Qunnect, Inc., a deep tech company committed to globalizing Quantum Communications, received a $1.5M Phase-II Small Business Innovation Research award from the US Department of Energy, according to a news release.
Qunnect is developing a device suite to enable ultra-secure, long-distance quantum communications. All products are engineered to operate at room temperature, a critical design requirement for real-world deployment of quantum technologies.
The company’s first product, a Quantum Memory device, can store, coherently manipulate, temporally synchronize, and retrieve quantum-states on-demand. The phase-II award supports the development of features to integrate and use these devices on standard telecom fiber bed infrastructure. Through collaborations with Brookhaven National Laboratory and ESnet, Qunnect’s products will be field-tested on fiber networks connecting Brookhaven National Lab to New York City.
As a stand-alone product, the Quantum Memories will function as a Quantum Buffer, similar to a data buffer in traditional telecom, regulating data flow at different nodes in the network. The Quantum Buffers will also be an integral component in the company’s plan to build a Quantum Repeater to enable quantum entanglement-based communications, shattering the distance-limitations currently experienced by first-generation quantum communications technologies.
“We champion the Department of Energy’s vision to build the Quantum Internet, and we are very appreciative to have their support,” said Qunnect CEO Mehdi Namazi. “Qunnect is committed to engineering field-stable devices that enable long-distance, quantum-secure communication on the existing telecom infrastructure. We believe this hybrid approach will accelerate the adoption of quantum technologies by early users, who will then develop the next generation of quantum communication protocols.”
About Qunnect Inc.
Qunnect was founded in 2017 by Eden Figueroa, Mehdi Namazi, Mael Flament and Robert Brill to commercialize the technologies of the Quantum Information Sciences & Technology Laboratory at Stony Brook University. Noel Goddard leads operations. The company closed a $800k financing round in 2019 which included Quantonation and Accelerate NY Seed Fund. Qunnect is a client of the Clean Energy Business Incubator Program (CEBIP) at Stony Brook University, which is funded by the NY State Energy Research and Development Agency (NYSERDA). Their R&D facility is located in the Center for Excellence in Wireless Information Technology, in Stony Brook, NY. The company is also a member of New Lab, the deep tech innovation incubator located in the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York City.
