Singapore, a skyscraper-laden, tropical paradise known for its business-friendly policies. With the second-highest GDP per capita (PPP) in the world, it’s no wonder this island city-state — one of the Four Asian Tigers — has some of the most innovative startups in the world.
This goes for startups in the quantum tech ecosystem, too, with a handful so far founded within the last half a decade. This is quite impressive for a state of its size and is surely a sign of the Singaporeans’ future intentions in the industry.
Responsibility in some way has to lie with the government: the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT), a research centre of excellence supported by the National Research Foundation, is a global shining light and the loving embryo for many of the startups soon to be mentioned. The Quantum Engineering Programme, too — set up in 2018 to fund research and develop a viable quantum ecosystem — is yet another example.
We will now highlight five startups that are creating a quantum future in Singapore. A future that is soon, through a combination of the Singaporean spirit for innovation and pro-business government policy, to get even better in a technological sense.
1.Atomionics
Founded in 2018 by Ravi Kumar and Sahil Tapiawala, Atomionics is a VC-backed startup that manufactures next-generation sensors based on cold atom sensing.
The startup’s marquee product, a proprietary gravimeter dubbed the Gravio™, is a cost-effective option for those wishing for the best possible data available within the shortest timeframe utilizing quantum sensing. The Gravio™ can also cut reduce costs in surveying, refine safety standards of underground infrastructure and empower optimal planning practices.
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2.S-Fifteen Instruments
A spinoff from the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT), S-Fifteen Instruments develops photonic quantum technologies for secure communication and was covered by TQD in a piece back in April of this year.
Founded by Lum Chune Yang, Christian Kurtsiefer and Alexander Ling in 2017, the startup designs and manufactures novel solutions in quantum key distribution (QKD), quantum random number generators (QRNGs), entangled photon pair source, and single-photon detectors. With customers sourced from mostly research institutions thus far, S-Fifteen Instrument’s quantum control instruments and quantum cryptography hardware will, without question, extend its reach further afield soon.
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3.SpeQtral
SpeQtral maps out and builds satellite-based quantum communication systems focused on quantum networks for the delivery of secure encryption keys. Additionally, its objective is to secure existing communications networks with a quantum-based encryption layer.
SpeQtral was formed as a spinoff of the group of Alexander Ling at the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) at the National University of Singapore by Chune Yang Lum and Robert Bedington in 2019.
Before the startup was established, members of the SpeQtral team were involved in demonstrations of entanglement-based QKD and daylight QKD, a very impressive fact.
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4.Horizon Quantum Computing
Established in 2018, Horizon Quantum Computing is a startup building software development tools to enable the next revolution in computing. Founded by CEO Joe Fitzsimons, a theoretical physicist with some fifteen years’ quantum computing research behind him, his vision for the startup is to “bridge the gap between quantum computers and conventional software development, enabling software developers to harness the full power of quantum processors.”
Horizon Quantum Computing’s state-of-the-art programming tools have been designed to simplify and facilitate the operation of developing software by removing one big obstacle: the prerequisite for the user to have prior knowledge and experience in QC. Such tools will surely open up the sector to more enthusiasts expanding its reach and overall adoption, good for everybody involved.
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5.Entropica Labs
Yet another spinoff from the country’s Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT), Entropica Labs was founded in 2018 by Tommaso Demarie, Ewan Munro and Joaquin Keller.
Developing models, algorithms and software tools to make quantum computing useful, Entropica Labs’ software is designed to operate on the leading cloud quantum computing platforms available today.
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Honourable mention: exaQ.ai, a startup using quantum computers in ML and the brainchild of Joaquin Keller, cofounder of Entropica Labs.
Have we missed any out or got something wrong? If so, don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected].
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