Bengaluru start-up builds quantum computer that works at room temperature
What's the story
A Bengaluru-based start-up, Quanfluence, has developed a commercial quantum computer that works at room temperature. The revolutionary machine does not need to be cooled to extreme temperatures like other quantum computers in the world. The company was founded by three former Texas Instruments engineers who previously built and sold a semiconductor IP company to automation giant Synopsys.
Innovative strategy
Most quantum computers work inside cryogenic refrigerators
Most of the world's leading quantum computers work inside cryogenic refrigerators, which are cooled to near absolute zero.
But Quanfluence is taking a different route. The company is working on photonic quantum computing technology that works at room temperature by using light instead of superconducting electrical circuits.
While the tech is still maturing globally, researchers see photonics as one of many viable paths toward scalable quantum computers.
Founders' background
Founders spent over a decade at Texas Instruments
The founding trio of Quanfluence, Sujoy Chakravarty, Ravi Mehta, and Biman Chattopadhyay, spent over a decade at Texas Instruments honing their skills in semiconductor and chip design.
In 2012, they left to start Silicon and Beyond, a high-speed semiconductor IP start-up. The company was acquired by Synopsys in 2018.
After the acquisition, instead of starting another semiconductor company right away, the trio spent months exploring various quantum computing technologies for commercial hardware opportunities from India.
Strategic choice
Why did the founders choose photonics?
After studying different quantum computing technologies for nearly six months, the trio chose photonics.
Unlike superconducting systems that need cryogenic cooling, photonic quantum computers use laser light as their computational medium and work at room temperature.
Integrated photonic technologies are considered one of the promising directions for future quantum hardware, although there are still technical challenges to overcome before large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computers become commercially viable.
Team expansion
The founding team has expanded to include quantum researchers
After choosing photonics, the founders expanded their company by bringing in researchers specializing in quantum science.
Professor Anil Prabhakar of IIT Madras joined as a co-founder with research on Optical Ising Machines, while Professor Sandeep Goyal of IISER Mohali joined the founding team with expertise in quantum information theory.
Former Arista Networks executive Aditi Vaidya also joined as Chief Product Officer.
Technological development
What is Quanfluence building?
According to Quanfluence and information reported by The Times of India, the company is building a photonic quantum computing platform based on an Optical Ising Machine.
Rather than encoding information with individual photons, the company's architecture uses the electric field of groups of photons, which it believes can enhance stability and scalability.
This innovative approach could revolutionize the field of quantum computing.