Coherence Quantum secures €2.78 million seed round to develop cryogenic controls
The Finnish start-up plans to open a laboratory in Espoo, produce initial prototypes and expand its team.
Lifeline Ventures has led a €2.78 million seed investment in Coherence Quantum, a Finnish start-up developing cryogenic technology to control quantum computers and transmit signals. Technology entrepreneur Mårten Mickos also took part.
Coherence Quantum plans to put the funding towards a new Espoo laboratory, its first product prototypes and manufacturing processes. It also intends to hire more staff and carry on with research and development.
The company is tackling the infrastructure demands of larger quantum processors. Increasing qubit numbers makes control and readout equipment more complex, requiring extra wiring and signal-conditioning hardware where space and cooling are limited. Processors also need protection against thermal noise and other disturbances.
CEO and co-founder Aashish Sah said the company would begin with signal conditioning before moving towards higher-density interfaces and more integrated cryogenic controls. Its goal is to allow quantum systems to grow while wiring, cooling requirements and complexity increase more slowly.
The start-up grew out of the Quantum Computing and Devices (QCD) research group at Aalto University. Its team has spent over two years developing and testing the technology, working through several prototype generations and using qubit systems in dilution refrigerators.
Further ahead, Coherence Quantum aims to help create a standardised cryogenic signalling and control architecture that brings together its technology and complementary solutions developed elsewhere in the quantum sector.
