Nu Quantum adopts White Rabbit

Nu Quantum, the Cambridge quantum entanglement startup, is adopting CERN-born White Rabbit (WR) technology which allows timing synchronisation with sub-nanosecond accuracy while providing an Ethernet network for control, distribution and data acquisition.

This level of synchronisation is important to create the entanglement between computers which establishes the quantum network

Nu Quantum was founded in 2018 by Dr. Carmen Palacios-Berraquero (pictured) now CEO, to commercialise research performed at Cambridge’s  Cavendish Labs.

The company will  be previewing its Quantum Networking Unit (QNU) at the National Quantum Technology Showcase in London, a technology that will enable multiple quantum computing nodes to be woven together into a distributed quantum computing machine. This approach is essential to scale-out quantum computing.

In support of the QNU prototype integration, Nu Quantum will join the WR Collaboration, an initiative launched by CERN to foster the uptake of the technology by industry.

Nu Quantum has developed the control-plane hardware and benchmarked the optical sub-systems, with delivery of the full system on target for March 2025.

The first example of the QNU’s Optics Module has been built and calibrated, and its performance exceeds expectation.

The QNU will perform an analogous function in the quantum world as the IP switching fabric does in a conventional data centre.

By defining a clean separation of the Control plane from the Quantum / optics plane, the QNU will allow independent evolution of capability and performance.

The modular aspect of the system means that it can be readily customised for specific wavelengths to support different qubit modalities, for example specific ion or atom species.

As lower-loss and higher-speed photonics are developed, the system can be upgraded to take advantage of this – offering better entanglement performance and increased scale of connectivity.