Q.ANT, NVIDIA NVQLink, Quantinuum, Qai Ventures - The Week in Quantum Computing, November 3rd, 2025
Issue #257
Quick Recap
Q.ANT GmbH $80 million in Series A funding—including investment from Duquesne Family Office—representing the largest photonic computing round in Europe. In Singapore, Qai Ventures Singapore launched at SWiT 2025, aiming to register seven ventures by 2027. NVIDIA introduced NVQLink—an open architecture interconnect developed with leading US national labs and over 20 quantum hardware and controller builders—to tightly couple quantum processors with GPU-based systems, facilitating error correction and hybrid quantum-classical computing. Researchers using Quantinuum’s H2 processor demonstrated a “heuristic quantum advantage with peaked circuits” that outperforms classical exascale simulations, while browser-based tools like Kobe University’s quantum music system highlight expanding. Meanwhile, Singapore’s Cyber Security Agency released a Quantum-Safe Handbook and Readiness Index for public consultation, following major advances in the field.
“NVQLink is the Rosetta Stone connecting quantum and classical supercomputers.”
— Jensen Huang, NVIDIA
Sometimes there are projects in the field that surprise you, and you end up loving. This is the case of Qubi.
Qubi is the first interactive, handheld model of a qubit. It helps you visualize and understand what happens inside a quantum computer. Use the app or intuitive gestures to perform a full set of quantum gates, visualize superposition and entanglement, and even reproduce the Nobel-Prize-winning Bell experiment that Einstein called “spooky.”
It’s both a striking science piece for your desk and a delightful gift for anyone who loves physics and discovery. This Kickstarter is your opportunity to get it for a never-again discount - 30% off!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/qubiquantum/qubi-learn-quantum-computing?ref=5m7mfe
(I’m not involved with Qubi and the company in any way. But I LOVE the product)
The Week in Quantum Computing
Quantum-Safe Handbook and Quantum Readiness Index
On 22 October 2025, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), together with GovTech and IMDA, unveiled the Quantum-Safe Handbook and Quantum Readiness Index (QRI) for public consultation from 23 October to 31 December 2025. These initiatives, developed with input from technology companies, cybersecurity consultancies, and professional associations, aim to help organizations—particularly Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) owners and government agencies—prepare for the “quantum threat” posed by future quantum computers to current cryptographic systems. The QRI offers a self-assessment tool for evaluating quantum readiness. CSA is seeking feedback from CII owners, government and industry stakeholders, and experts to refine these resources, emphasizing the urgency and complexity of transitioning to quantum-safe solutions amid rising concerns in 2025.
NVIDIA Introduces NVQLink Connecting Quantum and GPU Computing for 17 Quantum Builders and Nine Scientific Labs
NVIDIA has launched NVQLink, an open high-speed interconnect designed to tightly couple GPU computing with quantum processors. Developed with input from 17 quantum hardware builders, five controller builders, and nine U.S. national labs—including Brookhaven, Fermilab, Lawrence Berkeley, Los Alamos, MIT Lincoln, Oak Ridge, Pacific Northwest, and Sandia National Laboratories—NVQLink aims to address the challenge of integrating error-prone qubits with classical supercomputers for scalable quantum algorithms and error correction. According to NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, NVQLink is “the Rosetta Stone connecting quantum and classical supercomputers,” enabling hybrid quantum-classical systems accessible via the CUDA-Q platform. Backed by the Department of Energy, NVQLink signals industry-wide collaboration to accelerate “quantum-GPU computing” using both established and emerging hardware platforms.
State of the post-quantum Internet in 2025
Cloudflare reports that the majority of its human-initiated Internet traffic now uses post-quantum encryption, marking a significant milestone against “harvest-now/decrypt-later” threats. Craig Gidney’s June 2025 research reduces the estimated qubit requirement to break RSA-2048 from 20 million to under one million, significantly accelerating concerns about quantum readiness. As cryptography evolves, the pace of hardware and algorithmic advances demands vigilant, ongoing adaptation.
Q.ANT raises $80M fund
Q.ANT GmbH has secured a total of $80 million in Series A funding, with a new investment from Duquesne Family Office, marking Europe’s largest photonic computing financing to date. This supports the commercialization of its Thin-Film Lithium Niobate-based Native Processing Server (NPS), described as the world’s first commercial photonic processor for real-world AI and HPC workloads. Q.ANT reports up to 30x greater energy efficiency and 50x performance gains over electronic chips, with 16-bit floating-point accuracy. Gartner highlights photonic computing’s benefits for Generative AI, citing energy and performance advantages. With its plug-in co-processor ready for supercomputing datacenter evaluation, Q.ANT’s progress comes amid surging global demand for more energy-efficient AI infrastructure.
Paper: Heuristic Quantum Advantage with Peaked Circuits
Researchers Hrant Gharibyan, Mohammed Zuhair Mullath, Nicholas E. Sherman, Vincent P. Su, Hayk Tepanyan, and Yuxuan Zhang report a significant milestone in quantum computing by demonstrating “heuristic quantum advantage with peaked circuits” (HQAP) on Quantinuum’s H2 quantum processor. Their experiments revealed that for circuits with all-to-all connectivity and 2000 two-qubit gates, the H2 system generated the target output in under 2 hours, while classical simulations, including tensor networks with belief propagation and Pauli path simulators, would require years on exascale supercomputers like Frontier and Summit. The study also proves that determining whether a generic peaked circuit is “peaked” is QCMA-complete, highlighting inherent computational hardness.
Interactive web tool brings quantum game theory concepts to life through music
At the 3rd International Symposium on Quantum Computing and Musical Creativity, Kobe University quantum engineer Souma Satofumi unveiled the first browser-based interactive music system based on quantum game theory. This tool models concepts like quantum uncertainty and entanglement as auditory interactions, providing real-time feedback on user strategies in a “quantum jam session.” The interface uses a quantum version of the prisoner’s dilemma to generate musical notes according to quantum-mechanical rules, helping users experience abstract quantum phenomena more tangibly. “The structure where unexpected harmony or dissonance emerges…parallels the emergent dialog found in jazz and improvisational music,” Souma explains. The team plans to scale the model for multiparty and higher-qubit scenarios.
Quantum AI venture fund boosts Singapore’s tech hub ambitions
Qai Ventures Singapore, backed by a Switzerland-based venture fund, officially launched its Asia-Pacific hub at the Singapore Week of Innovation & Technology on Oct 29, 2025. The firm aims to register seven new quantum AI ventures in Singapore by 2027, leveraging up to 2,000 patents and offering up to US$2 million in funding per start-up. Qai is also looking to raise US$150 million from local investors and family offices. Singapore’s long-term quantum investment includes $400 million in past funding and a $300 million commitment in 2024. The government plans to form quantum computing proof-of-concept teams in strategic sectors by 2026, fueling optimism as leading players like Oxford Ionics see billion-dollar valuations amid increasing market excitement.
Quandela Delivers 12-Qubit Photonic Quantum Computer Named Lucy
Quandela has delivered “Lucy,” a 12-qubit photonic quantum computer, to the CEA’s TGCC facility in Paris, expanding European quantum computing capacity. Assembled in 12 months, Lucy integrates 80% European-made components and features contributions from attocube systems AG (cryogenic modules), Quandela’s Palaiseau facility (quantum devices), and final integration in Massy. GENCI led the consortium including CEA, the University of Bucharest, ICHEC, and Forschungszentrum Juelich. Researchers and industrial users across France and Germany will access Lucy remotely, using it to develop quantum algorithms and hybrid HPC-quantum workflows for applications like energy grid optimization and financial risk modeling.
Commission invites contributions to shape future EU Quantum Act
On October 31, 2025, the European Commission launched a call for evidence on the forthcoming EU Quantum Act, aiming for adoption in 2026. The Act will focus on three goals: boosting quantum research and innovation, scaling industrial capacity through pilot lines and a design facility, and reinforcing supply chain resilience and governance. This initiative builds on the Quantum Europe Strategy and complements the Chips Act, EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, and IRIS². Stakeholders—including member states, research bodies, start-ups, SMEs, and cybersecurity experts—are invited to submit input via the ‘Have your Say’ platform until November 26, 2025. The breadth of consultation signals the EU’s intent to strategically coordinate its quantum ambitions amid global technological competition.
China’s atomic quantum computer reports first sales with orders worth US$5.6 million
China’s first atomic quantum computer, the Hanyuan-1, achieved its initial commercial sales, with orders surpassing US$5.6 million, as reported by Hubei Daily on November 2, 2025. The first unit was delivered to a China Mobile subsidiary, while an additional order came from Pakistan. Developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology in Wuhan, the Hanyuan-1 stands out as one of the few atomic quantum computers ready for mass production and delivery globally. The machine targets applications such as financial modelling and logistics optimisation, highlighting progress in scaling quantum technology beyond the laboratory and into deployment among major institutional and international customers this year.
Scalable Quantum Error Detection
On October 30, 2025, Quantinuum announced a significant advance in scalable quantum error detection (QED). Senior physicist Eli Chertkov described the discovery as “a surprising result” while the team was investigating the quantum contact process (QCP). They found that detected errors from noisy hardware could be converted into random resets, avoiding the exponentially costly overhead of post-selection and enabling the logical circuit to adapt dynamically to hardware noise. The protocol, tested on Quantinuum’s System Model H2, achieved near break-even performance between logically encoded and physical circuits—a crucial step allowing QED codes to scale efficiently and saving substantial resources compared to full quantum error correction. This could open new research directions for quantum information and simulation in 2025.
Quantum approximate multi-objective optimization
Ayse Kotil and colleagues present a quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA) applied to multi-objective combinatorial optimization, targeting the challenging Pareto front of multi-objective weighted MAXCUT problems. Demonstrated on IBM Quantum hardware (ibm_fez device, 27 and 42-qubit subgraphs) and with numerical matrix product state simulations, their approach leverages efficient parameter transfer, removing the need for quantum training and mitigating a critical computational bottleneck. They report that their quantum method “has the potential to outperform classical approaches” for these complex problems, particularly as instances scale or as more objectives are added. This work is important as it showcases how near-term quantum computers can already enable progress in algorithmic discovery for classes of problems where classical methods often fall short.
Post-quantum migration mis-steps
At the PKI Consortium PQC Conference 2025, Tan Teik Guan highlighted concerns about divisiveness in post-quantum cryptography (PQC) migration efforts, arguing it may slow industry readiness. Reviewing past and present approaches, he noted that Quantum Key Distribution, while theoretically secure, failed broad adoption due to high costs and infrastructure demands; “none have gone into commercial production besides maybe military applications.” PQC, favored largely for pragmatic cost reasons, now outpaces QKD for most organizations. Conference discussions revealed discontent with cryptographic inventory exercises—three organizations reported poor outcomes—while implementation efforts, notably browser-driven hybrid PQC in TLS (with over 50% of Cloudflare web traffic quantum-safe), were widely praised. Collaboration and timely action are urgently needed as debates persist over hybrid versus pure PQC and cryptographic agility.
The collaboration with 9 national labs and 17 quantum builders for NVQLink is strategic positioning before quantum even proves comercially viable. NVIDIA is betting that hybrid quantum-classical systems will need GPU-side compute for error correction and that locking in the interface standard early creates another CUDA-like moat. Smart hedging on multiple quantum approaches simultaneously.