Nu Quantum CEO wants more collaboration to fast-track quantum computing

Dr. Carmen Palacios-Berraquero, Founder and CEO of Nu Quantum, turned up the heat in an international summit of key players at Battersea Power Station at the end of June. She told delegates: “The future of quantum computing rests on our ability to scale to datacenter-scale systems which will unlock real-world utility and commercial value. 

“To get there, we need collective and purposeful action, along with close collaboration across the industry to support the same healthy and vibrant competition that has powered cloud and high-performance compute services.”

Nu Quantum, a University of Cambridge spin-out, was hosting the inaugural Quantum Datacenter Alliance (QDA) Forum at the iconic Control Room A.

The one day in-person Forum convened expert speakers from both quantum and classical computing industries led by Nu Quantum and featuring Cambridge's Amadeus Capital Partners, IBM, CERN, McKinsey, and others, alongside QDA founding participants Cisco, NTT DATA, OQC, QphoX, Quantinuum and QuEra Computing.

The agenda explored the path towards delivering utility-scale quantum computing within a data centre environment, with dedicated sessions on each element of quantum computing service - from the manufacturing and reliability of quantum processors, interconnection approaches for scaling out, advances in scalable quantum error correction codes and the role of system integrators such as data centres and high performance computing (HPC). 

Discussions focused on the role of interfaces and interoperability, accelerating industry and supply chain maturity, and the importance of working with end-users to develop the best ways that quantum can deliver value.

Reflecting on lessons from classical computing, Dr Hermann Hauser, Founder of Amadeus Capital Partners and co-founder of Arm, emphasised the need for a layered, collaborative approach to quantum: “If you look at all the different stages of the classical computer stack, they all now have separate sectors, with many companies in each that provide solutions for that layer,” he said.

“This is horizontalization - and these layers are beginning to crystallise out in the quantum computer space, as it matures. If you want to have a fault tolerant scale quantum computer, you really need these layers to work together seamlessly for distributed quantum computing.”

Expanding on the role of connectivity, Alex Keesling, CSO at QuEra Computing, stressed the importance of early planning and innovation around quantum networking: “We need to start working very early on to understand what the challenges that we're not yet thinking about are going to be to build large-scale quantum data centres. Networking between QPUs is also something that still needs to be demonstrated and it will be a key component.

“We have seen this with classical computing; I would argue that the only reason why we have the kind of AI developments that we have seen in the last few years has been thanks to networking between GPUs, particularly through Nvidia’s NV link system.

“We need to develop this for quantum computers and I am really excited to be partnering with multiple people, particularly in this room, to solve this challenging question because this is going to enable moving quantum computing not just to the next stage, but the real large-scale future of quantum computing distributed throughout the world.”

Bringing a commercial perspective, Tom Winstanley, CTO and Head of New Ventures at NTT DATA UK&I, highlighted the critical role of infrastructure: "For too long, quantum commercialisation has been framed purely as a hardware challenge: building better, more fault-tolerant qubits. 

“But that’s only half the picture. Data centre integration is the key to taking quantum out of the lab and into the market. That’s why we’re proud to back the QDA’s mission: not just building better qubits, but creating the infrastructure, standards, and partnerships that make quantum commercially viable at scale.”

Launched earlier this year, the QDA is an initiative uniting leading players across the quantum computing stack to accelerate progress toward commercially viable quantum systems through collaboration and shared innovation. 

By bringing together diverse perspectives from across the ecosystem, the QDA is building a collaborative community committed to solving the toughest problems in scaling quantum infrastructure.

Founding QDA participants include:
• Cisco (worldwide technology leader)
• Nu Quantum (networking for distributed quantum computing)
• NTT DATA (information technology and data center services)
• OQC (superconducting quantum computing)
• QphoX (Quantum interfaces to enable networked quantum computation)
• Quantinuum (trapped ion quantum computing)
• QuEra Computing (neutral-atom quantum computing)

Looking ahead, the QDA will continue to convene industry leaders through future forums, driving the industry toward scalable, commercially viable quantum computing.

To register interest, explore membership opportunities or stay up to date with the QDA’s latest activities, visit qda.global.