Today’s Brief Commentary:
Today’s photo above is from the Quantum.Tech USA 2024 event in Washington, DC, in April. Thanks to the organizers for the image. Honestly, I thought I was smiling the whole time.
It’s been a busy quantum spring conference season, with some events happening the same week in different countries thousands of miles apart.
I’ve spent the last several days preparing for my talk at the 4th annual Commercialising Quantum Global 2025 conference, May 13th-14th, 2025, at the Business Design Centre in London. In particular, I researched the hundreds of investors that have funded the dozens of quantum computing companies. It’s a fascinating mix, and the data will be available in my next full (and purchasable) Quantum Processing Unit (QPU) Market Landscape report. The abridged teaser version from April 3 is still available.
Today’s links include a few breakthroughs de la semaine, because it wouldn’t be quantum without some earth-shattering advantageous innovation every few days. I see the progress the industry is making as technologically broad, advancing us toward useful quantum systems. The self-described breakthroughs certainly include some great results but tend to be announced to increase awareness to support upcoming financial events, including fundraising and IPOs.
IBM announced its Flex Plan for access to its quantum systems this week. With hundreds of companies and research institutions now experimenting with quantum computing, the company is actively trying to match the availability of its systems with the intended uses and budgets. The Open Plan is still available, and I see this as Step Two: start with simulators on classical hardware, move to the Open Plan to work with real hardware, and then choose a paid plan such as Flex as your needs require it. The company now has pricing that better covers the landscape based on the billions of circuits executed by users and the system deployment and operations experience that comes with that. IBM is figuring out pricing so you don’t have to.
Don’t forget to check out and bookmark our new sortable list of upcoming quantum technology conferences.
The latest Sutor Group report is freely available online: Quantum Processing Unit (QPU) Market Landscape (Abridged) – April 3, 2025. Updates and the full report are available for purchase or by subscription. Contact us for details.
Contents
Podcasts, Videocasts, and Online Seminars
Showcasing IQM’s Star-topology QPU
https://meetiqm.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gEupWYneThO9XSdS4GrQtQ#/registration
Excerpt: Join us on 22 May from 16:00 to 17:00 (EEST) to explore how IQM Star, our unique quantum processor topology, allow for exploring novel paradigms in your quantum error correction and algorithm execution. Our Head of QPU Technology, Frank Deppe, and Michael Marthaler, CEO and Co-founder at HQS Quantum Simulations, will share insights on the advantages of this architecture compared to conventional superconducting QPUs and the potential future applications.
Post-Quantum Cryptography and Security
Terra Quantum partners with Siemens to unlock quantum advantage for sovereign automotive and drone systems
Author: Victoria Jodl
Date: Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Excerpt: Through this partnership, Terra Quantum will provide cohort start-ups and Siemens’ corporate partners with access to quantum-secure infrastructure. Terra Quantum’s QKD (Quantum Key Distribution) and post-quantum cryptography suite (TQ42) ensure that next-generation automotive and aerospace systems remain secure against future quantum threats.
Quantum Computing
IBM, Tata Consultancy Services and Government of Andhra Pradesh Unveil Plans to Deploy India’s Largest Quantum Computer in the Country’s First Quantum Valley Tech Park
Date: Friday, May 2, 2025
Commentary: Though this has sovereign aspects, since a non-Indian company is building the quantum system for use in the country, I consider it an international deployment of a U.S. system.
Excerpt: IBM and Tata Consultancy Services are partnering to further develop India’s quantum computing industry as part of the State of Andhra Pradesh’s Quantum Valley Tech Park, currently being built in the capital city of Amaravati. IBM and Andhra Pradesh Government have entered into discussions that aim for the tech park to be anchored by an IBM Quantum System Two installation, with a 156-qubit Heron quantum processor, which would be the largest quantum computer in India as currently envisioned. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is also partnering with IBM to support the development of algorithms and applications that will help the Indian industry and academia solve some of the nation’s most challenging problems. In that regard, TCS and IBM recently signed an agreement that will make cloud access to IBM’s cloud-based quantum computers available to scientists and technologists in the region. The Government of Andhra Pradesh, IBM and TCS hope to accelerate the development of India’s quantum ecosystem through this initiative.
New IBM Quantum Flex Plan enables for project-based research | IBM Quantum Computing Blog
https://www.ibm.com/quantum/blog/flex-plan
Authors: Andrei Constantinescu; Marco Facchini; Leron Gil; and Robert Davis
Date: Monday, May 5, 2025
Excerpt: With Flex Plan, users gain the ability to conduct high-impact research at their own pace and scale. You pay only for the capacity you need. When you’re ready to run experiments, you get immediate access to the latest IBM Quantum systems and tools — all delivered at the same level of service enjoyed by IBM Quantum Premium Plan users.
Quantum Computing | Technical
[2504.14027] Comparative Benchmarking of Utility-Scale Quantum Emulators
https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.14027
Authors: Leonteva, Anna; Masella, Guido; Outteryck, Maxime; Orioli, Asier Piñeiro; and Whitlock, Shannon
Date: Friday, April 18, 2025
Excerpt: Evaluating quantum algorithms at utility-scale – involving more than 100 qubits – is a key step toward advancing real-world applications of quantum computing. In this study, we benchmark seven state-of-the-art quantum emulators employing techniques such as tensor networks, matrix product states (MPS), decision diagrams, and factorized ket based methods, running on CPU based hardware and focusing on effectively exact simulations. Performance is assessed on 13 benchmark circuits from the MQTBench library, spanning circuit sizes from 4 to 1,024 qubits. Our results reveal that MPS-based emulators outperform other approaches overall, successfully solving 8 benchmarks up to the maximum size of 1,024 qubits and 12 benchmarks up to at least 100 qubits in less than 5 minutes. We find evidence that all circuits except a random one can be simulated in polynomial time. This work demonstrates that quantum emulators can faithfully simulate a broad range of large and complex universal quantum circuits with high fidelity, far beyond the limits of statevector simulators and today’s quantum hardware.
MIT engineers advance toward a fault-tolerant quantum computer | MIT News
https://news.mit.edu/2025/mit-engineers-advance-toward-fault-tolerant-quantum-computer-0430
Author: Adam Zewe
Date: Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Excerpt: MIT researchers demonstrated extremely strong nonlinear light-matter coupling in a quantum circuit. Stronger coupling enables faster quantum readout and operations, ultimately improving the accuracy of quantum operations.
Quantum Networking
Cisco debuts prototype quantum networking chip to accelerate future – and existing – applications | SiliconANGLE
Author: Mike Wheatley
Date: Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Excerpt: Cisco says its quantum chip prototype is especially promising because it can function at room temperature as a miniaturized photonic integrated chip, making it suitable for deployment in traditional data centers. It operates at standard telecom wavelengths, which means it can integrate with existing fiber optic cables, and it offers exceptionally high performance at up to 1 million high-fidelity entanglement pairs per output channel, supporting up to 200 million entanglement pairs per second, per chip.
Workforce
Navigating skills and talent development for quantum technology: Current insights and future horizons | RAND
https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA3889-1.html
Authors: Salil Gunashekar and Teodora Chis
Excerpt: Quantum technology is advancing rapidly, highlighting the need for a skilled workforce. We examine the emerging trends and propose policy actions to develop a resilient, equitable and future-ready quantum technology skills pipeline and workforce.
Sutor Group Intelligence and Advisory
Dr. Bob Sutor is the CEO and Founder of Sutor Group Intelligence and Advisory. Sutor Group provides broad market insights and deep technical expertise based on over four decades of experience with startups and large corporations. It advises Deep Tech startups, companies, and investors on quantum technologies, AI, and other emerging tech fields.
Sutor Group shares its knowledge and analysis through direct client engagements and seminars, reports, newsletters, books, written and on-air media appearances, and speaking and panel moderation at the top conferences and client events.
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Previous Newsletter Edition
Upcoming Quantum Company Earnings Calls | Wednesday, April 30, 2025
