Emergence Quantum: a commercial quantum research ‘special ops’ team
What David Reilly’s Microsoft Quantum team did next.by Beth Miller, Washington University in St. Louis.
A first-of-its-kind research and development company has been launched by the University of Sydney quantum technology team that worked closely with Microsoft Quantum for the best part of a decade.
Led by Professor David Reilly and Dr Thomas Ohki, the 20-strong research firm is delivering quantum technology’s “missing link” as companies the world over race to realise the promise of the futuristic technology, which could revolutionise drug discovery, cybersecurity, materials science and artificial intelligence.
Emergence Quantum has immediately plugged into some of the most dynamic quantum technology companies globally, as well as DARPA’s new quantum benchmark initiative program in collaboration with local start-up Diraq.
As well as building systems across various quantum platforms, the company is developing new technologies for energy-efficient classical computing. A central area for the company will also be the intersection of quantum with AI and the data centres of the future.
The company has so far resisted venture capital support in favour of first establishing itself with immediate customers and partnerships as well as ongoing support from the University of Sydney.
Professor Reilly said: “We are pioneers in the emerging sophisticated quantum technology ecosystem. It’s not an accident that we are setting up in Australia, which has been a world leader in quantum tech for more than two decades.”
He said that long-term support by the University of Sydney, not least starting with the $150 million investment to build the state-of-the-art quantum labs in the Sydney Nanoscience Hub, has made the launch of the company possible.
“Up to now most quantum R&D in Australia has been in the university sector. And while that has been a workable model to put Australia at the forefront of this global technology, our sector is facing an inflection point of commercial speed-up that needs a new type of company,” Professor Reilly said.
“Emergence Quantum will fill that gap – an R&D company that can leverage the deep science of the university sector but operate in the commercial world to deliver agile technological solutions for real-world companies.”
Dr Ohki said: “We are like a ‘special ops’ team called in to perform specific tasks. Our approach will allow our customers to target technology problems that are notoriously difficult. We aren’t a consultancy, but we don’t deliver ‘off-the-shelf’ solutions either. We will bring experience, agility and deep tech know-how at a time the sector needs it.
“Critically, we aren’t competitors of the quantum computing companies, we are their enablers. We are a team that has an unequalled track record of working well together and one that has decades of collective experience in quantum. That’s hard to replicate.”
The team was created after Microsoft Quantum decided to consolidate its research program in the US. The team, which Professor Reilly has led for nine years at the University of Sydney Nano Institute, decided to stay in Australia and saw an opportunity to launch a new company, building on the experience they developed at Microsoft.
Professor Reilly said the ongoing support from the University of Sydney is critical for the company’s success.
Making quantum tech useful
Professor Reilly said: “Most of the focus to-date in quantum has been on this or that qubit, the processors at the heart of quantum computers. But our experience has shown the need to go well beyond qubits to include all the ‘connective tissue’ that bridges qubits to the software stack.
“Almost all future innovation will be in the middle layers between the qubit and the application end-product. That’s where we come in,” he said.
“We provide the quantum control systems, the read-out technologies, the cryogenic and scalable electronics that are needed to operate qubits and ultimately make quantum computers useful.”
Of central importance is the fact that Emergence Quantum will be ‘qubit agnostic’.
Professor Reilly said: “Our systems can be developed to work with the whole gamut of quantum hardware. From the get-go we are working across all the leading physical qubit platforms including spins, photonics, ions and superconductors.”
Dr Ohki said that as quantum technology matures and companies grow, they will need highly specific research programs for time-framed outcomes. It’s not practical for these companies to immediately hire ready-to-work teams for these projects.
This is the market gap that Emergence Quantum will fill.
“It isn’t trivial to build a highly functional team that works well together. We have built this up through our time together at Microsoft and beyond – that can’t be replicated through individual hires,” Dr Ohki said.
“We have already achieved a lot together, but we are now even more ambitious.”
Commercial R&D – a new model
Emergence Quantum will bring to Australia a model that is more familiar in the United States – a commercial and privately run R&D firm that can look beyond quarterly profit-and-loss statements to build real capacity at a commercial scale, while returning a profit for investors.
David Thodey is Chancellor at the University of Sydney. As former CEO of Telstra, Australia’s biggest telco, and former Chair at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, he understands how rapidly shifting technology landscapes need agile teams with deep experience. The Chancellor has been active in supporting quantum research and commercialisation for a number of years.
He said: “Being able to bridge the gap between deep technology at the university level and commercial solutions is often talked about but rarely delivered. It’s very exciting to see Emergence Quantum arrive at a time and place that can provide these solutions for the quantum sector.”
The Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Sydney, Professor Mark Scott, said: “The University is proud of our long-term investment in quantum science that is now delivering at the commercial level. This team is a true global leader in quantum technology and we are thrilled that the University will continue to be an integral part in the next phase of their incredible journey.”
On the company name, Professor Reilly said: “Emergence points to the timing of our arrival, as quantum technology moves into the commercial world, delivering real results at scale. And it points to the fact our team will work with technology companies, big and small the world over, to support their aspirations.
“But it also points to the very nature of quantum mechanics itself – the complex behaviour of matter emerging from the collective operation of fundamental processes at the subatomic level; phenomena that would not easily be predictable from simple analysis of those individual components.
“That is an idea behind how our team works. We are far more than the sum of our parts.”
Source: The University of Sydney
