Quantum Computing Review Q4 2021

Welcome to our Q4 2021 quantum review. It’s been a busy quarter for projects, announcements and investments, so we’ve picked some of the most interesting stories you might have missed.

IBM Quantum Summit

In November 2021, IBM held its annual quantum summit. During its state of the union address, the tech giant made seven significant announcements. Primary amongst them was the release of the Eagle 127 Qubit processor. This has been on the radar for a while and does represent a significant advance in processor technology. However, it’s already being overshadowed by the next-gen Osprey and Condor machines. Due for release later in 2022 and 2023, at which point IBM believes it will be on the brink of the point of quantum advantage.

Other announcements included a new physical form factor (IBM Quantum System Two) for the forthcoming Osprey processor, improved qubit coherence, faster circuit execution speed and more.

AWS opens its Center for Quantum Computing

As the quantum technology market continues to expand, we are seeing a number of major projects getting underway. In late October 2021 AWS announced the opening of its new Center for Quantum Computing. The state-of-the-art facility is located on the Caltech Campus in Pasadena, California, and comprises both office space and the R&D labs dedicated to developing the next generation of quantum technologies.

Investments, Mergers and Acquisitions

Q4 2021 was an interesting time for quantum business news. As the financial potential of quantum technologies becomes more apparent, we’ve seen a series of high-profile investments. Rigetti Computing, a prominent name in full-stack quantum computing, announced its plan to go public. Following a merger with specialist acquisition company Supernova, the new entity has a pro forma value of $1.5billion. Shortly after the story broke, Microsoft announced it will be making Rigetti quantum computers available on its Azure quantum service.

In the same space, Honeywell Quantum Solutions and Cambridge Quantum combined forces to create a new entity – Quantinuum. The new company instantly becomes a big hitter in the full-stack quantum computing arena, with over 400 employees in offices across the US, Europe and Japan.

Other News

In recognition of the potential cybersecurity threat caused by quantum technologies, the US government moved to include an additional 8 companies on its “Entity List” for their alleged support of the Chinese military’s quantum computing efforts. In all, 27 companies or individuals were added to the restricted trade list under the auspices of national security.