Quantum startup Atom Computing first to exceed 1,000 qubits

Systems to be available in 2024, on path to fault-tolerant quantum computing this decade

October 24, 2023 - Boulder, CO - Atom Computing announced it has created a 1,225-site atomic array, currently populated with 1,180 qubits, in its next-generation quantum computing platform.

This is the first time a company has crossed the 1,000-qubit threshold for a universal gate-based system, planned for release next year. It marks an industry milestone toward fault-tolerant quantum computers capable of solving large-scale problems.

CEO Rob Hays said rapid scaling is a key benefit of Atom Computing’s unique atomic array technology. “This order-of-magnitude leap – from 100 to 1,000-plus qubits within a generation – shows our atomic array systems are quickly gaining ground on more mature qubit modalities,” Hays said. “Scaling to large numbers of qubits is critical for fault-tolerant quantum computing, which is why it has been our focus from the beginning. We are working closely with partners to explore near-term applications that can take advantage of these larger scale systems.”

Paul Smith-Goodson, vice president and a principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, said the 1,000-plus qubit milestone makes Atom Computing a serious contender in the race to build a fault-tolerant system.

“It is highly impressive that Atom Computing, which was founded just five years ago, is going up against larger companies with more resources and holding its own,” he said. “The company has been laser focused on scaling its atomic array technology and is making rapid progress.”

Fault-tolerant quantum computers that can overcome errors during computations and deliver accurate results will require hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of physical qubits along with other key capabilities, including:

Long coherence times. The company has achieved record coherence times by demonstrating its qubits can store quantum information for 40 seconds.
Mid-circuit measurement. Atom demonstrated the ability to measure the quantum state of specific qubits during computation and detect certain types of errors without disturbing other qubits.
High fidelities. Being able to control qubits consistently and accurately to reduce the number of errors that occur during a computation.
Error correction. The ability to correct errors in real time.
Logical qubits. Implementing algorithms and controls to combine large numbers of physical qubits into a “logical qubit” designed to yield correct results even when errors occur.

Hays said Atom Computing continues to work toward these capabilities with its next-generation system, which provides new opportunities for its partners.

Guenter Klas, leader of the Quantum Research Cluster at Vodafone said, “We welcome innovations like the neutral atom approach to building quantum computers as from Atom Computing. In the end, we want quantum algorithms to make an economic difference and open up new opportunities, and for that goal scalable hardware, high fidelity, and long coherence times are very promising ingredients.”

Tommaso Demarie, CEO of Entropica Labs, a strategic partner of Atom Computing, said, “Developing a 1,000-plus qubit quantum technology marks an exceptional achievement for the Atom Computing team and the entire industry. With expanded computational capabilities, we can now delve deeper into the intricate realm of error correction schemes, designing and implementing strategies that pave the way for more reliable and scalable quantum computing systems. Entropica is enthusiastic about collaborating with Atom Computing as we create software that takes full advantage of their large-scale quantum computers."

Atom Computing is working with enterprise, academic, and government users today to develop applications and reserve time on the systems, which will be available in 2024.

To learn more about Atom Computing visit: https://atom-computing.com.

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About Atom Computing

Atom Computing is building scalable quantum computers with arrays of optically trapped neutral atoms. We collaborate with researchers, organizations, governments, and companies to help develop quantum-enabled tools and solutions for the growing global ecosystem. Learn more at atom-computing.com, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Atom Computing adds key leaders to accelerate quantum computing momentum with the U.S. government

August 30, 2023 — Berkeley, CA – Atom Computing announced it has appointed Ken Braithwaite, former Secretary of the Navy, to its Board of Directors and that Greg Muhlner has joined the company as Vice President of Public Sector to lead engagement with the U.S. government.

CEO Rob Hays said the addition of Braithwaite and Muhlner reflects the important role of the U.S. government in the advancement and adoption of quantum computing, noting Atom Computing’s collaborations with the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, and the National Science Foundation.

“The United States has a vibrant quantum ecosystem thanks, in part, to investments the federal government has made in quantum computing research and development, workforce initiatives, and procurement,” he said. “Public-private partnership with our company will help to advance the technology and ensure U.S. leadership in this area of strategic importance. Ken (Braithwaite) and Greg (Muhlner) have extensive federal government experience that will help position Atom Computing as the premier partner to the U.S. in winning the race to large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computing.”

Braithwaite was sworn in as the Secretary of the Navy in 2020 and previously served as a U.S. ambassador to Norway. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1984 and was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy. Braithwaite left active duty in 1993 but continued his service in the Navy Reserve while holding several executive leadership positions in private industry.

Muhlner has 15 years of experience in business development and sales to the federal government. Before joining Atom Computing, he was Vice President of Sales for Rebellion Defense and led Navy and U.S. Marine Corps sales at Amazon Web Services. Muhlner served as a Naval Special Warfare (SEAL) Officer, participating in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“Quantum computing is a disruptive technology that will redefine computing and the complexity of problems that we can solve,” Braithwaite said. “For our national security and to fuel our economy, it is imperative the United States and its allies win the quantum computing race. I am proud to serve on Atom Computing’s board of directors to help the company achieve its mission in this critical new domain.”

About Atom Computing

Atom Computing is building scalable quantum computers with atomic arrays of optically trapped neutral atoms. We collaborate with researchers, organizations, governments, and companies to develop world-changing tools and solutions; and support the growing global ecosystem. Learn more at atom-computing.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Atom Computing and National Renewable Energy Laboratory exploring electric grid optimization using quantum computing

July 20, 2023 — Boulder, C0 – Atom Computing and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) today announced a collaboration to explore how quantum computing can help optimize electric grid operations.

During this week’s IEEE Power and Energy Society general meeting, NREL researchers demonstrated how they incorporated Atom Computing’s atomic array quantum computing technologies into the lab’s Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems (ARIES) research platform and its hardware-in-the-loop testing to create a first-of-a-kind “quantum-in-the-loop” capability that can run certain types of optimization problems on a quantum computer.

Dr. Rob Hovsapian, a research advisor at NREL, called the new capability an important step toward understanding how quantum computers can better balance energy loads across an electric grid.

“Electric grids are increasingly complex as we add new power generation resources such as wind and solar, electric vehicle charging, sensors and other devices,” he said. “We are reaching the point where electric grids have more inputs and outputs than what our classical computing models can handle. By incorporating quantum computing into our testing platform, we can begin exploring how this technology could help solve certain problems.”

Optimization problems such as managing supply chains, devising more efficient transportation routes, and improving electric grid and telecommunications networks are considered “killer applications” for quantum computing. These are large-scale problems with numerous factors and variables involved, which makes them well suited for quantum computers and the way in which they run calculations.

Keeping power flowing across an electric grid is a good example of an optimization problem. Power plants, wind turbines, and solar farms must generate enough electricity to meet demand, which can fluctuate depending on the time of day and weather conditions. This electricity is then routed across miles and miles of transmission lines and delivered to homes, businesses, hospitals, and other facilities in real time.

Initially, NREL and Atom Computing are exploring how quantum computing can improve decision making on the re-routing of power between feeder lines that carry electricity from a substation to a local or regional service area in the event of switch or line downtime.

“Right now, operators primarily rely on their own experience to make this decision,” Hovsapian said. “This works but it doesn’t necessarily result in an optimal solution. We are evaluating how a quantum computer can provide better data to make these decisions.”

Atom Computing CEO Rob Hays called the project an important example of how private industry and national laboratories can collaborate on quantum computing technology and valuable use case development.

“Collaborations like this are extremely important for advancing quantum computing and scientific research,” Hays said. “NREL is a global leader in renewable energy and electric grids. We are proud to partner with them to advance their research.”

To learn more about Atom Computing visit: https://atom-computing.com.

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About Atom Computing

Atom Computing is building scalable quantum computers with atomic arrays of optically trapped neutral atoms. We collaborate with researchers, organizations, governments, and companies to help develop quantum-enabled tools and solutions; and support the growing global ecosystem. Learn more at atom-computing.com, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Atom Computing selected by DARPA to accelerate scalable quantum computing with atomic arrays of neutral atoms

January 31, 2023 — Berkeley, CA – Atom Computing has been selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to explore how atomic arrays of neutral atoms could accelerate the path to fault-tolerant quantum computing.

The company received a project award and funding to develop a next-generation system as part of DARPA’s Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing (US2QC) program. According to DARPA, the primary goal of the US2QC program is to determine if an underexplored approach to quantum computing is capable of achieving utility-scale operation much sooner than conventional predictions.

For this project, Atom Computing will focus on the scalability of atomic array-based quantum computing and the capability of the company to produce systems based on the technology. Atom Computing has shown early demonstrations of its speed and the scalability of its technology by being the fastest company to develop a 100-qubit prototype and demonstrating record coherence times.

The DARPA-sponsored project will explore new ways to scale qubit count for larger systems, additional layers of entanglement connectivity for faster performance, and a broader set of quantum error correction algorithms for fault tolerance.

“In order to realize the scaling advantages of our quantum computing technology, there are a number of engineering challenges that need to be overcome. With DARPA’s support, we will be able to accelerate our development timeframe”, said Rob Hays, CEO of Atom Computing. “We are honored to be selected for such an important program to advance Atom Computing and the United States toward utility-scale quantum computing.”

To learn more about Atom Computing visit: https://atom-computing.com.

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About Atom Computing

Atom Computing is building scalable quantum computers with atomic arrays of optically trapped neutral atoms. Learn more at atom-computing.com, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Silicon Valley Up-Start, Atom Computing, Chooses Colorado to Build Next-Generation Quantum Computers

September 28, 2022 — Boulder, CO — Atom Computing today announced the opening of its new research and development facility in Boulder during a ceremony attended by industry and academic partners, officials from federal, state, and local government, and representatives from Colorado’s Congressional delegation.

The new facility is Atom’s largest to date and will house future generations of its highly scalable quantum computers, which use atomic arrays of optically-trapped neutral atoms. The company opened its first office, which also serves as its global headquarters, in Berkeley, California in 2018.

Governor Jared Polis called the Boulder facility a significant and important investment in Colorado and evidence the state is emerging as the preeminent hub for quantum computing innovation in the U.S. and globally.

“We are excited to welcome Atom Computing to Boulder, which is already one of the world’s most booming centers for the quantum computing sector,” Polis said. “The addition of Atom Computing helps further position Colorado as an economic leader for the next big wave of technology development and will create more good-paying jobs for Coloradans.”

The Boulder facility represents an important milestone for Atom Computing, which raised $60 million through a Series B earlier this year to build its second-generation systems. The company’s 100-qubit prototype system, Phoenix, is housed in Berkeley and recently set an industry record for coherence time.

“Leading researchers and companies are choosing to partner with Atom Computing to develop quantum-enabled solutions because our atomic arrays have the potential to scale larger and faster than other qubit technologies,” said Rob Hays, CEO of Atom Computing.

Hays said the company chose Colorado because of the quantum expertise and top talent in the area and plans to expand its presence in the state.

“We expect to invest $100 million in Colorado over the next three years as we develop our roadmap and hire more employees to support those efforts,” he said.

Ben Bloom, Atom Computing’s founder and CTO, said the company’s strong ties to Colorado also contributed to its decision to build a facility in Boulder.

“Many of our team members, myself included, have connections with local universities,” said Bloom, who earned a Ph.D. from University of Colorado-Boulder where he helped renowned physicist, Dr. Jun Ye, build one of the world’s most accurate atomic clocks. “We are committed to Colorado.”

Jun Ye, who currently serves as Atom’s Scientific Advisor, called the new facility an important addition to the quantum ecosystem.

"It is extremely gratifying to see our recent CU graduates emerge as the early trailblazers of the rapidly growing quantum industry,” said Ye, a physics professor at CU Boulder. “This creates a powerful ecosystem for the best science and technology to develop side-by-side, providing outstanding opportunities for Colorado students to lead the next wave of innovations in quantum research and the market.”

To learn more about Atom Computing visit: https://atom-computing.com.

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About Atom Computing

Atom Computing is building scalable quantum computers with atomic arrays of optically-trapped neutral atoms, empowering researchers and companies to achieve unprecedented breakthroughs. Learn more at atom-computing.com, and follow our journey on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Atom Computing Raises $60M Series B to Build Second-Generation Quantum Computing Systems

Fastest to deliver a 100-qubit system, company poised to commercialize technology

January 20, 2022 — BERKELEY, Calif. — Atom Computing, the creators of the first quantum computer made of nuclear-spin qubits from optically-trapped neutral atoms, today announced closure of a $60M Series B round. Third Point Ventures led the round, followed by Prime Movers Lab and insiders including Innovation Endeavors, Venrock and Prelude Ventures. Following the completion of their first 100-qubit quantum computing system with world-record 40 second coherence times, Atom Computing will use this new investment to build their second-generation quantum computing systems and commercialize the technology.

“Atom Computing designed and built our first-generation machine, Phoenix, in less than two years and our team was the fastest to deliver a 100-qubit system,” said Rob Hays, CEO and President, Atom Computing. “We gained valuable learnings from the system and have proven the technology. The investment announced today accelerates the commercialization opportunities and we look forward to bringing this to market.”

With this new level of investment, the company will turn its focus to developing much larger systems that are required to run commercial use-cases with paradigm-shifting compute performance.

“We’ve seen a tremendous amount of investor interest in what many are starting to believe is a more promising way to scale quantum computers – neutral atoms. Our technology advancements and this investment gives us the runway to continue our focus on delivering the most scalable and reliable quantum computers,” added Hays.

Curtis McKee, Partner at Third Point Ventures, will join the Board of Directors. Curtis brings a wealth of IT, security, and business development expertise to the company.

“Atom Computing’s design approach with neutral atoms is notably differentiated and has breakout potential to leapfrog competitors in the quantum race,” said Curtis McKee, Partner at Third Point Ventures. “They bring together a unique combination of best-in-class executive and quantum engineering teams. We look forward to partnering with them as they lead the next era of computing.”

“Quantum computing will impact billions of lives, revolutionizing everything from drug discovery and financial modeling, to predicting climate change and the development of new, life-changing materials,” said Gaetano Crupi, Partner at Prime Movers Lab. “We have been tracking this technology closely and believe we have found the right team and approach to scalable quantum computers with Atom Computing.”

To learn more about Atom Computing visit: https://atom-computing.com.

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ABOUT ATOM COMPUTING

At Atom Computing, we’re our customers’ biggest fans on the journey of discovery. We’re obsessed with creating the world’s most scalable and reliable quantum computers—so companies and researchers have the computing power they need for life-changing breakthroughs. Through using nuclear-spin qubits formed from neutral atoms, we’re on the fastest and easiest path to making quantum real. Learn more at atom-computing.com, and follow our journey on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook.

ABOUT THIRD POINT

Since 2000, Third Point Ventures, the venture capital arm of the asset manager Third Point LLC, has pursued opportunities in multistage investments in private companies with exceptional management teams, sustainable technical advantages, optimal timing, and in opportunities where risk/reward are in balance based on disciplined selection, structure, and entry valuation. We bring deep technical expertise, a strong network of relationships, extensive go-to-market experience, and insights from our decades of global public markets investing to add value to our partners throughout their journey from idea to IPO and beyond. Information about Third Point Ventures and our investments may be found at https://www.thirdpointventures.com/.

ABOUT PRIME MOVERS LAB

Prime Movers Lab invests in breakthrough scientific startups founded by Prime Movers, the inventors who transform billions of lives. We invest in companies reinventing energy, transportation, infrastructure, manufacturing, agriculture and human augmentation. Portfolio investments span in-space transportation, industrial solar heat, ag tech, brain upgrades, nano-structured materials, wafer slicing, prosthetics, 3D printing, mobility, longevity and AI. For more information, please visit https://www.primemoverslab.com.

Media Contact:
Ashley Kusowski
Director, Marketing & Communications
ashley@atom-computing.com
919.704.0537

Veteran Quantum Computing Executives Join Atom Computing to Lead Commercialization and Growth

Denise Ruffner, former IonQ and IBM executive, joins as Chief Business Officer to lead customer, partner and sales strategy
Justin Ging, former Honeywell Quantum Solutions executive, joins as Chief Product Officer to lead commercialization of Atom Computing’s quantum solutions portfolio
Appointments round out Atom Computing’s senior leadership team on their mission to create the world’s most scalable and reliable quantum computers

November 4, 2021 — Berkeley, CA — Atom Computing, a quantum computing company obsessed with helping companies and researchers reach their next big breakthrough, today announces two new quantum veterans joining, Denise Ruffner as Chief Business Officer and Justin Ging as Chief Product Officer. Denise and Justin round out Atom Computing’s leadership team of technical and industry experts including CEO Rob Hays, Founder & CTO Ben Bloom, Co-Founder & Chief Scientist Jonathan King, Chief Control Systems Engineer Robin Coxe, and Marketing Communications Director Ashley Kusowski. Together, they will drive the company’s commercialization of Phoenix, a 100-qubit quantum system, and quantum solutions roadmap.

“I’m thrilled that Denise and Justin see the scalability of our technology roadmap and have decided to bring their unique skills in quantum computing and business leadership experience to our team as we prepare to launch our solutions into the market,” said Rob Hays, CEO and President, Atom Computing. “They each express a fierce belief in the power of quantum computing to change the world and a passion to help our partners and customers solve the problems that matter most to them.”

Denise Ruffner joins as Chief Business Officer, responsible for customer and partner ecosystem strategy and engagements. Denise previously led business development at IonQ. She brings more than 20 years of experience in deep tech and sales leadership at start-ups and IBM Quantum. Denise’s broad industry relationships and commitment to helping others is critical in building the deep partnerships required to make quantum computing invaluable to end users. Denise also serves as the President of Women in Quantum, a rapidly growing organization dedicated to creating a community for the advancement of women in the quantum field. Today she is hosting a Women In Quantum panel discussion at the Inside Quantum Technology Fall event in NYC.

Justin Ging joins as Chief Product Officer, responsible for product management and customer experience for Atom Computing’s quantum solutions portfolio. Justin comes from Honeywell Quantum Solutions where he spent the past few years leading commercialization and business development for their quantum business unit. He has 20 years of product management, product marketing and sales expertise at leading technology companies including Samsung and Aptina Imaging.

Denise and Justin join the fellow quantum enthusiasts on the Atom Computing leadership team dedicated to making quantum computing real.

To learn more about Atom Computing visit: https://atom-computing.com.

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ABOUT ATOM COMPUTING
At Atom Computing, we’re our customers’ biggest fans on the journey of discovery. We’re obsessed with creating the world’s most scalable and reliable quantum computers—so companies and researchers have the computing power they need for life-changing breakthroughs. Through using nuclear-spin qubits formed from neutral atoms, we’re on the fastest and easiest path to making quantum real. Learn more at atom-computing.com, and follow our journey on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook.

Media Contact:
Ashley Kusowski
Director, Marketing & Communications
ashley@atom-computing.com
919.704.0537

Atom Computing Unveils First-Generation Quantum Computing System — Appoints New CEO After Closing $15 Million in Series A Funding 

Company closes $15M in Series A funding; unveils “Phoenix,” Atom Computing’s first- generation quantum computing system
Rob Hays, former Intel and Lenovo executive joins as CEO, laying out the company’s vision for delivering scalable quantum computing systems 
Co-Founder Benjamin Bloom becomes Chief Technology Officer, leading research and development
Bill Jeffery joins Atom Computing’s Board of Directors, providing expertise in advanced technology development and executive management

July 21, 2021 — Berkeley, CA — Atom Computing, a fast-growing quantum computing start-up announces its transition into the next phase of growth after closing $15M in Series A funding. Atom Computing is the first company to build nuclear-spin qubits out of an alkaline earth element. Today the company unveils its first-generation quantum computing system, Phoenix, a 100-atom system showcasing astonishing stability. This innovative breakthrough demonstrates Atom Computing’s ability to produce quantum systems with unprecedented stability at scale. 

Taking the helm, Rob Hays, computing industry veteran, is appointed CEO, President and member of Atom Computing’s Board of Directors. Meanwhile, Co-founder and CTO, Ben Bloom, Ph.D., will continue leading Atom Computing’s engineering team to develop and execute the roadmap for scalable quantum computing systems. Rob was most recently Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for Lenovo’s Infrastructure Solutions Group where he led the growth and profitability strategy for Lenovo’s data center products and services. Rob also served at Intel for more than 20 years, where he was Vice President and General Manager responsible for leading Intel’s Xeon processor roadmaps, resulting in strong market leadership.

“Quantum computing has accelerated to a point where it is no longer 10 years out. The scalability and stability of our systems gives us confidence that we will be able to lead the industry to true quantum advantage,” said Rob Hays, CEO and President, Atom Computing. “We will be able to solve complex problems that have not been practical to address with classical computing, even with the exponential performance gains of Moore’s Law and massively-scalable cluster architectures.”

Atom Computing secured more than $15M in Series A funding which includes investment from leading venture capital firms: Venrock, Innovation Endeavors and Prelude Ventures. In addition, the National Science Foundation awarded the company three grants. These investments enabled Atom Computing to assemble a team of brilliant quantum physicists and design engineers with experience across various disciplines and applications to help develop the company’s first quantum computing system. 

The company’s first-generation quantum computing system, Phoenix, is currently capable of trapping 100 atoms in a vacuum chamber with optical tweezers. Phoenix is able to rearrange and manipulate their quantum states with lasers. The system demonstrates exceptionally stable qubits at scale, with coherence times that are orders of magnitude greater than ever reported.

“Atom Computing has a deep focus on scalable platforms compatible with error correction,” said Ben Bloom, Co-founder and CTO, Atom Computing. “We’ve been able to focus on building a one-of-a-kind system that exists nowhere else in the world. Even within the first few months of Phoenix's operation, we have measured performance levels never before reported in any scalable quantum system.” 

“I’m honored to lead this amazing team who has accomplished so much in the early stages of the company with a modest investment compared to what others have made. Combining the best of modern classical computing with quantum computing will allow us to reach new heights in science and engineering,” Hays added. 

Additionally, Bill Jeffrey, Ph.D., joins the Board of Directors of Atom Computing, bringing more than 30 years of executive leadership expertise in developing advanced technologies. Bill is CEO of SRI International, a leading research and development organization serving government and industry. He also has executive experience with HRL Laboratories, NIST, OSTP and DARPA. Bill’s experience working with government bodies and the industry to develop new technology will be invaluable to building Atom Computing’s business. 

To learn more about Atom Computing visit the company website. 

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Atom Computing is a growing start-up company focused on one mission: Deliver scalable quantum computers that can solve some of the most daunting problems ever attempted by man or machine. Our incredible team of physicists and engineers are building quantum computers out of optically trapped neutral atoms. To find out more visit https://www.atom-computing.com/company/, follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook.

Media Contact:
Ashley Kusowski
Director, Marketing Communications 
ashley@atom-computing.com
(919) 701-8035 ext. 727