeitgeist.com/quantum-computing-with-messenger-qubits-in-rydberg-atom-arrays
For the research paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.05087